A New York woman who grew, processed and stored marijuana at central Maine properties she owned pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to maintaining a marijuana-involved premises.

Jiamin Liao, 30, of New York City, was arrested in 2024 after Somerset County Sheriff’s deputies found 551 marijuana plants at 571 Thurston Road in Madison and 30 pounds of processed marijuana at her Norridgewock property, Andrew Lizotte, assistant U.S. Attorney, said in a news release.

Authorities charged Liao with purchasing the Madison residence for the purposes of manufacturing and distributing marijuana. They said neither she nor her properties were licensed through the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.

She faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000. Her sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, after completion of a presentence investigative report.

Federal and local authorities found nearly 600 illegal marijuana plants when they raided 571 Thurston Hill Road in March. The home was put back on the market about five months later before selling for $200,000 in early December.

The two-bed, one-bath home was purchased in April 2022 by Jiamin Liao of Flushing, New York, “for consideration paid,” according to the deed transaction, generally an indication of a cash sale.

Industrial-grade heating, lighting and ventilation systems were installed inside the home shortly after Liao purchased it to accommodate the growth of several hundred cannabis plants at a time, according to investigators.