A McMinnville woman has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Clackamas County circuit court judge for stealing about $500,000 from her grandparents to support spending and gambling habits.

Connie Gay Cole, 48, was arrested in June by Clackamas County Sheriff's detectives at a home she sharing with a convicted sex offender. Police said she was illegally collecting welfare payments and food stamps at the same time she was looting her grandparents' life savings.

Cole pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, two counts of first-degree theft and one count each of unlawful use of food stamps and unlawfully obtaining public assistance. The rest of the charges she faced were dropped under terms of a plea agreement.

"This was one of the worst and most blatant cases of financial elder abuse and welfare fraud I've ever seen," an investigator said.

When Cole launched her crime spree, she was living in the Gladstone home her grandparents, James and Ann Morgan, had purchased for her, according to Detective Jim Strovink of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He said Cole obtained power of attorney for them, then started draining their funds.

Initially, Cole secured money from her grandparents by claiming she was involved in a bogus lawsuit and needed money to cover legal fees. The couple gave her $90,000.

Then, between February and December 2006, after obtaining complete control of the Morgans' financial accounts, Cole siphoned off more than $400,000 in additional funds.

Investigators said she purchased numerous cars, trucks and boats, along with jet skis, camping trailers, jewelry and expensive meals. They said she bought a home in Sheridan just to be closer to the Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, where she liked to gamble.

In February 2006, Cole moved her grandparents out of a retirement center and into her home. She assured the couple she could provide them with better care.

During the time Cole was caring for her grandparents, she was charging them $7,000 a month for her services. She nevertheless sought and obtained state assistance intended for the indigent.

Family member Elaine Judd became aware of the situation in November 2006, and assumed the role of an emergency conservator.

By this point, however, Cole had drained and squandered all of the Morgan's assets. Reduced to Social Security, they were forced to move to an adult foster care facility.

Even after Judd became the couple's conservator, detectives said, Cole continued to use their debit card to purchase meals, rent motel rooms and obtain cash at casinos.