Woman gets 130 months for adoption fraud

NEW YORK, July 15 (UPI) -- A woman who lived well in Florida on subsidies she received for adopting 11 disabled children in New York was sentenced Tuesday to almost 11 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman imposed a 130-month sentence that exceeded the term agreed to when Judith Leekin pleaded guilty to fraud in May, The New York Times reported. The judge said Leekin used the children as "pawns" in a "heartless, dangerous, money-driven scheme."

The 63-year-old woman, dressed in a jail uniform, cried as she attempted to plead with the judge.

"I love my children, and I miss them," she said.

Leekin still faces aggravated child abuse charges in Florida. Prosecutors say the children were beaten, underfed, and denied dental and medical care and education.

Investigators are trying to determine what happened to one boy who was last known to be in Leekin's care in 2000.

Leekin used four names to adopt the children and received $1.68 million in subsidies. Berman ordered the money be repaid.

She moved to Florida a decade ago, purchasing a luxurious home in Port St. Lucie.