BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A woman sentenced for stealing more than $250,000 from Barber Dairy Co. claims officials with the firm allowed her to use a company credit card in exchange for steering her son to play football for Alabama.

The son, however, said he always wanted to play for the Tide and was not pressured to sign.

Robin Lee Jones of Birmingham made the claim in asking U.S. District Judge Scott Coogler for leniency Thursday, but he sentenced her to four years in prison for stealing the money through wire fraud.

Her son, Dominic Lee, was a defensive tackle for Alabama from 2003 to 2006.

Jones and her brother, Robert Lee of Livingston, pleaded guilty in March to charges accusing them of using the company's card for personal purchases.

Lee was sentenced to 23 months. The two must pay more than $256,963 in restitution.

Coogler said the claim of an agreement with the company was out of bounds.

"If she isn't guilty, then she shouldn't have pleaded guilty," he said.

Jones' son, a highly regarded prep player at Huffman High School, said he knew nothing about his mother's claim that she bartered a deal for him to go to Alabama and that he was not pressured to play.

"That's where I always wanted to go," he said. "My mom is going through a lot. This is a tough time for us."

University of Alabama officials declined to comment.

___

Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews