KING COUNTY, Wash. -- A Kent couple convicted of stealing from a vulnerable and elderly relative was sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday.

A jury found Jim and Judith Thompson guilty of stealing the life savings of Shirley Crawford, an aging cousin who had moved into a nursing home.

Crawford owned a home in Bellevue and had set aside money to take care of her daughter, Anne, who has Down syndrome.

But the Thompsons, under the guise of taking care of Anne and Shirley, sold the home, drained Shirley's bank account and went on to lead a lavish life that included the purchase of a yacht while the Crawfords were "left destitute and at the mercy of public assistance," according to court documents.

Prosecutors said the couple committed first-degree theft "by a series of transactions that were part of a common scheme or plan, a continuing course of conduct and a continuing impulse" after Shirley, then 83, fell in the summer of 2001 and was hospitalized.

Shirley was taken to a nursing home to recover from her injuries. Her daughter, meanwhile, was placed with a friend by a social worker after the Thompsons refused to care for her even temporarily.

Growing increasingly concerned about her ability to take care of Anne, Shirley gave Judith Thompson her power of attorney. According to court documents, Judith, who was in charge of Shirley's $86,000 bank balance, withdrew money under the guise of paying Shirley's nursing home bill but never did so. Judith also withdrew money, falsely claiming Shirley had authorized the transfer of the gifts and loans to her account.

After Shirley's home was sold for $360,000 in February of 2003. $103,147 of that amount was transferred to Judith's account as a "gift" and $54,000 was disbursed to Thompson's Fix It, a company owned by James.

The couple also transferred $152,113.77 of the house proceeds to their account and within two weeks of the sale, purchased a 45-foot Bayliner yacht for $200,000. By that time, the Thompsons had made Shirley sign a new document which granted both of them the power of attorney.

"Spending that kind of money on a yacht is certainly not something normal people would do that come into this kind of money," said prosecutor John Carver.

Both Shirley and Anne were left to survive on Medicaid and minimal aid. When a state-certified non-profit agency took over Shirley's guardianship in 2005, she had $17.24 to her name.

In court on Thursday, an emotional Judith pleaded for leniency while her husband admitted to their mistakes.

"I don't know how anybody could think that we don't realize the consequences of what we've done," said Judith.

"We know we didn't handle things properly. And I can't imagine what it was like for Shirley. I know what it was like for us to not be there when she passed away," Jim said.

The judge decided the crime had exceptional circumstances and as a result, sentenced the couple to two years in prison, which fell short of the state's request for 39-month term. But even that did not satisfy the defense attorney.

"I'm extremely disappointed with the sentence," said Lisa Dworkin, who said one-year sentence would have been appropriate. Even as the couple were being led away in handcuffs, Dworkin insisted the Thompson only had the best of intentions.

But prosecutors said the couple preyed on their own family at a time when the victims were least able to care for themselves.

"It's a real impact on real human beings, and I think Judge (Susan) Craighead showed that she gave it a lot of serious thought," said Carver.

Crawford died in 2007. Her daughter now lives in a care facility.

Some of the money that the Thompsons had stolen has been recovered through the sale of the yacht.

The Thompsons will face a restitution hearing. They have already filed an appeal for their sentences.