Casa Maria’s owner pleads guilty to misdemeanor, is given credit for time served
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman who owned a Mexican restaurant in south Columbia pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Tuesday in Butler County.
Crystal Umfress pleaded guilty to making a false affidavit, a misdemeanor, according to the deputy clerk in Butler County. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but was given credit for time served.
Umfress was previously charged with several felonies in the case, including two counts of filing false documents and three counts of forgery after she was accused of impersonating county officials and restaurant owners.
Court documents in previous reporting say Umfress impersonated an elected official in emails and accused other Mexican restaurant owners of crimes. Court documents say Umfress asked for information about the liquor licenses of “various” restaurants and falsely claimed hearings were scheduled for an investigation.
Court documents also claimed Umfress attempted to pose as the owners of other Mexican restaurants in emails and asked for officials to revoke their liquor licenses.
Earlier this month, Umfress was found not guilty of second-degree arson. Both cases originated in Dunklin County, but were moved to Butler County in 2024.
Casa Maria’s moved out of its Columbia location in December after a judge ruled in favor of Grindstone Plaza Development in its motion for default against Umfress. A writ of possession order filed on Dec. 17 says the restaurant was ordered to vacate the property after owing $120,750.04 in unpaid rent and $8,926.61 in fees and costs. The restaurant had indicated in social media post at the time that it would continue as a food truck.
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