NEW YORK (AP) -- Anthony Weiner is headed to prison for the sexting scandal that some blame for Hillary Clinton's presidential loss.

The former New York congressman was sentenced to 21 months, after he pleaded guilty to one charge of transferring obscene material to a minor. Prosecutors say he broke the law by having illicit contact with a 15-year-old girl using Skype and Snapchat.

He must report to prison by November 6 to begin serving his sentence. 

As his sentence was announced Monday, the former Democratic congressman from New York dropped his head into his hand and wept, then stared straight ahead. After the hearing ended and Judge Denise Cote left the bench, he sat in his seat for several minutes, continuing to cry.

Weiner was also fined $10,000. After his sentence is served, he must undergo internet monitoring and must have no contact with his victim. He must also enroll in a sex-offender treatment program.

Before announcing the sentence, Cote said there was "no evidence of deviant interest in teenagers or minors" on Weiner's part. She also said he is finally receiving effective treatment for what she said has been described as "sexual hyperactivity."

Weiner fought back tears and occasionally cried Monday as he read from a written statement on a page he held in front of him in Manhattan federal court. He said he was "a very sick man for a very long time."

The Democrat's sexting habit destroyed his career in Congress. It also doomed his campaign for mayor and his marriage to Huma Abedin, a former aide to Hillary Clinton.

It also became an issue in the closing days of the 2016 presidential election when then-FBI Director James Comey cited emails discovered on a laptop used by Weiner to justify reopening the earlier probe of Clinton's private computer server.

The Democrat's lawyer, Arlo Devlin-Brown, had asked that Weiner serve no prison time. A prosecutor recommended he serve between 21 months and 27 months in prison.

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