Ex-President Of Beverly Hills Publisher Found Guilty Of Embezzlement

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The former president of a Beverly Hills publishing company was found guilty this week of embezzling at least $1.3 million from the company and its owner's personal bank account for her own expenses, including veterinary bills, designer handbags and an ocean-view home, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Kimberly Ann Miletta, 51, of Ventura, was found guilty Monday of three counts of wire fraud after a five-day federal trial. The jury acquitted her on two additional counts of wire fraud.

From 2008 to 2018, Miletta was president of Phoenix Books, an independent book and audio publisher owned by a victim identified in court documents at "J.O." Between 2013 and 2018, Miletta embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars using the company credit card — over which she had exclusive control as Phoenix's president — to pay for personal items. She then paid for the credit card bills out of J.O.'s personal bank account, prosecutors said.

Among her purchases: spa treatments, designer handbags, high-end clothing, a mattress that cost several thousand dollars and years' worth of veterinary bills and pet products for her cat. She fraudulently charged more than $185,000 for clothing and at department stores and also made a nearly-$1 million fraudulent wire transfer out of J.O.'s personal account to buy an ocean-view home in Ventura, prosecutors said.

Miletta is due back in court for sentencing on Jan. 10, when she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the three wire-fraud counts, prosecutors said.