Ex-Fla. prison official sentenced

A former regional director of Florida's prison system was sentenced Wednesday to nearly three years in prison for his role in accepting kickbacks from a contractor.

Allen Clark, 41, could have received 10 years, but prosecutors argued for a lenient sentence. Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Klindt said Clark helped agents build a case against his friend and mentor, former Department of Corrections Secretary James Crosby.

Crosby was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in federal prison.

Clark and Crosby, 54, pleaded guilty in July to a single charge of accepting kickbacks from American Institutional Services, a company that sold snacks and drinks to prison visitors on weekends.

"I am sorry. I could go into it, but that's the bottom line," Clark said in a brief address to the judge.

Crosby and Clark have been ordered to pay back $130,000, the total amount received illegally.