ALBANY — More than 18 months after first pleading guilty to federal charges, the former head of the Northeastern Urban League was sentenced to prison time today.

Aaron Dare was sentenced this morning in federal court to 63 months behind bars, as well as three years of post-release supervision and nearly $2 million in restitution. He was taken into custody immediately after the sentencing.

Dare, 37, pleaded guilty in November 2006 to federal charges of fraud and conspiracy stemming from the use of more than $8 million in federal loans in a scheme to obtain financing for housing projects. His sentencing had been postponed several times because of health problems. He had been held pending sentencing, but was released from prison in late 2007 because of his health and was instead placed under electronic monitoring.

Dare offered a public apology during his sentencing this morning.

"Somewhere along the way, I lost my path," Dare said in court. "I made some horrible decisions."

Since he pleaded guilty, Dare has been arrested two other times on state charges in Albany County.

Dare and his fiance, Ana Paula Monteiro, were arraigned in June on a 59-count felony indictment charging them with grand larceny and money laundering as part of a real estate scheme. It alleges that between January 2005 and August 2007, they stole more than $1.6 million by obtaining mortgages on two dozen properties and diverting the money for their own benefit.

Before those charges were filed against, Dare pleaded guilty in April to real estate fraud charges just before a trial was expected to begin.