This story was updated 12:01 p.m., Jan. 8, 2013.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Bowie woman to two years in prison Monday following her guilty plea to embezzling at least $379,000 from an area union from 2005 through 2009.

Ava L. Ramey, 61, of Bowie pleaded guilty in June 2012 to using money from the Bowie-based United Government Security Officers of America Local 21 for personal use. Ramey served as a trustee and assistant trustee at the union with Local 21.

U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Ramey to two years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

According to Ramey's guilty plea, from December 2005 through October 2009, she wrote more than $80,000 in checks from the union to herself or to “cash,” purchased more than $70,000 in goods using the union's debit card and withdrew more than $60,000 from the union's account at ATMs. She also transferred more than $100,000 in union funds to her personal bank account and wrote more than $60,000 in union checks to her family members, according to the plea.

According to her plea, many of the illicit ATM transactions occurred at casinos in Delaware and elsewhere along the east coast, although no union business was being done on these trips.

Vickie LeDuc, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, said she had no additional details about the case.

E. Scott Frison Jr., an attorney representing Ramey, was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

A number for Ramey or her family was unavailable.

ewagner@gazette.net