Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012 | 7:35 a.m.
Doug Hampton, a former senior aide to then-Sen. John Ensign.
A judge has sentenced a onetime top aide to former Sen. John Ensign to a year's of probation for violating federal lobbying restrictions.
Doug Hampton is Ensign's former administrative assistant. He says he is "very relieved" at Wednesday's sentence.
Hampton resigned his job four years ago after learning that his wife and Ensign were having an affair. He lobbied the Nevada Republican's office, just a few days after leaving, on behalf of Allegiant Air, an airline headquartered in Las Vegas.
Federal law bars Senate aides from lobbying lawmakers for at least a year after leaving their jobs.
The 50-year-old Hampton was originally charged with seven felonies. But he pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor violation of the law.
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