Kirkland, Washington investment advisor Rhona Breard has pleaded guilty to stealing $9.4 million from more than three dozen clients.

Breard ran Breard and Associates Wealth Management and was licensed to sell securities through Des Moines, Iowa-based ING Financial Partners.

According to the Associated Press, Breard promoted her financial expertise in television infomercials and in seminars at local community colleges.

Beginning in 2004, the wire service reported, she began to encourage clients to take money out of certain accounts and turn it over to her for new investments.

Instead, Breard is accused of using the money to buy expensive homes, cars, jewelry, personal watercraft and snowmobiles.

Her attorney, Ron Friedman confirmed that Breard tried to kill herself after her fraud unraveled early this year.

As part of the guilty plea, Breard agreed to surrender three homes and more than two dozen vehicles and boats.

Breard is expected to face eight to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced for one count of mail fraud in July.

Two of her victims sued her, a co-worker and ING in federal court last month, alleging that ING failed to supervise her even though in the early 1990s she was fired from Smith Barney for unauthorized trading, fined more than $100,000 for misconduct and had her license suspended for 10 days in separate incidents.

Dana Ripley, a spokesman for ING, said in an e-mail to the Associated Press that the company "is exploring whether an equitable resolution can be reached" with Breard's victims.

Breard is also facing multiple civil suits in Washington state arising from the fraud.