Two sisters who stole almost $500,000 from their grieving grandmother have been jailed for .Sending Lorraine Smith and Audra-Ann Bean to prison, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves told them: “You became consumed by your own greed — the greed lying inside of you, as it lies inside every one of us.”He said the case was “a lesson for us all”.Smith and Bean deceived 87-year-old Lenice Tucker into adding their names to her bank accounts just days after her wealthy 91-year-old sister Lesseline died in July 2010.A jury heard during their trial in April that mother-of-four Smith, 46, who worked for Argus Insurance, gave some of her grandmother's money to a friend as a loan.She spent further money on rent and school fees for her daughters at the Bermuda Institute.Bean, a 44-year-old mother of one, was a Ministry of Education employee working with special needs children.She used cash stolen from her grandmother to pay her debts and go on a shopping spree for shoes and jewellery.They were caught after a suspicious relative raised the alarm by contacting the National Office for Seniors and the Physically challenged.A jury heard the elderly victim testify against the pair during their April trial. They were eventually convicted of senior abuse by financial exploitation and multiple charges of theft.Since the case, the sisters, from Warwick, have admitted taking $492,850 from their grandmother. The bulk of it has been repaid, but prosecutor Garrett Byrne told the sentencing hearing yesterday that a shortfall of $78,433 remains.According to Mr Byrne, the stress of the case caused Ms Tucker health problems, particularly with shingles.She has also has struggled to pay household bills and keep up the maintenance of the family home, according to a “victim impact statement” quoted by the prosecutor.“She talks about the embarrassment she experienced having to rely upon friends and family members when she had been independent,” he explained.And he quoted the victim as saying: “The whole issue has left me a very, very depressed person. Many days I don't even want to come outdoors. I cry a lot and just want to stay in my bed.”Ms Tucker said she used to be “very outgoing, cracking jokes and saying something rude as you're about to leave” but has undergone a total change in her personality since the theft.Mr Byrne noted: “Seniors in this community are a vulnerable population who need to be protected from family members preying on them in their time of need.”The sisters, who are members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, expressed remorse when pre-sentence reports were prepared.However, they stuck to their defence that they moved their grandmother's money into their accounts to protect it from their drug-using father.Addressing the judge yesterday, Smith broke down in tears as she said: “I come here today to apologise the court.“At the time when I transferred the money I did not know it was a criminal offence. I thought I was helping my grandmother because of the lifestyle of my father”.Bean said of her grandmother: “I miss her and I love her and I would still like to maintain a relationship with her. I would like to apologise for the pain and embarrassment that I have caused.”Defence lawyer Larry Mussenden suggested that a suspended sentence should be imposed.He told the judge that Smith being imprisoned would have a negative effect on her four daughters, the youngest of which are aged eight and 12.He added that Bean has suffered a tumour and heart attack and has “significant health concerns.”He also pointed out that much of the stolen money remained in the sisters' bank accounts all along.“The media has said half a million was taken like they ran off to Vegas,” he complained.But the judge pointed out: “People's monies are in the bank and still stolen.”He also rejected the sisters' arguments that they were trying to protect Ms Tucker's money for her.He said of the theft: “It's something I know you regret and I understand your desire to justify it. I shall try not to hold that against you.”Smith and Bean are the first people convicted under the Senior Abuse Register Act 2008 and their names will now be placed on that register.Asked after the hearing about the money still owed to the victim, Mr Byrne said the Crown would endeavour to recover more of it.