A former charitable trust employee who stole more than $1 million intended for social services in Porirua has been sentenced in the Wellington District Court in a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) case.

Iesha Warren was sentenced to 3 and half years imprisonment after pleading guilty in March 2025 to one representative charge of obtaining by deception and one charge of failing to appear.

Ms Warren misappropriated funds from Te Roopu Awhina Ki Porirua Trust, which worked with whānau across Porirua to offer social services, including care and protection programmes for children. The failing to appear charge related to Ms Warren not appearing in court in August 2023, when she was required to do so.

SFO Director Karen Chang said, "This offending targeted public funding which was intended to support social services for the welfare, health and education of children within Porirua. This type of offending can lead to those communities missing out on essential services and erode trust in community leaders and institutions.”

Ms Warren was employed by the Trust from 2019 until June 2021. She started as a part-time financial administrator, but over time took on more financial responsibilities and began working full-time. She became the primary access point for all the Trust’s financial systems.

During her time at the Trust, Ms Warren directed $1.06 million into bank accounts she controlled using multiple methods, including substituting her bank account in place of genuine suppliers’ bank accounts when making payments, transferring funds directly from the Trust to bank accounts she controlled and using trust debit cards for personal use, mostly for online gambling. She was able to hide these transactions in the accounting records of the trust by recording them as genuine expenses.

Ms Chang said, “This case is a reminder that trust, while important in the workplace, is not a substitute for robust internal controls. When financial functions lack proper oversight and checks, they create opportunities for serious misconduct. Every organisation, public or private, should ensure their finance functions have strong internal controls that protect against fraud.”

About the SFO 
The SFO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious or complex fraud, including bribery, and corruption in New Zealand. With a focus on maintaining integrity and trust in the financial system, the SFO has developed strategic areas of focus to ensure it has the greatest impact with the cases it takes on. SFO Strategic Areas of Focus

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