A woman from Potomac, Maryland, pretended to be interested in buying houses, only to walk away with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.
Sally Spaisman, 58, walked through several open houses of people trying to sell their homes in 2013 and 2014.
Wednesday, a judge sentenced Spaisman to one year in jail with five years of probation. The judge ordered Spaisman to pay restitution, but one victim said he lost irreplaceable family heirlooms.
"They were probably scrapped and melted down and I was sad because I wanted to pass those on to my daughter," said Carlos Bonilla, who lost expensive jewelry. "They belonged to my mother and my father had given them to her and they meant a lot to her. It was a piece she really liked."
At her sentencing, Spaisman apologized to her victims and blamed substance abuse. She said her situation became desperate and she's not proud of her actions.
"This behavior is abhorrent, so I pinpoint the drug," said Spaisman's friend Karen Sprecher.
Spaisman pawned the jewelry, none of which was recovered.
