A New Jersey couple admitted Tuesday to stealing more than $1.4 million from Hurricane Sandy victims in a contracting fraud scheme so they could spend the cash on luxury items and gambling, authorities said.

Jeffrey Colmyer and Tiffany Cimino admitted stealing more than $1.4 million from Hurricane Sandy victims through two contracting firms.

Jeffrey Colmyer, 42, and Tiffany Cimino, 34, of Little Egg Harbor in Ocean County, both admitted to theft charges. Colmyer also pleaded guilty to money laundering. Colmyer is expected to be sentenced in September to seven years in state prison, while the plea deal calls for Cimino to receive probation.

Colmyer gambled hundreds of thousands of dollars at seven Atlantic City casinos with the stolen cash, authorities said. The couple also bought at $17,000 diamond ring, authorities said.

The couple operated the fraud scheme through Rayne Construction Management Servics and Colmyer & Sons, and targeted more than 20 Hurricane Sandy victims who paid for reconstruction, home elevations or repairs that were not started or completed. Some of the stolen funds came from government relief programs.

"Colmyer and Cimino heartlessly preyed on Sandy victims whose homes had been destroyed, stealing the relief funds that were the lifeline these victims needed to rebuild in the aftermath of the historic storm," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. "By sending Colmyer to prison, we deliver a strong deterrent message that anyone willing to sink so low as to steal disaster relief money from victims will face a stern reckoning."

The plea deal also calls for the couple to pay $1.45 million in restitution and Colmyer also owes $56,472 in back taxes, authorities said. They were arrested in October 2015.