Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former Congressman who pleaded guilty in May to sending lewd texts to a teenage girl, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Anthony Weiner with his estranged wife Huma Abedin, a top aide of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton

After the verdict was announced in a Manhattan, New York City, federal court on Monday, Weiner cried and said he has hit “rock bottom.”

The 53-year-old former member of the US House of Representatives said he was “a very sick man for a very long time.”

Weiner, who also ran for New York City mayor, also faces spending the rest of his life as a registered sex offender for sexting with the 15-year-old girl from North Carolina.

“This is a serious crime that deserves serious punishment,” US District Judge Denise Cote said as she pronounced the sentence.

Weiner “asked a girl who he knew to be 15 years old to display her naked body and engage in sexually explicit behavior for him online,” acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim said.

“Justice demands that this type of conduct be prosecuted and punished with time in prison. Today, Anthony Weiner received a just sentence that was appropriate for his crime,” Kim said.

Weiner came under FBI investigation following the social media report about his online relationship with the teenager.

“I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,” Weiner said pleading guilty at a court in May.

The investigation led to the discovery of emails which former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had sent to Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin.

He resigned from the US Congress in 2011 after another sexting scandal.

At the time, he apologized, vowed to change his behavior, and launched a bid to be New York’s mayor in 2013.

-PressTV