PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – In his time, former Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci was a showman, a charismatic figure who loved being in the spotlight, ate at the city’s best restaurants, lived in the penthouse of a high-class hotel, and savored life.

On Thursday, as Cianci was resentenced to 64 months in federal prison for corruption, the larger-than-life man who reigned over this city for 21 years seemed smaller, older, and resigned to his fate.

Appearing by videoconference for the hearing, Cianci apologized to the people of Providence for the embarrassment he caused, but did not take responsibility for presiding over years of corruption in city government. He has been in prison since 2002, when he was convicted of a single count of racketeering conspiracy.

“I hope you will recognize the profound impact prison has had on me,” Cianci told the court. “I’ve changed physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

Cianci appeared with a bare head – he was not allowed to wear his trademark toupee – and much trimmer than when he went to prison in December 2002. Wearing glasses and a prison-issued button-down khaki shirt and pants, Cianci looked like a different person than the man who once wore expensive suits and was loathe to wear glasses in public.

The city’s longest-serving mayor, Cianci is one of the first high-profile convicts to be resentenced after the Supreme Court ruled in January that the mandatory minimum sentences used in the federal court system were unconstitutional.

Cianci was convicted as part of the federal government’s investigation into corruption at City Hall, dubbed “Operation Plunder Dome.” He was accused of masterminding a criminal enterprise that took bribes in exchange for tax breaks, favors and jobs.

U.S District Judge Ernest Torres on Thursday refused to change Cianci’s original, 64-month prison term. Cianci had asked for a 35-month sentence.

Which could have led to his immediate release. Prosecutors asked for a 71-month sentence.

With good behavior, Cianci could be released in July 2007.

Torres said he saw no reason to lengthen the sentence but reiterated what he said at Cianci’s first sentencing, calling Cianci’s crime an egregious breach of public trust.

“The jury found him guilty of a rather far-reaching conspiracy,” Torres said. “Not only is it a breach of trust, but it undermines public trust in government in general.”

The former mayor said he was “heartbroken for the city of Providence.”

“I am sorry for the embarrassment and the scars I brought to (the people of Providence), and I sincerely apologize,” he said. “Every day, I reflect upon my shortcomings and my failures.”

Cianci appeared to listen intently during the proceedings, leaning over the table in front of him, taking notes and often fidgeting with a pen. He called Sept. 6, 2002, the date of his first sentencing, the darkest day of his life.

“No matter what the future holds, the stigma of this conviction will be my burden for the rest of my life,” he said.

Cianci had no reaction when the judge issued the sentence. His daughter, Nicole, who cried and sobbed throughout the hearing from the front row of the courtroom, immediately left and ran out of the building.

Torres did consider Cianci’s concern that the prison at Fort Dix, N.J., where Cianci is being held, gives him few opportunities to better himself and is far from his daughter. Torres said he would strongly suggest to the Bureau of Prisons that Cianci be transferred to the federal prison camp at Fort Devens, Mass., a lower security facility.

“One thing that’s impressed me throughout this is Mr. Cianci accepted his fate with grace,” Torres said. “He hasn’t whined or blamed other people.”

U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said outside the courthouse that Torres’ decision was reasonable and thoughtful. Corrente said he didn’t anticipate appealing the sentence. Cianci’s lawyer, Richard Egbert, said he had not yet discussed a possible appeal with his client.

Egbert said Cianci was disappointed, but was not surprised by the decision.

“Buddy Cianci will do the rest of his time. He’ll do it as a man, as he always has,” Egbert said outside the courthouse. “He’ll be fine.”

Once one of New England’s most popular and successful politicians, Cianci is credited with putting a troubled Providence on the road to economic success, making it the “Renaissance City,” even as he is blamed for leading a period of rampant corruption.

Cianci spent two separate terms as mayor, and was first elected in 1974 as a Republican after making his name as a mob-busting state prosecutor. He was forced out of office in 1984 after pleading no contest to assaulting a man he thought was his estranged wife’s lover.

After a stint as a radio talk show host, Cianci made a political comeback in 1990, winning back his old office when he ran as an independent. He continued as mayor until 2002, when he was brought down by “Operation Plunder Dome.”

Also convicted in that investigation were Cianci’s close aide, Frank Corrente, 76, found guilty of six charges, and tow truck operator and Cianci fundraiser Richard Autiello, 66, who was convicted on three charges.

They were both resentenced by Torres on Wednesday; Autiello to the same 46-month sentence and Corrente to 56 months, seven months less than his previous sentence. Torres cited Corrente’s age as the reason for the lower sentence. They are both imprisoned at Fort Devens.

Frank Corrente is not related to Robert Clark Corrente, the U.S. Attorney.