Woman Gets 6 Years for Embezzlement

A Thousand Oaks woman has been sentenced to six years in state prison and ordered to pay more than $155,000 in restitution for embezzlement, excessive taking and filing false income tax returns.

Municipal Judge Roland N. Purnell ordered Claudia Kirkpatrick, 39, to pay the State Franchise Tax Board and Albright Seed Co.

Kirkpatrick was convicted after a three-week trial of taking money from Albright over a period of three years while she was the chief financial officer of the Camarillo firm, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.

One of her principal schemes, the statement said, was using nearly $86,000 in company funds to pay her personal credit card bills.

During her sentencing this week, Kirkpatrick’s defense attorneys requested a new trial on the grounds that she was not advised of her rights before being arrested. The request was denied and her sentence was read, according to court documents.