Fumo is inmate #62033-066

SPRING GARDEN - August 31, 2009 RELATED SLIDESHOW: Vince Fumo reports to prison

/*Fumo*/ reported to the low security Ashland Federal Correctional Institution in Kentucky to begin serving his sentence.

AUDIO: Former State Sen. Vince Fumo at sentencing

The former Pennsylvania state senator was convicted in March of 137 counts of defrauding the state senate, a South Philadelphia non-profit, and a museum of millions of dollars.

He was sentenced to 55 months in prison. Fumo is also ordered to pay $2 million in restitution and $411,000 in fines.

Fumo maintains his innocence.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons' website shows Fumo has been assigned an inmate ID: 62033-066.

RELATED LINK: Fumo listing on Federal Bureau of Prisons website

Ashland, Kentucky is 527 miles from Philadelphia. It takes about eight hours and 27 minutes to drive there.

As Fumo starts his time, so does one of his former top aides. /*Ruth Arnao*/, who ran Fumo's Citizen's Alliance community organization in South Philadelphia, was sentenced to one year and one day after a jury convicted her of 45 counts of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction of justice.

The government is appealing the sentence of both Arnao and Fumo, believing they deserve more time behind bars.

Fumo's sentence is well under the guideline range of about 10 to 12 years.

As for what Fumo can expect now that he is behind bars, Action News spoked to former city councilman Jimmy Tayoun who spent three years in jail.

Tayoun said the first stop is the arrival room, where they strip you down, take your belongings, and you become like every other inmate.

"He'll be feeling really depressed, not a powerful person anymore. He can't do anything except "Yes sir, no sir," stand up, sit down, go where they tell him," Tayoun said.

Though Tayoun admits people do look at you differently afterwards, he says Fumo will come out okay if he keeps his head down.

"If he can keep his ego down and realize he's a zero, not Vince Fumo, he'll let along very well," said Tayoun.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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