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KCMO woman sentenced for forging document ordering inmate's release

Posted at 2:51 PM, Feb 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-22 15:53:02-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, woman has been sentenced for forging a court order for the release of another inmate.

Margie P. Shephard, 53, was sentenced to three years and five months for obstruction of justice.

Shephard admitted to fabricating the document while she was incarcerated on other charges at Federal Prison Camp-Bryan in Bryan, Texas. The document was for the release of Leann Raejeana Turner of Blue Springs, Missouri, who was incarcerated at the same prison for her role in an $11 million mortgage fraud scheme.

The fake court order, which included the forged signature of a federal judge, would have reduced Turner's sentence to 120 days. She was serving a three-year sentence. 

Prosecutors said the document raised concerns because of the reduced sentence and typographical errors. 

Shephard mailed the document to her sister who then faxed it to prison officials from a Sunfresh grocery store in Kansas City, Missouri, on Nov. 9, 2014 and Nov. 28, 2014.

This marks Shephard's 30th felony conviction. Most of those involved fraudulent activity, according to prosecutors. She's also escaped from custody twice and was charged with aggravated escape in both instances.