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Alain E. Kaloyeros, the central architect of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s largest economic development efforts, was sentenced on Tuesday to three and a half years in prison for his role in a bid-rigging scandal involving the governor’s signature upstate revitalization plan, the so-called Buffalo Billion.

Dr. Kaloyeros, 62, whom Mr. Cuomo once called a genius and described as “New York’s secret weapon,” had conspired to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in state contracts to favored firms in Buffalo and Syracuse, prosecutors charged.

His conviction further tarnished the reputation of a Capitol already known for corruption headlines, and cast a shadow on the development projects that Mr. Cuomo has made a centerpiece of his administration. (The governor has not been accused of any wrongdoing.)

“Kaloyeros’s willingness to lie and cheat tainted the Buffalo Billions with fraud and cynicism,” the judge, Valerie E. Caproni, said before imposing the sentence, which also included a $100,000 fine.