Employee to Be Charged in Theft
A Camarillo woman will be formally charged later this month in connection with the embezzlement of more than $2 million from an Oxnard seed company, officials said Friday.
Dejah Dawn Brown, 37, is scheduled to be charged Sept. 26 in Ventura County Superior Court with 95 counts of grand theft, money laundering and forgery and six counts of filing false income tax returns.
She could spend decades in prison if found guilty of all charges, said Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Johnson.
As payroll manager for Seminis Vegetable Seed, Brown allegedly deposited $2.2 million from the company into her personal bank account between 1998 and 2000, Johnson said. She is also accused of failing to report the money on her state income tax returns for those years. All income is taxable, including money from illegal activities, said a spokesman for the state Franchise Tax Board.
Brown was arrested in June 2001 after company officials noticed payroll had increased by $500,000 in a single pay period.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
