Washington (CNN) -- Michael Scanlon, a former close business associate of now-disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was sentenced to 20 months in prison Friday.
A federal judge in Washington also sentenced Scanlon to serve three years of supervised release following the prison term after he entered a guilty plea in which he admitted to participating in a bribery and fraud conspiracy.
Judge Ellen Huvelle also ordered Scanlon to pay more than $20 million to victims of his scheme to defraud four Native American tribes. Scanlon represented tribes from Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Michigan who were interested in obtaining or keeping gaming licenses to operate casinos on Indian lands.
Abramoff recommended Scanlon to the tribes to serve as their lobbyist. In turn, Scanlon admits, he charged the tribes a total of $40 million and secretly kicked back $20 million to Abramoff, according to the Justice Department.
The court did not indicate when Scanlon, now 40, will begin serving his sentence or be required to begin reimbursing his victims. He also was sentenced to perform 300 hours of community service.
The Abramoff investigation eventually netted a total of 20 lobbyists and public officials who pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.
Rep. Robert Ney was the only member of Congress caught up in the scandal. He resigned and received a 30-month sentence in 2007.
Abramoff served four years of a six-year sentence in a federal prison camp in Maryland. After spending additional time in a Baltimore halfway house, Abramoff was released last December.
By Terry Frieden, CNN Justice Department Producer