It pays to be the sister of a Ponzi schemer, according to an SEC lawsuit.

Cheryl Jones, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate agent and the sister of convicted Ponzi scheme operator Mark Anderson Jones, enjoyed a return on her investment of more than 55 percent as other investors lost millions, the Securities and Exchange Commissio alleges in a lawsuit filed in District Court in Boston.

In March, Mark Jones, of Miami, was sentenced to 70 months in prison and order to pay $3.9 million in penalties for operating a $14.5 million pyramid scheme in which he persuaded at least 25 investors, including Cheryl Jones and at least two other relatives, to put their money into bridge loans for Jamaican businesses. He promised 15 percent to 20 percent annual returns on their investments.

Cheryl Jones became one of the first investors in the Bridge Fund in 2007, eventually investing more than $875,000 total, according to the SEC’s lawsuit. She allegedly introduced friends and work associates to her brother. In return for her efforts to recruit additional investors, she was offered commissions of 10 percent of the principal invested by the new investors, the SEC says.

Through falsified account statements and trips to Jamaica, Mark Jones allegedly convinced investors that the bridge loans were secured by collateral and would go to companies that had already been approved for commercial bank loans. In reality, there were “virtually no” bridge loans, according to the SEC, and almost all of the funds were deposited in Mark Jones’ personal bank account, to be used for personal expenses and to make payments to other investors.

Cheryl Jones was also allegedly paid a monthly “legal retainer” by her brother for services rendered to him or the bridge fund. She walked away with about $1,390,518 from the scheme, recouping her $875,606 investment and making an additional $514,912, the SEC says.

The SEC lawsuit accuses Cheryl Jones of violations of the U.S. Securities Act and seeks payment of civil penalties and disgorgement of any ill-gotten gains related to the bridge loan scheme.