Former Alabama House Majority Leader Micky Hammon of Decatur was sentenced to three months in prison today and ordered to pay $50,657 in restitution for converting campaign contributions to personal use.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson sentenced Hammon this morning in Montgomery. Hammon will report to a federal facility to begin his sentence on March 29.

Hammon pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

Hammon left the courtroom with his family after the sentencing this morning. Hammon's attorney, Stephen Shaw, declined comment.

Before he was sentenced, Hammon spoke in court and apologized to the court and to his family.

"I just ask for everyone's forgiveness," Hammon said.

Prosecutors recommended probation and no prison time for Hammon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross said Hammon accepted responsibility when he learned of the government's case and saved the government time and resources that would have been needed to bring an indictment.

Thompson said he found the recommendation for no prison time unusual. The judge indicated he thought that would send the wrong message to other public officials. He said Hammon violated the trust of those who gave to his campaign.

"I don't see how I cannot give him some time in prison," Thompson said.

Thompson ordered Hammon to serve three years of supervised probation after release.

Shaw, Hammon's attorney, asked Thompson to reconsider the sentence or allow Hammon to serve it on weekends. Shaw said that would allow Hammon to continue to work.

Thompson said the sentence was reasonable, fell within guidelines and was "sufficient but not greater than necessary."

The guidelines allowed the judge to impose a fine of up to $20,000, but he imposed no fine, citing Hammon's inability to pay.

Hammon was ordered to pay the restitution to the court, which will distribute it to campaign contributors. Ross said Alabama Power Company's employees political action committee indicated it did not want to receive restitution. Ross said restitution owed to any contributors that refused it would go to a crime victims' fund.

Hammon was elected to the House in 2002. When Republicans took control of the House in 2010, Hammon was picked as the majority leader and held that position until February 2017.

The guilty plea in September automatically removed him from office.

Ross said Hammon received campaign contributions, deposited them into his campaigns bank account, then wrote checks on that account that he deposited into his personal account. Hammon also used money directly from his campaign account for personal spending, Ross said.

Ross said the crime was mail fraud because the campaign contributions came by mail. Ross praised the U.S. Postal Inspection Services, saying its investigators "doggedly pursued this case."

Ross said the crime was discovered in the course of an unrelated investigation, which he declined to give any information about.

Hammon was the fourth Alabama House member removed from office because of corruption charges since 2014.

The others were Reps. Greg Wren, R-Montgomery, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and resigned; former House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, who was convicted of 12 felony ethics violations; and Rep. Oliver Robinson, D-Birmingham, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, bribery, fraud and tax evasion.