UPDATE: The U.S. Attorney's Office released a statement Friday afternoon that said U.S. Attorney Peter Smith believes the one-year prison sentence for Robert K. Mericle is "appropriate."

Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik has pushed back Mericle's report date to June 2.

Read the sentencing report

Read the U.S. Attorney's Office news release

At sentencing this morning, Kosik had ordered Mericle to report to prison by May 14, drawing a request by Mericle's attorneys to push back the date so he could get his business affairs in order.

The statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office notes Mericle was a key government witness in Luzerne County's judicial corruption scandal and that's why prosecutors asked Kosik for a downward departure, which was granted.

Kosik used his discretion to increase Mericle's penalty by considering the "nature and circumstances of the offense."

The statement reads:

"United States Attorney Peter Smith stated that the sentence was appropriate in view of the factors considered by the court and that Judge Kosik was in the best position to make the appropriate determination, having heard the evidence of the seriousness of the offense during the Ciavarella trial and having the benefit of the sentencing memorandum submitted to him by the government and the defense and Mericle's own statement to the court."

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SCRANTON — Robert K. Mericle, the developer behind the notorious kids-for-cash scandal, was sentenced Friday morning to one year in prison.

U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik handed down the sentence to Mericle, who pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2009, to a felony charge of withholding information on a crime.

During the hour-long hearing Friday morning, Kosik read from a letter Mericle sent to him on Thursday in which Mericle acknowledged "he should have told some people to go to hell, but didn't."

Mericle then addressed the court himself and said he was sorry for his actions.

"I want to publicly apologize for the wrong that I've done," Mericle said. "I'm ashamed to be here, but I put myself here."

The defense argued for only probation or house arrest for the wealthy developer, but Kosik ruled his crime warranted a more serious sentence despite his contrition. His sentence was in fact higher than the six months prosecutors indicated would be appropriate.

"I believe Mr. Mericle sits here in court embarrassed," the judge said. "He has offered no excuses and he has accepted full responsibility."

Still, the judge ruled, Mericle is guilty of "very serious criminal conduct" and needs to be punished accordingly.

"This false information to the government was nothing but corruption," Kosik said.

Mericle must surrender to federal prison before May 14 at 2 p.m.

"Since I did him no favors, I will wish him the best of luck in life," the judge said.

The charge stemmed from Mericle's $2.1 million payment to former Luzerne County judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan, who were accused of conspiring to shutter a county-run juvenile detention center and send scores of juveniles to two facilities built by Mericle's construction firm.

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Prosecutors said Mericle failed to disclose to federal investigators and a grand jury that he knew the judges were defrauding the federal government by lying about the money on their taxes.

Under normal sentencing guidelines, Mericle faced eight to 14 months in prison for the felony count. But prosecutors sought a reduced sentence of between six and eight months because Mericle testified against Ciavarella.

Mericle's attorneys argued even that was too much, seeking probation for a defendant they described as a pillar of the community who is an economic boon to the region and who gives generously to charity.

Under his plea agreement, Mericle has already placed $2 million into a fund to benefit agencies and groups dedicated to helping youth. He has also settled civil claims stemming from the scandal for $17.75 million.

A jury convicted Ciavarella in February 2011 on 12 of 39 counts, including racketeering and conspiracy, on allegations he conspired with Conahan to accept bribes in exchange for sending kids to Mericle's for-profit jail. Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison.

Conahan pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge in July 2010 and was sentenced to 17½ years behind bars.