Jones Hibbits Paige Jones Hibbits, a wellknown Camarillo businesswoman, was arrested earlier this week on multiple felony counts for allegedly embezzling funds from an Oxnard farm, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

Hibbits, arrested Dec. 7 at her Camarillo home, is being charged with 21 counts of forgery, money laundering, grand theft and computer fraud after she allegedly siphoned off $470,000 from Oxnard-based Scarborough Farms Inc. from 2007 to 2011 while working as the company’s bookkeeper and accountant. She is also being charged with aggravated white-collar crime, which may add time to her sentence if she’s convicted.

The alleged fraud was brought to the attention of investigators after an internal audit by Scarborough in August turned up discrepancies in the company’s books.

Prosecutors say that over a two-year period Hibbits used forged checks to move money into “less active Scarborough accounts that were not monitored.” She would then withdraw the funds and use the money “to pay her business expenses and to maintain a privileged lifestyle,” according to authorities.

It’s unknown how much of the money remains, authorities said.

Marc Leventhal, a senior deputy district attorney, said it’s unknown if Hibbits, owner of Camarillobased accounting firm Jones Hibbits LLC, embezzled from other companies. Leventhal said investigators were worried that a largescale investigation would cause Hibbits to flee.

Leventhal said the district attorney’s office is asking Hibbits’ other clients to come forward if they suspect they may have also been the victims of improper bookkeeping.

He said that at this time the investigation is solely focused on Hibbits.

She is being held at the Main Jail in Ventura in lieu of $1 million bail. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Hibbits is well-known in Camarillo, where she’s held multiple leadership positions within various nonprofits and other business groups.

In August, about the time that Scarborough went to the authorities, Hibbits stepped down as chair of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce and as treasurer of the Camarillo Rotary Club.

Chamber President Jennifer Wells said Hibbits didn’t have access to the Chamber’s financial records during her time as chair and that an annual internal audit in October showed no discrepancies in the Chamber’s books.

Multiple sources reported that Hibbits said she was leaving due to health reasons.

Max Copenhagen, president of Camarillo Rotary Club, said he was “shocked” when he heard of the allegations. He doesn’t believe Hibbits took money from the Rotary Club, as each of the club’s checks required two signatures.

“We don’t think we had any problems,” Copenhagen said. “Nothing seems out of line, but we’ll take a hard look and make sure everything was okay. We’re not aware of any problems.”

Jones Hibbits has lived in Camarillo for eight years and has been a member of the Chamber for four.

Hibbits was also treasurer of the Ventura County Brain Injury Center, a past president of the Meadowlark Service League and Pleasant Valley Historical Society and a member of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association.

She was the 2010 Camarillo Woman of the Year and the 2011 Ventura County Woman of Distinction.