An ex-Liberal organizer convicted of fraud related to the federal sponsorship scandal has been given a four-year prison term.
Jacques Corriveau's sentence was handed down in a Montreal courtroom this morning, but has been released from prison pending his appeal.
He will also have 10 years to pay a fine of $1.4 million.
A jury found Corriveau guilty of three charges in November: fraud against the government, forgery and laundering proceeds of crime.
Prosecutors suggested Corriveau, 83, serve between three and five years behind bars, while the defence was seeking a sentence in the community, citing his age and the lengthy delay in his case getting to trial.
The crimes Corriveau was convicted of occurred between 1997 and 2003 and were related to what became known as the sponsorship scandal, which eventually helped bring down the Liberal government in 2006.