Huntington Beach Woman Sentenced to 2½ Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling Nearly $3 Million from Noodle Company

SANTA ANA, California - An Orange County woman was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison embezzling nearly $3 million from her employer, a Southern California-based noodle company for whom she worked as an account manager.

Tae Miyaji Jones, 50, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter, who also ordered her to pay $2,894,441 in restitution.

Jones pleaded guilty in October 2025 to seven counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud.

According to her plea agreement, from December 2017 to July 2023, Jones was an account manager for her employer in Garden Grove. In this role, her responsibilities included administering the company's accounting and financial operations. She had access to and control of the company's financial systems, corporate accounts, and records and had check-signing authorities on the company's bank accounts.

Without her employer's knowledge or consent, Jones transferred company funds from her employer's corporate accounts to her personal bank accounts to finance personal expenses. These expenses included home mortgages, jewelry, car loans, and personal credit card charges.

To conceal her scheme, Jones falsified her employer's account records to hide her unauthorized takings of company money. She used the mail to send and deposit company check into her various accounts.

For example, in July 2023, Jones mailed a $42,600 check from her employer's bank account to American Express, to be applied to her own credit card balance. To deceive her employer, Jones falsely represented this payment in her employer's records as a payment to a company vendor for material costs.

In total, Jones defrauded her employer out of approximately $2,894,441 in funds she used for her personal benefit, including buying luxury items and real estate in Alabama and Hawaii. Jones forfeited to the government the luxury items and the Alabama and Hawaii properties she purchased as part of the scheme.

"[Jones's] crimes were not the result of a momentary lapse of judgment," prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. "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."

The FBI investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Clifford D. Mpare of the Major Crimes Section and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section prosecuted this case.