KC Woman Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice After Forging Court Order for Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., woman who forged a court order to get another inmate released from prison, pleaded guilty in federal court today to obstruction of justice.

Margie P. Shephard, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to obstruction of justice.

Shephard was incarcerated as an inmate at Federal Prison Camp-Bryan in Bryan, Texas, after being sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and identity theft, aggravated identity theft and obstruction of justice.

By pleading guilty today, Shephard admitted that, while incarcerated, she fabricated a document purporting to be an Amended Judgment in a Criminal Case for fellow inmate Leann Raejeana Turner, 48, of Blue Springs, Mo. Turner was also incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp-Bryan after being sentenced to three years in prison for her role in an $11 million mortgage fraud scheme. The fake court order, with a reduced sentence of 120 days of imprisonment for Turner (which would have resulted in her immediate release), included the forged signature of U.S. District Judge Greg Kays.

Shephard mailed the fake court order to her sister, who then faxed it to prison officials from a Sunfresh grocery store in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 9, 2014. Upon receiving the document, prison officials determined it was a forgery.

Under federal statutes, Shephard is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes, IV. It was investigated by the FBI.