Jessica Beagley, Alaska mother, convicted of abusing son to get on TV

Alaska mother Jessica Beagley has reportedly been convicted of abusing her adopted son from Russia in order to land a spot on an American TV show.

A jury in Alaska convicted Beagley, 36 of Anchorage, of misdemeanor child abuse after seeing a video in which she poured spicy sauce into her son's mouth and forced him screaming into a cold shower, BBC reports.

Beagley allegedly taped the various acts of punishment in an attempt to land on the show Dr. Phil, which helps parents who have children with behavioral issues. Beagley asked her 10-year-old daughter to tape her confronting her seven-year-old and then pouring sauce down his throat, prosecutors told BBC.

(More from GlobalPost: Twin girls adopted from Russia return to orphanage)

Beagley will be sentenced Monday and faces up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $10,000.

The defense attorney said Beagley faced a difficult situation trying to handle a child with emotional problems. He said she made the video because she was desperate to find help for her son.

"It is our feeling Jessica was doing the best she could," defense attorney William Ingaldson said, according to the Moscow Times. This is a very good, loving family."

The case comes months after Russia temporarily suspended adoptions by American families. A mother from Tennessee caused a controversy in April 2010 when she put her 7-year-old adopted child on a flight alone to Russia with a "to whom it may concern" rejection note, the Christian Science Monitor reported.

This case also sparked outrage in Russia, and some have demanded the boy and his twin brother be returned to Russia.