Meet the woman who married 14 US soldiers and stole their money

London: A woman in US dubbed 'Military Mistress' for allegedly marrying at least 14 men and stealing thousands from them, has claimed that she was just unlucky in love, after she was sentenced to jail

Bobbi Ann Finley has been accused of stalking, conning and stealing up to 100,000 dollars each from American soldiers for almost two decades.

But the 35-year-old, who is currently serving three years in an Alabama jail after pleading guilty to theft by deception, has said that her marriages to the servicemen were not a con.

Finley, who had nine children with as many men, admitted that she might have destroyed lives, but claims she is a victim who has had a hard upbringing.

"I wasn't running a con. I wanted protection, the protection that I should have had growing up... I married these guys I couldn't love," the Daily Mail quoted her as telling ABC News.

"I was looking for love. I was looking for understanding, I was looking for someone to say, 'You know, it is going to be OK'.

"In many of the cases, you look and you started out and you get married and you're thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to live happily ever after.' And then you realise as soon it's done... it was a mistake," she said.

For nearly 20 years, Finley allegedly preyed on military bases where she lied to servicemen claiming to be a wealthy heiress, the daughter of a general or an injured veteran about to get a large pay-out.