In his final hours of freedom on Friday, Pedro Espada Jr. fought the way he has for years, crying foul against his perceived persecutors, knocking his accusers with accusations of his own and eschewing all blame. It was a dizzying spectacle that constantly surprised and somehow, once again, landed him in trouble.

During a two-hour sentencing hearing in a packed courtroom, Mr. Espada, a Democrat who represented the Bronx in the State Senate, made a last-ditch effort to introduce evidence that he said proved that he had been wronged, and that the sentencing judge was guilty of misconduct. After dismissing the allegations, the judge, Frederic Block, sentenced him to five years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a health care network he ran.

The sentence was supposed to bring an end to a case that had become one of the most notorious examples of corruption in Albany. But instead, Mr. Espada found himself the target of another investigation, as Judge Block asked the United States attorney to review his most recent conduct.

Then Judge Block ordered Mr. Espada directly to jail, denying him the days that he usually provides to defendants to get their affairs in order.