A Colorado woman working as a fake psychologist in multiple state departments will go to prison.

A Denver judge on Monday sentenced Shannon McShane to four years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to influencing a public servant, perjury, and retaliation against a witness.

McShane worked as a family evaluator in courtrooms across Colorado, and her reports often helped a judge determine child custody time for parents.

She also spent several years at the Colorado State Mental Health Hospital and counseled inmates while working for the Colorado Department of Corrections.

McShane worked on Chad Kullhem's custody case. His concerns about her professionalism prompted him to file an official complaint in 2023 with Colorado's Department of Regulatory Agencies, also known as DORA.

That complaint would open the door to his discovery that a PhD she claimed to have from a university in London was fake.

Kullhem hopes the sentence sends a strong message to anyone trying to take shortcuts.

"This really sets an example to them it shows them that if they get caught, they are not just going to walk away and start a new career somewhere, they are going to be held accountable and hopefully that prevents further corruption and issues like this," Kullhem said in a Zoom interview following the hearing.

In a statement to the court during her sentencing hearing, McShane apologized to Kullhem directly, telling the judge she lost her mind.

Before handing down the four-year prison sentence, the judge said McShane used those lies to infiltrate Colorado's justice system and that the impact on public trust cannot be overstated.

McShane was removed from the courtroom in handcuffs on Monday and will begin her prison sentence immediately.