Iesha Warren, 41, a former accounts worker, pleaded guilty to defrauding Te Roopu Āwhina Ki Porirua Trust of over $1 million. The Porirua social services trust, which provides care and protection for vulnerable children, had to merge with Ngāti Toa to avoid losing funding due to the financial impact of the fraud.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) stated that Warren stole $1,063,674 between December 2020 and June 2021. She achieved the fraud by manipulating 79 transactions, totaling over $770,000. Warren substituted her own bank account details for those of legitimate suppliers. A second person, who was required to authorize payments did not check bank account numbers, only confirming the amount. An additional $291,766 was transferred directly from the trust’s accounts to hers, without the need for a second signature. These were masked by Warren with legitimate supplier names.
Warren also used the trust’s debit cards for online gambling, coding the transactions as legitimate business expenses. Some of this money was spent on online gambling, according to the SFO. Kiwibank’s anti-money laundering team flagged the suspicious, large payments. When they did, Warren impersonated a former employee and fabricated invoices to justify the transfers.
Warren, who initially joined the trust part-time in 2019 on a $30,000 salary, rapidly gained increased responsibilities, including payroll, finance, and staff management, becoming the primary access point for the trust’s financial systems. Her salary increased, reaching $82,400 by October 2020.
Warren was convicted in Wellington District Court and is on bail, awaiting sentencing in July. She faces a single charge of obtaining by deception. A restorative justice meeting with the victim has been proposed.