Orange County prosecutors charged Rebecca Rhea Moore with over 30 felony counts of grand theft, computer access fraud and forgery. Authorities allege Moore was writing checks to herself and forging corporate records to make it appear the money was going to legitimate vendors. Moore is set to be arraigned on Monday and is currently being held in the Orange County jail on $1.75 million bail. If Moore is convicted, she faces 36 years in state prison and $1.7 million in restitution.

Moore was the controller and bookkeeper for Dan Miller Inc., a construction company from 2003 to 2011. The company reported the theft to Irvine Police Department in October 2011, at about the same time Moore left the company. News reports suggest Moore is a resident of Dyersburg, Tennessee and it is unclear if she fled to Tennessee after the thefts were reported.

Prosecutors allege Moore used the embezzled funds to buy a home in San Clemente and timeshare properties in Las Vegas and Maui. She is also alleged to have used the embezzlement scheme to pay off personal debt and leave beyond her means.

Typically in white collar crimes, there is a limit on the number of charges that can be brought against an individual. This is called “common plan or scheme.” What this means, is that prosecutors can only charge 1 count of theft, if the theft is the result of a common plan or scheme. The way prosecutors get around this is to charge forgery, which does not have the same limitations.

If you are being investigated for any white collar crime be that embezzlement, grand theft, forgery or computer access fraud, call our offices today for a free consultation. You will have the opportunity to speak to a California Criminal Law Specialist about how best to defend your case.