Release Date: August 27, 2009

Contact: Howard A. Wise, Senior Deputy District Attorney

(805) 662-1736

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that on August 26, 2009, Judge Rebecca Riley sentenced Michael Terry Bush (DOB 09/24/49) of Oxnard to serve ten years, four months in state prison for embezzling more than $516,000 from Big Brand Tires. Bush was ordered to pay $516,000 in restitution to Big Brand Tires and $94,000 to the California Franchise Tax Board. He was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine. The restitution that Bush owes will grow annually by 10 percent.

Bush was the controller for Majco, Inc., d/b/a Big Brand Tire, located in Camarillo . From late 1997 to 2006 Bush stole cash that he was supposed to deposit into Majco, Inc's bank account. After Bush was fired in March 2006 for other reasons, Majco, Inc. employees discovered the thefts. Bush stole at least $516,000 from Majco, Inc. Bush also failed to declare any of the stolen money as income on his state income tax returns.

After a nine-day jury trial in June, Bush was convicted of two counts of grand theft, one count of petty theft, one count of corporate embezzlement, four counts of filing a false tax return, and one count of tax evasion. The case was investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and the California Franchise Tax Board.