Tony Hu, the Chicago businessman known for his Lao Chinese restaurants, is facing a year in prison.

Hu, who was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, had faced 41 to 51 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges including wire fraud and laundering almost $9.8 million. His official sentence is one year and one day.

Hu, 48, pleaded guilty in May to dodging about $1.1 million in state taxes over a nearly five-year period. Besides six Chicago restaurants, including one in the Shops at North Bridge on North Michigan Avenue, he has Laos in Los Angeles and Connecticut. A month after Hu's guilty plea, his Lao Sze Chuan in the Palms resort in Las Vegas closed and was replaced by another Chinese restaurant. He sold off many of the restaurants in his Tony Gourmet Group in February 2015.

At his May arraignment, Hu, a native of China who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was ordered to pay nearly $1.1 million in restitution.

More on Hu:

• Peter Frost's profile of Hu

• Hu faces prison, $1.1 million penalty for wire fraud, money laundering

• Prosecutors seek 4 1/2 years for Hu

Dozens of supporters packed the courtroom and the hallway outside today as they awaited word of Hu's sentencing. He has been a fixture in Chicago's Chinatown, a neighborhood he helped energize by luring the masses with his authentic Chinese food.

It was not immediately clear when Hu was expected to report to prison or whether he will appeal the sentence.