A restaurant owner in Columbia, Missouri, is facing serious legal trouble. Crystal Umfress, who owns Casa Maria’s Mexican Cantina, was first charged with arson in 2023 for allegedly trying to burn down Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant in Kennett, Missouri.
Now, new charges have been filed against her, accusing her of impersonating elected officials and other restaurant owners.
The arson charge from 2023 is still ongoing, with a trial set for February 3, 2025. In this case, Umfress is accused of hiring someone, Kerry Raymond, to set fire to Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant. Raymond, also charged with second-degree arson, will have his case reviewed in February 2025 as well.
On Wednesday, Umfress was hit with more charges, including two counts of filing false documents and three counts of forgery. These new charges stem from allegations that she posed as elected officials and other restaurant owners in emails.
She reportedly sent these emails to authorities, asking for information on liquor licenses and falsely claiming that hearings were being scheduled to investigate other restaurants.
Authorities have taken these accusations seriously, filing a motion to revoke her bond after the new charges surfaced. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and no bond has been set.
The warrant also includes an order to extradite her within 2,500 miles, but no court date for the new charges has been scheduled yet.
Court documents reveal that Umfress allegedly sent these emails starting on June 4, 2023. Investigators worked with Google to obtain information on the email accounts, which they say were linked to Umfress by September 11, 2023.
In the emails, she pretended to be other restaurant owners and called for their liquor licenses to be revoked. In a related issue, Casa Maria’s Mexican Cantina had its liquor license suspended earlier in the summer.
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This happened after the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control discovered that a name had been forged on the license, and that Umfress’ previous felony charge had not been disclosed. The woman whose name appeared on the license contacted authorities, stating she had no connection to the restaurant.
These accusations against Umfress continue to grow as the legal proceedings move forward. Her involvement in both the arson case and the impersonation charges could result in severe consequences if she is found guilty.