An aging and ailing entertainment lawyer was sentenced to six months of home detention yesterday for his role in what prosecutors contend was a kickback scheme operated by one of the nation’s most prolific class action law firms, Milberg Weiss.

Judge John Walter imposed the sentence on Seymour Lazar, 80, of Palm Springs, Calif., who pled guilty to taking secret payments from Milberg Weiss for helping to bring dozens of securities lawsuits by serving as a plaintiff or arranging for his relatives to do so.

Three former Milberg partners, William Lerach, David Bershad, and Steven Schulman, have also pled guilty in the scheme. The firm itself and one of its founders, Melvyn Weiss, are fighting the criminal indictment and face trial later this year on racketeering, fraud, and other charges.

Lazar, who has suffered from lymphoma and heart problems, sought a sentence of probation, but the judge rejected that. He also imposed a $600,000 fine on top of a forfeiture of $1.5 million previously agreed to by Lazar.

According to a statement from the prosecution, Judge Walter said he would have sentenced Lazar to a substantial prison term if he were younger and healthier.