Weiss pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in April as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Prosecutors had asked for a 33-month sentence. Weiss and his attorneys had sought a reduced sentence, citing his age and contributions inside and outside courtrooms.

Authorities said the law firm made about $250 million over two decades by filing legal actions on behalf of professional plaintiffs who received $11.3 million in kickbacks.

The firm dominated the industry in securities class-action lawsuits, which involve shareholders who claim they suffered losses because executives misled them about a company's financial condition.

The kickback scheme allowed attorneys at the firm then known as Milberg Weiss to be among the first to file litigation and secure the lucrative position as lead plaintiffs' counsel, according to court documents.

The lawsuits targeted companies such as AT&T Inc., Lucent, WorldCom, Microsoft Corp. and Prudential Insurance.

A seven-year investigation has resulted in guilty pleas by three of Weiss' former partners.

Two defendants remain in the case -- the firm itself, now known as Milberg LLP, and attorney Paul T. Selzer. Trials for those defendants are scheduled in August.

Judge Walter called the kickback scheme "extremely serious" because attorneys such as Weiss had not disclosed to judges handling class-action cases that the lead plaintiffs were paid for their involvement.

Sanchez admitted he used his patrol vehicle on six separate occasions to transport marijuana in the area around Nogales, in southern Arizona on the border with Mexico, and to accepting $45,000 in bribes.

The agent also pleaded guilty to worker's compensation fraud charges relating to an injury he received in a vehicle accident while on duty.

Sentencing in the case was set for Aug 13. Sanchez faces a fine of up to $4 million and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Southern Arizona is the busiest corridor for marijuana smuggling on the nearly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico border.

Last year, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector seized some 440 tons (tonnes) of the drug, which is moved over the border by smugglers in trucks, on horseback and on foot in improvised backpacks.

Judith Leekin agreed to forfeit the subsidy money as she pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges Tuesday. She did not make any admissions in a separate abuse case in Florida.

She is accused of beating and starving the children in her Florida home. They moved to that state in 1998.

The 63-year-old Leekin also admitted she sent officials a phony report card documenting a child's progress.  She could face up to eight years in prison on the federal mail and wire fraud charges.

Authorities say 40-year-old Michael Arthur Howell (HOW'-el) of Indian Trail is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Sallie Rohrbach (RAW'-bak). Howell's initial court appearance will be held Monday afternoon in Superior Court in Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police continue to look for Rohrbach's body.

Ronhrbach is a Department of Insurance investigator who traveled to Charlotte early last week to audit Howell's Dilworth Insurance Agency. When family and co-workers didn't hear from her by Friday, they called police.

Authorities say Rohrbach's slaying was connected to her duties as an auditor, and that evidence was found in both her car and Howell's vehicle.

Sheriff Tim Gobble said the items he placed in the bowl included marijuana and rolling papers. When questioned, the man ran from the building, but officers captured him within minutes.

The man faces charges of having contraband in a penal institution and evading arrest.

Ness County prosecutors said Kory McFarren pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of mistreatment of a dependent adult. The charge stemmed from police in February discovering McFarren’s girlfriend, Pam Babcock, physically stuck to the toilet.

McFarren said Babcock had refused to come out of the bathroom for two years. Medical personnel estimated she spent at least a month on the toilet. Babcock remains in a Wichita hospital. McFarren’s pretrial hearing is June 13.

McFarren also had his first appearance on a felony charge of lewd and lascivious behavior. He was arrested in March for allegedly exposing himself to a neighbor who was a minor.