BATESVILLE, Miss. (AP) - A 40-year-old Sardis woman has received a 10-year prison sentence after a Panola County Circuit Court jury convicted her of forging a court document.

The Commercial Appeal reports (http://bit.ly/SuTUFp ) Samantha Johnson was convicted Monday after fewer than 15 minutes of deliberation. Judge Jimmy McClure immediately sentenced her to 10 years for composing the fictitious Chancery Court divorce document.

Johnson, while a secretary for a Batesville law firm, was accused of forging signatures on the document, including a deputy clerk's signature, and presenting the document to a client claiming the document had been approved and filed.

Johnson was sentenced as a habitual offender because she had previously been convicted of 9 other felonies, including seven convictions of forgery and two embezzlement convictions.

Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.commercialappeal.com

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