On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced a Tampa woman to 5 ½ years in jail for tax fraud and identity theft. She must also repay $119,000 to the federal government.

According to court documents, Ms. Belinda Smith Brooks, 47, entered a guilty plea in May to federal income tax fraud and aggravated identity theft. U. S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Ms. Brooks to 42 months in federal prison for the theft of government. Following the completion of that sentence, Ms. Brooks must spend 24 months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. Additionally, she must complete three years of supervision after her release from prison.

The monetary amount she is ordered to repay the federal government is $118,882.63. She had initially filed claims valued at $223,544. The IRS paid more than half of the claims filed before the fraud was detected, court documents said.

Ms. Brooks entered a guilty plea of filing several fraudulent income tax refunds in 2008 and 2009 in the names of several people. The victims were unaware that Ms. Brooks had filed taxes on their behalf, court records show.