Wife of Mass. congressman gets 30 days in prison

BOSTON – The wife of U.S. Rep. John Tierney has been sentenced to 30 days in prison on tax charges for helping her brother conceal income from an illegal offshore gambling business.

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors had asked that Patrice Tierney be sentenced to two years of probation, with three months spent in home confinement. Tierney's lawyer asked for straight probation.

But U.S. District Court Judge William Young said at a sentencing hearing Thursday that Tierney should be given some prison time as a deterrent. The prison sentence will be followed by five months of home confinement as part of two years of supervised release.

John Tierney, a Democrat who has represented the Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District since 1997, has said his wife was betrayed by her brother and believed his income came from selling or licensing software to legal Internet gambling businesses.