Tom DeLay is dancing toward jail, after his probation pitch failed. The former U.S. House Majority Leader from Sugar Land was sentenced to three years in prison by a federal judge in Austin this afternoon. The Austin American-Statesman was first to report the news.

DeLay is expected to appeal the sentence. DeLay was convicted of both money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering by a jury in Austin on Nov. 24. He faced from five to 99 years on the money laundering conviction and from two to 20 years on the conspiracy charge. But the judge could have also given DeLay probation, which is what his attorneys argued for in a case that's drawn plenty of political attention.

Judge Pat Priest did sentence DeLay to five years for the money laundering conviction, but allowed DeLay to take 10 years of probation instead on that charge. On the conspiracy charge, Priest sentenced DeLay to a three-year prison term.

Dubbed “The Hammer” for the way he'd dealt with people in his way, the former Republican king was convicted for steering that $190,000 of corporate money through the Republican National Committee in defiance of Texas law. The Republican National committee then sent the $190,000 out in campaign donations to seven GOP candidates for the Texas House. This is the first time a criminal charge has been filed over the long-time Texas law, according to trial prosecutors.

Even after the double guilty verdict in his November trial, DeLay continued to profess his innocence. And he did it in court again at Monday's sentencing hearing.

After he stepped down from Congress, DeLay remained a regular presence in the Houston area, continuing in live in Sugar Land and famously appeared on Dancing with the Stars.

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