Las Vegas Cop's Wife Posed as Attorney, Collected Fees to 'File' Divorce and Other Documents, Police Say

The wife of a Las Vegas police officer has been arrested after she reportedly posed as an attorney and accepted fees to help clients “file documents” for divorces, legal reviews, name changes and adoptions, according to authorities.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Cenia Poulsen, 36, allegedly defrauded multiple victims since January 2022. Investigators said she also used the names Cenia Del Pozo and Cenia Carillo in her “work,” even though she has never been licensed as an attorney in Nevada.

Poulsen was arrested after a six-month long investigation by detectives revealed she had created fake emails for current judges, forged judges’ signatures and used fake filing stamps on documents, according to court documents obtained by KLAS.

In one case, Poulsen allegedly created fake documents with a forged judge’s signature on it, which led the couple to believe they were legally divorced. She charged the couple $1,500, including a retainer she accepted via Venmo, according to court documents.

When the couple asked for a document, Poulsen appeared to be annoyed and responded via text, “I’ve been doing this for 16 years.”

In one incident, a name change did not go through properly, so Poulsen allegedly made excuses, including that the judge had committed suicide and their case was reassigned, officials said.

Court documents also showed that Poulsen allegedly defrauded one of her co-workers who loaned her $15,800 so she could leave town for a death in the family. According to police, the story was false, and she, her husband and two friends used the money to attend the Stagecoach Country Festival in California.

For that incident, Poulsen allegedly created fake emails from Chase Bank.

She has also been accused of posing as a notary public, with police finding at least 25 documents signed by her as a notary public. Poulsen was suspended after a complaint in 2012 and then it expired four years later.

She also used an identification number belonging to someone else and a second one that didn’t correspond to any notary publics, officials said.

Court records state Poulsen also reportedly stole more than $7,300 from a law firm she previously worked at, creating fake invoices and paying them using company credit cards.

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On Jan. 16, Poulsen was arrested and charged with forgery, theft, preparing or delivering a simulated legal document and offering false instruments for public filings, officials said.

She was booked into jail and has since been released on her own recognizance with her next court appearance scheduled for Feb. 15.