NORTH FORSYTH — The former wife of an ex-Forsyth County Sheriff’s deputy who is serving a federal prison sentence for child pornography has been sentenced to 20 years for collecting $33,000 in fraudulent legal practices.

Visiting Superior Court Judge G. Grant Brantley issued the sentence Wednesday to Kimberly McAfee Pruitt, 43, after a jury found her guilty on five counts of theft by deception on Nov. 20 at the conclusion of a weeklong trial.

The north Forsyth resident was also ordered to serve seven years in prison before being released on probation. Brantley opposed any parole consideration until she pays 75 percent of her owed restitution.

In September 2014, Pruitt was indicted on five charges that accused her of stealing a total of $33,000 from two different women in 2011 and 2012.

The case began when detectives received a complaint that Pruitt may be involved in fraudulent practices.

Authorities have said Pruitt was “working for an attorney and going to some of the attorney’s clients offering to provide services and then taking money from them. Basically, she defrauded an elderly person who has a child who faces sexually-based crimes.”

She was neither authorized nor found to provide any of the legal services for which she accepted $30,000 from the elderly woman and another $3,000 from a second woman.

The attorney for whom she was working was not aware of her actions until investigators told him, authorities said at the time.

As part of her sentence Pruitt was also ordered to complete 120 hours of community service and was barred from working or volunteering in any future capacity that would allow her to have any fiduciary responsibilities.

“She may obtain employment handling cash in a commercial capacity, but not have access to financial accounts,” the sentencing disposition said. “[Pruitt] may not obtain employment as a paralegal or in any attorney’s office.”

She had remained in the custody of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office between her trial and sentencing.

Pruitt is the former wife of Milton Scott Pruitt, 46, who was sentenced in 2009 to eight years and two months after a federal court jury found him guilty of one count each of knowingly receiving child pornography on his work and home computers.

He was accused of using his county-issued computer to access files belonging to the sheriff’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce without authorization. He was fired in May 2007 amid the allegations.

Less than a week after the former sergeant’s termination, he was arrested and charged with 20 felony counts of violation of the Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act.

He was also charged with one count each of theft by taking, theft by conversion, computer trespass and violation of oath of office.

He later ran unsuccessfully for sheriff against then incumbent Ted Paxton in the July 2008 Republican primary, finishing second in a three-man race.