Lee, 29, who claims she is an heiress to the Samsung fortune, was arrested June 14, 2010, after she got off a private jet at Lane Aviation at Port Columbus with 13 suitcases filled with marijuana.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested her and eventually concluded she'd made 14 trips to Ohio with marijuana.
She pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute about 2,200 pounds of marijuana. The crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum life sentence, but a plea deal allowed for a reduction in the mandatory minimum sentence.
Samsung, an electronics maker founded and based in South Korea, has denied that Lee is the granddaughter of Samsung founder Byung-Chul Lee, as she claims.
Lee's attorney, Jon J. Saia, argued in his sentencing memorandum that the year of jail time she's served since her arrest has been "more than adequate punishment for her offense." He said she is "not involved in drugs or alcohol and is capable of making a legitimate living."
Saia said Lee did not understand the seriousness of her offense and was not the ring's organizer.
Before the sentencing, five of Lee's relatives wrote letters to Marbley asking for leniency.
In a short statement, Lee said there was no way to describe the regret and shame she felt for her involvement and the effect on her family.
"It makes me sick to my stomach that I turned my back on the integrity they raised me with," Lee said. She also said she didn't want this to become a distant experience.
"I want this to be a life-long anchor so I'll never engage in anything so foolish and dangerous again," she said.