An Arvada woman who posed as a tax attorney and certified public accountant has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Denise Ruth Smith, 52, pleaded guilty in January to three felony counts of aiding in filing a fraudulent or false tax return and three counts of criminal impersonation.
She was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury in March 2008.
Smith is accused of inflating deductions or creating deductions for her clients to increase their tax refunds, according to prosecutors.
Smith was already serving 10 years of probation in Jefferson County for a conviction on similar charges in 2001. She had previous fraud cases dating back to 1988, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.
She previously has received probation, work release, suspended sentences and stints in county jails.
