Jack Abramoff was sentenced today to four years in prison. But that sentence means Abramoff won't spend any additional time in jail than he was already serving.

As Reuters explains:

Abramoff is already serving a nearly six-year term on unrelated charges and the new sentence will be served at the same time, meaning he will not spend any extra time behind bars once his original sentence ends in 2012.

Abramoff continued his performance of contrition before the judge today, telling her: "I've fallen into an abyss, and I don't quite know how to get out."

Judge Ellen Huvelle could have sentenced Abramoff to up to 11 years, but reportedly gave Abramoff a more lenient sentence on account of his cooperation in the FBI's influence-peddling investigation.