The former chief financial officer and manager of a Laguna Beach furniture manufacturing company has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $300,000 from the company in a two-year scheme, authorities said.
According to the Laguna Beach Police Department, Rebecca Buehler was arrested after a financial investigation on suspicion of misappropriating company funds for personal expenses, including luxury handbags, alcohol and a luxury SUV.
Buehler was hired in 2018 by the little-known company whose owners spent more than 20 years building it. But as the company fell on hard times, the owners decided to close it due to declining sales and losses, officials said.
However, when the victim attempted to close his company’s bank account, he noticed a large discrepancy in his account balance.
He contacted local authorities to investigate the missing funds, which resulted in a forensic examination of financial records that confirmed the theft, which authorities claimed contributed to the closure of the business in 2024. .
“These expenditures were made by diverting funds from the company’s business account to support her personal desires,” police said.
Investigators were able to trace the misappropriated funds, ultimately leading to a warrant for Buehler’s arrest.
She was found in Redondo Beach and taken into police custody. She is currently being held in the Orange County Jail.
Buehler has since been charged by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office with seven felony counts of grand larceny, including a surcharge for theft over $100,000.
The total amount stolen is estimated at more than $300,000, officials said.
