A 73-year-old D.C. woman will spend 15 years in prison for stealing more than $400,000 from a Montgomery County federal employee she met on a dating app.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge John Maloney sentenced Janey Sears on Saturday, Aug. 29, to 20 years in prison, suspending all but 15, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced. Sears must also pay $406,954 in restitution at $10,000 a month after her release and serve five years of supervised probation.

Bethesda Magazine first reported the sentencing, citing the State's Attorney's Office.

A jury convicted Sears in July of theft scheme over $100,000, securities fraud and misappropriation of funds by a fiduciary. The deliberation lasted 75 minutes, NBC4 Washington reported.

Sears met the victim, a 50-year-old federal government employee, through an online dating site in 2019. He invited her to live with him in his home after their first meeting. State's Attorney John McCarthy told NBC4 the relationship was not romantic.

"She saw that she had a mark," McCarthy said. "She had somebody she could take advantage of …"

Sears told the victim she would send his money to Goldman Sachs to invest in Pfizer stocks, according to McCarthy. She never invested a dollar.

Financial forensic investigators found Sears spent more than $100,000 at casinos, including MGM and Maryland Live. Prosecutors showed jurors she also bought herself a 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia for $55,000 with the victim's money.

On a LinkedIn profile, Sears listed herself as CEO of H50 Media, a D.C. consulting firm. The profile claimed attendance at Phillips Academy, followed by Boston University and a master's degree from a Harvard University extension program. NBC4 reported those credentials were unverified.

Sears had faced more than 20 years in prison. No appeal or follow-up proceeding has been announced.

The Federal Trade Commission recorded $1.14 billion in romance scam losses in 2023 across more than 64,000 reports. The median individual loss was $2,000.

Residents who suspect fraud can contact the Montgomery County Police non-emergency line at 301-279-8000 or file a complaint with the FTC online.