A former financial advisor with TD Bank has been sentenced to 27 months in prison after admitting to defrauding customers, including his own girlfriend, out of more than $400,000.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mitchell Sumka pleaded guilty to one count of fraud. He received the sentence for his crimes on Wednesday.

His defence lawyer told the court that Sumka "has an illness and the illness is gambling." The man created fake accounts and then drained them of their overdraft, as well as making fraudulent withdrawals from customer accounts.

The crimes began in August 2015 and continued for 2.5 years before he was arrested.

Since his arrest, Sumka has joined Gamblers Anonymous and undergone extensive counselling.