A former Chicago alderman has been sentenced to 10 ½ years in federal prison for scheming to pay bribes for medical contracts and for receiving kickbacks.
Judge Gary Feinerman sentenced 61-year-old Ambrosio Medrano on Friday.
Before sentencing, Medrano tearfully apologized and called his behavior "disgraceful" and said he acted "foolishly."
Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of between 14 and 17 1/2 years. They said his behavior was especially egregious because he's a repeat offender.
Medrano served time in the '90s for accepting a bribe.
But defense lawyer Gal Pissetzky had said Medrano should get no more than nine years because of his "genuinely redeemable qualities."
The federal correction facility in Englewood, Colo., -- the same prison where former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is serving his corruption sentence -- is among those Medrano requested.
Medrano also faces sentencing for a conviction in a separate health care case.