OGDEN, Iowa (AP) — An Ames woman accused of stealing nearly half a million dollars from her mother-in-law over the course of seven years has pleaded guilty to theft.

The Carroll Daily Times Herald reports that 66-year-old Myrna Hockemeier pleaded guilty to the charge.

In exchange, state prosecutors on Tuesday dropped a more serious charge of ongoing criminal conduct. Hockemeier faces up to 10 years in prison when she’s sentenced at a later date.

Her ex-husband tells the newspaper that Hockemeier obtained a debit card from his mother’s bank back in 2007 and spent the Ogden woman’s life savings of about $484,000 on gambling and clothes. He discovered the theft in 2014 and filed for divorce.

A public defender for Hockemeier did not immediately return a phone message Thursday seeking comment.