NEWARK, N.J. — A woman charged with bilking an elderly New Jersey man out of nearly $165,000 by pretending she was romantically attracted to him has pleaded guilty to theft by deception.

Forty-eight-year-old Brenda Miguel, formerly of Newark, was arrested May 6 in Orlando, Fla. She pleaded guilty Wednesday in state Superior Court in Newark.

New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice prosecutors say she and another woman befriended the victim, a West Orange resident, and pretended they needed loans for business ventures.

The second defendant, 46-year-old Susan Frank, formerly of Elizabeth, remains a fugitive.

Miguel faces up to five years in prison at sentencing Sept. 1. She has provided partial restitution and promised to pay back the remaining money.