A charity worker who siphoned off money intended for needy children has been sent to jail.

When Iesha Warren first started working for Te Roopu Awhina Ki Porirua Trust, she was responsible for the payroll.

But she quickly took on extra responsibilities and gained access to the trust’s accounting and online banking services.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said Warren stole more than $1 million from the Porirua Trust.

Warren used false supplier invoices to steal money intended for needy children and families.

Now she has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment after admitting one charge of obtaining by deception and one charge of failing to appear in court.

SFO director Karen Chang said the offending targeted public funding intended to support social services for the welfare, health and education of Porirua children.

“This type of offending can lead to those communities missing out on essential services and erode trust in community leaders and institutions.”

The trust employed Warren from 2019 until June 2021.

The SFO said Warren directed $1.06 million into bank accounts she controlled.

Warren sometimes substituted her bank account in place of genuine suppliers’ bank accounts when making payments.

Sometimes she transferred funds directly from the trust to bank accounts she controlled.

And sometimes she used the trust’s debit cards for personal use, mostly for online gambling.

The SFO said she was able to hide these transactions in the accounting records of the trust by recording them as genuine expenses.

As Open Justice previously reported, Kiwibank became suspicious in 2021 and queried the large deposits paid into Warren’s account.

Warren emailed Kiwibank pretending to be a former employee who had also worked in accounts.

The email, which Warren carbon-copied herself into, falsely claimed she was the trust’s executive manager.

Attached was a false contract using the CEO’s electronic signature, as well as 15 false invoices for service.

“This case is a reminder that trust, while important in the workplace, is not a substitute for robust internal controls,” Chang said.

“When financial functions lack proper oversight and checks, they create opportunities for serious misconduct.”

The SFO director said every organisation, public or private, should ensure their finance functions have strong internal controls to protect against fraud.