Woman pleads guilty to theft from Oxnard car dealerships

A San Diego woman was sentenced to 24 months in county jail for embezzling funds from car dealerships in Oxnard, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Kathleen Rene Mills, 51, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of grand theft and admitted to stealing more than $65,000. The case was the result of an investigation by the Oxnard Police Department.

Mills worked as an accountant for Alexander of Oxnard, which runs Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealerships in the city, in 2012 and 2013.

While in the position, Mills stole approximately $140,000 by forging checks from the petty cash and payroll accounts, according to prosecutors. She used the funds to pay off her personal credit card debt, authorities said.

In addition to the jail sentence, the court ordered Mills to pay full restitution of funds and serve 28 months on supervised release.

Mills is also part of ongoing civil litigation from a car dealership in Arizona where she had worked previously and allegedly stole $349,000, according to the district attorney's office.