NEWPORT BEACH

A Corona del Mar woman who worked at a popular Fashion Island clothing store pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing more than $65,000 from her employer. Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Robison sentenced Cynthia Maxfield, 39, to a minimum of four months in Orange County Jail and ordered her to complete an eight-month program at a halfway house.

Maxfield worked at the At Ease clothing store for more than four years and apparently pilfered cash from the business throughout her tenure. Evidence shows she falsified customer returns and credited the amounts to her own credit cards.

In addition to jail time, Maxfield can no longer possess credit cards, open any accounts or take a job that allows her to deal with daily cash flow. She was also sentenced to three years of probation. The embezzlement had a lasting effect at the Fashion Island store. Prospective employees now undergo thorough background checks and their applications are sent to a firm that analyzes them for indications of dishonesty.