Delaware County Court Judge Frank T. Hazel imposed the sentence during a half-hour hearing in which Monacello, 43, pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges tied to the case.

Monacello was ordered to surrender to county prison officials Jan. 5. Whether he spends any time behind bars, however, is uncertain. Hazel recommended that the admitted bookmaker and loan shark be immediately eligible for work release if a program is available.

Asked to comment after the court session, Monacello said only, "Happy holidays."

His lawyer, Robert Mozenter, also declined to comment, pointing out that Monacello still faces conspiracy-assault charges in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia. That case also grew out of the Delco Nostra probe.

Monacello was one of 17 suspects arrested in July 2008 after a two-year state police investigation into a bookmaking and gambling operation with links to organized crime.

More than a dozen of those defendants, including Nicholas "Nicky the Hat" Cimino, have pleaded guilty.

Authorities alleged Cimino was a major gambling operative who made tribute payments to the mob. He was sentenced in February.

Like Monacello, he faced a maximum 23-month prison term but was eligible for work release. He has completed his sentence, most of it in a work-release program.

Monacello pleaded guilty to conspiring in a racketeering enterprise that engaged in gambling and loan-sharking. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit perjury.

The perjury charge stemmed from his attempt to get a former associate, Frank "Frankie the Fixer" DiGiacomo, to lie to a grand jury investigating the gambling ring.

DiGiacomo, described as a collector and sometime enforcer for Monacello, was cooperating with the state police and secretly recorded two meetings in which Monacello coached him on how to lie to the grand jury.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Erik L. Olsen, the prosecutor in the case, said after yesterday's hearing that he was pleased with the negotiated plea.

The sentencing came less than a week before Monacello was to stand trial. Olsen called the sentence appropriate.

Monacello had no previous arrests and is a legitimate businessman, his lawyer said. He is the former owner of a bar-restaurant in South Philadelphia and had an interest in several fitness centers.

He owns and works for a construction company in South Philadelphia, Mozenter said.

Authorities described Monacello as a close associate of jailed mob leader George Borgesi. They alleged that Monacello oversaw Borgesi's gambling and loan-sharking interests in Delaware County after Borgesi was jailed in 2000.

Convicted of racketeering. Borgesi is serving a 14-year federal prison sentence. He is expected to be released in about two years.

Monacello has been one of his most frequent prison visitors, authorities say. Borgesi is the nephew of reputed mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi.

Federal authorities have been tracking Monacello's relationship with Borgesi, Ligambi, and reputed mob lieutenant Anthony Staino as part of a racketeering investigation.