BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A woman has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for embezzling more than US$1 million from the Mark Twain House and Museum, a crime that added to the financial woes of the Hartford landmark that had been struggling to pay its bills.

Donna Gregor, a 54-year-old former museum employee, apologised for stealing the money at the sentencing hearing Monday in federal court in Bridgeport. Gregor faced up to 23 years in prison after pleading guilty in August to wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

The officials who run the gingerbread Gothic home said it has recovered financially and they are happy to put the case behind them.

“We are grateful that the case involving the theft of funds from the Mark Twain House and Museum has been resolved and justice has been served,” the museum said on its website. “We want to assure our friends that stringent controls are in place and our financial condition is sound and we thank them for their continued interest and support.”

An attorney for Gregor, Gerald Giaimo, had argued for leniency, saying his client was supporting several troubled family members including her cancer-stricken mother.

“The crime was anomalous with the type of person she is,” Giaimo said. “Despite what some reports have said she was not living a life of luxury and feeding some type of shopping habit.”