Friends of Olushola Oladapo, 46, begged a judge to show mercy, saying she's a good mother to her two children. And Olushola Oladapo said in a letter that her husband, Kehinde Oladapo, tried to control her, discouraging her from going to nursing school and keeping the family finances secret. The Oladapos are natives of Nigeria, and Olushola Oladapo said the culture there discourages women from questioning their husbands. "He always told me that my duty was to obey him," she wrote in her letter, adding later, "I went through hell."

But U.S. District Court Judge Marvin J. Garbis said sentencing guidelines would be well over 10 years, meaning Olushola Oladapo was getting a break already. Judge Garbis said he had little choice under the guidelines, in part because of the large number of victims. "It was a widespread group of people and that's very serious," the judge said. Olushola Oladapo's lawyer, Tilman Dunbar Jr., said the sentence was "extremely unjust and unreasonable." He said the government was exaggerating his client's role in the scheme, calling it "sentencing on steroids."

Prosecutors said Kehinde Oladapo, a fomer ramp agent for Southwest Airlines, had been stealing mail for five or six years until he was caught last year. He and his wife, who lived in Lanham, sent the stolen credit cards and checks to the ringleaders in Brooklyn, N.Y. Three men there paid the Oladapos $50 to $100 each for the cards, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kwame J. Manley. "Mrs. Oladapo sent and received Express Mail packages two or three times a week for three or four years," Mr. Manley said. The packages contained an average of about five cards, and Olushola Oladapo got checks worth an average of $14,000 from the New York conspirators, Mr. Manley said.

The New Yorkers, also Nigerian natives, activated the credit cards and bought things, got cash advances and made ATM withdrawals, postal inspectors who investigated the case said. The men also set up bank accounts under phony names to cash stolen "convenience checks" - credit-card promotions offering low interest rates. Kehinde Oladapo was sentenced in September to 14 years in prison for theft of mail and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He could have faced 30 years, but Judge Garbis gave him less than half that because he wasn't the ringleader. "He was used by people who were more sophisticated than him," the judge said.

The Oladapos profited richly from the scam, Postal Inspector Frank Schissler said last month. He said their house is worth more than $400,000 and they had several cars including a Mercedes. Brooklyn residents Oladapo Udukale, 34, and Morsuru Sogbesan, 38, pleaded guilty in New York federal court to conspiracy to commit mail theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. They're expected to get 10 or 12 years apiece.

The fifth person charged, Babatope Olawaseun of Brooklyn - whom Mr. Manley called "the top man" - is believed to have fled the country. Mr. Manley admitted it's unlikely federal marshals find him. "It appears the absolute worst character in the case is free and clear with a lot of money," Judge Garbis said.

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