MAYS LANDING--The former Atlantic City School Board President convicted on bribery charges was sentenced in Superior Court this afternoon.

The sentencing took more than three hours to get through, mainly because Cornell Davis had nearly 30 supporters in the court room, and almost all of them wanted to speak on his behalf.

One by one, family, friends, and members of the community, including city officials addressed the court and explained why Cornell Davis should be out in the community making a difference, not behind bars.

Convicted in April on one count of bribery in connection with the awarding of a vocational training program in 2005, the prosecutor argued that despite all the good Davis may've done in his life, he still broke the law, and the need to deter others from committing the same crime - especially when it comes to public officials breaching public trust- is essential, particularly in Atlantic County.

Davis accepts his wrong doing, and today asked for forgiveness. "I apologize to the public, who's trust, it appears and has been ruled, that I have broken," said an emotional Davis.

Despite all that was said in the court room today, the judge sentenced Davis to 5 years in state prison.

Because Davis has not been convicted of a felony crime before and gets credit for more than two months of time served, he could be out on parole as early as next spring.