Linda Weston: Woman who kept disabled people chained up while she collected their disability payments sentenced to life in prison

Police accused Weston of illegally collecting around $212,000 in Social Security payments over 10 year

The basement room in Philadelphia where four weak and malnourished mentally disabled adults, one chained to the boiler, were found locked inside (AP)

A woman has been sentenced to life in prison for keeping mentally disabled adults captive while collecting their disability payments.

Linda Weston has been in custody since October 2011, when a landlord found four adults locked in a boiler room of a home in Philadelphia and called police.

Police accused her of using "cunning, trickery, force and coercion" to get mentally disabled people to designate her as their caretaker, allowing her to illegally collect around $212,000 (£140,900) in Social Security payments over 10 years, Mail Online reports.

Weston, her daughter and three others allegedly confirmed their victims in basements, attics and closets at various times between 2001 and 2011.

The victims, including six disabled adults and four children, were often sedated with drugs in their food and drink. Authorities said they were sometimes deprived of food and medical care, and forced to use buckets for bathrooms.

Weston pleaded guilty to all 196 counts against her in September, including kidnapping, racketeering conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering, hate crimes, sex trafficking and fraud. Two women she held captive later died.

During the hearing, she apologised, saying: "I believe in God and God knows what happened", the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

US District Judge Cynthia Rufe replied: "There are a lot of people in this courtroom who know what happened too."

Weston's lawyer said she wanted to plead guilty in the interest of her children.

Two other defendants have pleaded guilty and two others are awaiting trial.