A man convicted of having sex on a Manatee County beach was sentenced to serve 2 1/2 years in state prison on Monday.

Jose Caballero, 40, faced a possible 15 years in prison, but prosecutors sought only 2.5 years and that's what the judge gave him.



He and 21-year-old Elissa Alvarez were convicted in May of two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. They were videotaped having sex on Cortez Beach last July in broad daylight. Witnesses testified that a 3-year-old girl saw them.

Alvarez was recently sentenced to time served. Prosecutors say they were being tougher on the 40-year-old Caballero because he previously served eight years for cocaine trafficking.

The case drew international attention because of the couple's brazenness. Both must register as sex offenders.