AUBURN - A former Lewiston state legislator was sentenced Tuesday to six months in jail for spending public campaign money on personal items. It was the longest jail sentence imposed for violation of the Maine Clean Election Act.

William Walcott, 36, formerly of Lewiston and now living in Prentiss, pleaded guilty in Androscoggin County Superior Court to more than a dozen misdemeanor counts, most of them theft charges.

He was expected to start serving his sentence immediately.

The violations stem from misuse of public money during his 2004 and 2006 campaigns for state representative in House District 72. He was serving his third term when he stepped down last year. He later was indicted by an Androscoggin County grand jury.

Walcott also was sentenced to five months for additional misdemeanor counts Tuesday. That sentence was suspended.

He will be given five years to repay the state $3,294 in restitution, starting in December 2009, Justice Joyce Wheeler said. During that time, he will be on so-called "administrative release," a more casual form of probation.

Two felony theft counts were dismissed, along with two misdemeanors charging misuse of entrusted property.

Leanne Robbin, assistant attorney general who serves as chief of financial crimes, said Walcott came clean about his illegal actions and accepted responsibility when he was audited by the state ethics commission.

Walcott commingled public and private money, failed to give back the unused public campaign money he was given and filed false reports detailing how it was spent, Robbin said.

Money intended for use on campaign signs, bumper stickers and buttons was instead spent on videos, pizza, restaurants and other non-campaign items, Robbin said.

Walcott said he had a hard time making ends meet, juggling a low-paying job working with developmentally disabled adults while serving in the Legislature, Robbin said.

Justice Wheeler acknowledged Walcott's public service as she accepted his plea.

"I can well imagine this is not an easy experience for you," she said, in light of his sacrifices.

Walcott's sentence carries the longest jail time to date for violations of the state's law that provides money to candidates for the state Legislature and for gubernatorial races. Until Tuesday, the longest jail time had been two months, Robbin said.

Carol Palesky of Topsham served a 9-month jail sentence, but she violated other statutes relating to elections, but not the Maine Clean Election Act, Robbin said.

"We wanted to send a message to the candidates who are starting out this election season that when they get their check from the commission, it's not their money," Robbin said after the 20-minute hearing.

"And they've got to make sure they separate that from their personal accounts," she said. "If they deposit it in their personal account, that's a crime. If they spend it on personal purposes, it's a crime. And if they don't report accurately as to how they spent that money, that's a crime, too. The message to candidates is they are holding these funds in the public trust and they've got to spend them on campaign purposes."