WASHINGTON (AP) — A former aide to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for stealing more than $75,000 from the Senate by giving himself unauthorized salary and bonuses.

Ngozi Pole, Kennedy’s former office manager, was convicted in 2011 of five counts of wire fraud and a single count of theft of government property. He was sentenced Friday by a federal judge in Washington to spend 20 months in prison.

As office manager, Pole, of Waldorf, Md., was responsible for sending staff salary and bonus information to the Senate Disbursing Office. Prosecutors said during the trial that Pole submitted false paperwork for unauthorized pay and bonuses from 2003 to 2007 and then covered up the payments.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)