Belinda Mitchell, 36, had pleaded no contest to felony grand theft.
Her husband, Richard Mitchell, 34, was sentenced to a year in jail for aiding the conspiracy, but he has health problems and may qualify for home detention, said his attorney, Charles F. Bloodgood. They were ordered to make joint restitution of $393,213 to the Citrus Heights victim.
Prosecutors said Belinda Mitchell claimed she was a widow and that Richard Mitchell was her brother. The victim gave her cash and other gifts after she promised to marry him.
Most of the cash was for cancer surgery and follow-up treatments that Belinda Mitchell claimed to need but never received, Deputy District Attorney Jean Williamson said.