A woman accused of persuading an elderly widow with dementia to grant her power of attorney, convincing the 86-year-old woman to sell her home and then taking the proceeds, began serving a 10-year prison term Friday for theft and money laundering.

Susan Chin, 44, had asked the state judge who handed down the 10-year sentence Friday to allow her to remain free while she appeals her convictions.

Circuit Judge Karen Ahn declined the request. She had earlier denied Chin’s request for a new trial after Chin’s key defense witness claimed that the jury foreman asked him for a job during the trial. Ahn also ordered Chin to repay whatever money from the sale of the home has not been recovered.

The jury found Chin guilty of theft in April for taking $600,000 from the sale of Katherine Ganeko’s Halawa Heights home and guilty of money laundering for putting most of the money into her own credit union accounts.

According to evidence presented in trial, Chin put $200,000 into a joint account with her 7-year-old son, another $200,000 into a joint account with her 10-year-old son and $100,000 into a joint account with her mother. Most of the rest went into a joint account with Ganeko. The credit union froze the accounts after suspecting that Ganeko was being financially exploited when Chin attempted to transfer the accounts to her sister.

The jury also found Chin guilty of money laundering for using $8,000 to make a payment on her Mercedes automobile.

Chin did not testify during the trial or make a statement at her sentencing.

During the trial, her lawyer William Harrison said Ganeko gave $400,000 to Chin’s sons as a gift for their college education.

Ganeko testified that when Chin asked her about giving the money to her sons, she told Chin that they should talk about it later.

At sentencing, Harrison read excerpts from letters that had been submitted to the court on Chin’s behalf — three from women in their 80s and one from a woman in her 90s.

Prosecutor Chris Van Marter said he found it troubling that the people who wrote the letters are elderly members of the community.

Ganeko did not address the court for Chin’s sentencing, but she later advised people to be careful about whom to trust.

"You have to know that person before you really get to be close. And don’t listen to anyone, just get your own opinion first," Ganeko said.

Chin is due back in state court for another trial for allegedly collecting $11,100 from an Alaska woman to provide vacation rentals but not delivering.