Woman, 53, Arrested on Forgery Charges

A Newbury Park woman who represents about a dozen homeowners associations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties has been arrested on charges that she forged an estimated $20,000 in association checks for personal use, Ventura County Sheriff’s Detective Bob LeMay said Tuesday.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ann Dixa Fields, 53, on Monday after searching her home in the 100 block of Maynard Avenue. Fields was booked on felony forgery charges and released on her own recognizance. She is to be arraigned Monday in Ventura County Municipal Court.

An estimated $20,000 in forged checks have been documented so far, and more are expected as an investigation continues, LeMay said.

LeMay said Fields is a property manager for about 12 homeowner associations from Ojai to the San Fernando Valley. Her responsibilities include handling the groups’ bills, submitting them each month for approval and signature. She was not authorized to sign checks, LeMay said.

An investigation began early last month when the Tuolumne Oaks homeowner association of Thousand Oaks spoke to the Sheriff’s Department after discovering irregularities in financial statements, LeMay said. “They rang the fire alarm and when we got there, we realized there were fires all over,” he said.

Other reported victims include homeowner associations at Euclid Estates in Camarillo and Marlborough Seaside Estates in Oxnard, and the Westlake branch of Ventura County National Bank, where the forged checks were deposited, according to LeMay.

Fields, whom police said worked out of her home, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The names of the other associations that Fields worked for were not available.