Columbia Bookkeeper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing $250K from Local Business

Isha Yumakia Warr, 53, of Columbia, was sentenced to prison for wire fraud after stealing over $253,000 from a Lexington County business.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 26, 2026, 3:21 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 27, 2026, 6:22 p.m. ET

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Isha Yumakia Warr, 53, of Columbia, was on August 26, 2026, to federal prison for wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for South Carolina. The sentence was reported as three years by wistv.com and as 37 months by abccolumbia.com, with both reporting a three-year term of supervised release, $253,855.48 in restitution, and a $100 special assessment. A separate report from katu.com, covering a different case, listed a sentence of six years and eight months for Timothy Jones, 54, in an unrelated Oregon theft case. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Warr worked as a bookkeeper for a small business in Lexington County from June 2023 to July 2024. She convinced the business to switch accounting software, which allowed her to pay herself instead of company invoices, resulting in $253,855.48 in unauthorized transfers. The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews.

Earlier reports

Aug 26, 2026, 3:22 p.m. ET
Columbia Bookkeeper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing $250K from Local Business
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Isha Yumakia Warr, 53, of Columbia, was sentenced on August 26, 2026, to 37 months in federal prison for wire fraud, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina. She was also ordered to pay $253,855.48 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.
Warr worked as a bookkeeper for a small business in Lexington County from June 2023 to July 2024. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, she convinced the business to change accounting software, which enabled her to pay money directly to herself rather than paying company invoices. The business discovered unauthorized transfers totaling $253,855.48 during a routine financial review, with the assistance of a forensic accountant.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis imposed the sentence.
Aug 26, 2026, 3:21 p.m. ETFirst report
Columbia Bookkeeper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing $250K from Local Business
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Isha Yumakia Warr, 53, of Columbia, was sentenced on August 26, 2026, to 37 months in federal prison for wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina.
Warr worked as a bookkeeper for a small business in Lexington County from June 2023 to July 2024. Shortly after starting, she convinced the business to change accounting software, which enabled her to pay money directly to herself instead of paying company invoices. The business discovered unauthorized payments and unpaid invoices during a routine financial review, and a forensic accountant found $253,855.48 in unauthorized transfers from the business account to Warr's personal account.
U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Warr to 37 months' imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Warr was also ordered to pay $253,855.48 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews.

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Version 127 Aug 2026, 22:22current
First published.
Version 126 Aug 2026, 19:21current
First published.
Version 126 Aug 2026, 19:22current
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