Inset: Cenia Delpozo (Las Vegas Metro Police Dept.). Background: The Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada (Google Maps).
A 38-year-old woman in Las Vegas will likely face prison time for spending years fraudulently posing as an attorney in Nevada, where she repeatedly took money from "clients" to perform legal services.
In addition to forging the signatures of multiple judges, Cenia Delpozo also created fake documents for couples seeking divorce and prospective parents adopting children.
Delpozo, who initially faced dozens of felony charges over the fake attorney scheme, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to charges of forgery and theft, according to a report from local CBS affiliate KLAS. The terms of the deal reportedly stipulate that Delpozo serve between five and 15 years in a state correctional facility.
Following her 2024 arrest, authorities made clear that Delpozo was not and had never been an attorney registered with the Nevada State Bar, though she had previously worked as a paralegal, Law&Crime previously reported.
"Through the course of the investigation, detectives believe Delpozo portrayed herself as an attorney since January 2022 and accepted money to 'file documents' through the court systems," police wrote in a release. "These services included divorces, legal reviews/insights, name changes, and adoptions defrauding multiple victims."
Arrest records previously obtained by KLAS provided additional details about the allegations against Delpozo.
According to the report, investigators believe Delpozo had been fraudulently posing as an attorney for years until her arrest, working on numerous different kinds of cases and taking legal fees.
Delpozo once reportedly drew up fraudulent divorce papers that caused a couple to believe they had legally divorced after paying her nearly $1,500 in legal fees. However, it was later revealed that Delpozo had actually forged the judge's signature, per court documents obtained by KLAS.
When contacted by one of the parties from the divorcing couple about obtaining a copy of one of the documents, Delpozo reportedly appeared irritated, responding that she had been "doing this for 16 years." When one of the parties attempted to inquire as to why their name change had not gone through, Delpozo reportedly tried to lay the blame on the judge to whom the case had allegedly been reassigned, claiming the judge had "kill[ed] herself 2 to 3 weeks ago."
Delpozo also allegedly convinced a woman she worked with to loan her more than $15,000, claiming that she needed the funds to pay for medical expenses because her father had fallen ill. Per the report, Delpozo used those funds to go on vacation in California with her husband and some of her friends.
Other alleged acts include Delpozo taking hundreds of dollars in legal fees to review documents, submitting fraudulent adoption papers in court, and falsely holding herself out to be a notary public.
When interviewed by police, Delpozo reportedly refused to have an attorney present to represent her during questioning.