California woman pleads guilty to embezzling more than $1.5M

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A 34-year-old woman has pleaded guilty in California to federal charges of embezzling more than $1.5 million.

The Orange County Register reports (https://bit.ly/2rn67VO ) Elizabeth Mulder pleaded guilty on Monday. Mulder is accused of telling people she was an accountant, when she actually worked for a soil and fertilizer company.

Mulder, who listed herself as president of Mulder Financial Consulting, was charged with wire fraud and subscribing to a false income tax return for failing to disclose the misappropriated funds to the Internal Revenue Service.

Mulder used the money acquired for a variety of personal expenses, including a rental home in Laguna Beach, cosmetic surgery, vacations and horse rentals.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16 and could serve 23 years in prison.

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Information from: The Orange County Register, https://www.ocregister.com