Huntington Beach woman gets 30 months in prison in $2.8M embezzlement case

A 50-year-old Huntington Beach woman was sentenced Thursday to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for embezzling about $2.8 million from a Garden Grove-based instant noodle maker.

Tae Miyaji Jones pleaded guilty Oct. 2 to seven counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter ordered her to pay $2,894,441 in restitution.

Jones admitted in her plea agreement to embezzling $2,894,441 from 2017 through July 2023.

Jones was an account manager for a company listed as S.F. in court documents when she transferred money from corporate accounts to her personal accounts to pay for home mortgages, jewelry, car loans and credit card debt, according to her plea agreement. Jones also doctored records to hide evidence of the theft, prosecutors said.

The defendant also agreed to turn over stolen goods such as jewelry and designer bags as well as homes in Madison, Alabama, and Waikoloa, Hawaii.

In a sentencing brief, prosecutors said the defendant’s “crimes were not the result of a momentary lapse of judgment. Her conduct lasted for a period of years and was carefully planned in order to mask her conduct. And [Jones] was able to successfully mask her conduct for years without consequence.’’