A former Orange County town justice pleaded guilty to charges she lied on a home loan application for property she needed to satisfy her residency requirement, as well as a related obstruction charge for providing false documents during an investigation, the office of the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York announced late Thursday.

“As she admitted in court today, Lurlyn Winchester, in an attempt to fraudulently satisfy a residency requirement for a judgeship, lied and provided fake documents to secure a mortgage,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. “She then lied to FBI task force officers and provided them with fake documents in an attempt to cover up that crime. Winchester's lack of integrity and honesty did not merit a term on the bench. Her crimes will likely earn her a term in prison.”

Winchester pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith McCarthy in White Plains, New York. She was suspended by the New York Court of Appeals over the allegations last year.

According to prosecutors, Winchester's actions were propelled by a series of problems securing a mortgage for a condo in Monroe, New York, after winning a town justice election there in November 2013. At the time, Winchester and her husband lived in nearby New City, New York, and intended to rent out their home there.

After a deal to purchase one condo fell through and loans for a second were repeatedly denied, Winchester told a third lender that they were already lined up with a tenant to rent their home, which provided them with necessary income to qualify for the new mortgage.

When the loan provider requested information about the lease and proof of a security deposit in February 2015, Winchester, through a representative, submitted a lease for a tenant who was to pay $4,500 a month, and two checks from the tenant.

The tenant, however, had no intention of renting the property, having had to back out of the process a year-and-a-half earlier when Winchester was unable to secure the first condo. The lease was a forgery, according to prosecutors, and the tenant was being paid by Winchester to cover the checks.

After the Winchesters closed on the loan and purchased the Monroe condo in April 2015, she stayed in her New City home. When the FBI came to interview Winchester, she enlisted the help of the fake tenant to provide a false story to investigators, providing them with fabricated rent receipts that showed the tenant continuing to pay rent.

Winchester faces a maximum sentence of 30 years and a fine of $1 million for making false statement to a mortgage lender, and 20 years and $250,000 for the obstruction charges.

Aiello & Cannick name attorney Deveraux Cannick represented Winchester. He did not respond to a request for comment.