NEW ORLEANS — C. Ray Nagin, the former New Orleans mayor, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison on corruption charges, a remarkable fall from grace for a man who came to office pledging to root out cronyism.

The sentence by Judge Helen Berrigan of Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana was less than the recommended range, around 15 to 20 years.

Judge Berrigan quickly dispensed with the many technicalities of federal sentencing guidelines. She balanced the mayor’s ill-gotten gains against the profits of other defendants in the schemes, reprimanded him for letting the city down after Hurricane Katrina, and noted approvingly that he remained a loyal husband of 32 years and a devoted father to his three children.

She said that she would recommend that the federal Bureau of Prisons incarcerate Mr. Nagin at a prison at Oakdale, La., so he could be close to his family.