A former Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman could be behind bars for three to nine more years after he began serving his final jail sentence yesterday.

Clarence Norman Jr. is now serving one to three years in a medium-security facility in Rome, N.Y., on charges that he coerced a judicial candidate into spending campaign money with political consultants of his choosing. A state Supreme Court judge in Brooklyn, Martin Marcus, ruled yesterday that Norman, 55, who was already serving two consecutive terms for other corruption charges, could begin serving his third prison term.

Norman, who served in the state Assembly for 23 years, was convicted in February of extorting money from judicial candidates in 2002, and he was the subject of a four-year political corruption investigation by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office. Norman was previously convicted of stealing money from his campaign funds and accepting illegal campaign contributions.

The former assemblyman appeared in court yesterday in jeans and a sweatshirt, a departure from the expensive suits and crocodile-skin shoes he was once known for, but his lawyer, Richard Mischel, said Norman was in good spirits. “The amazing thing about him is through all of this, he has a very, very positive outlook on things,” Mr. Mischel said. Norman will appeal this third charge in the near future, Mr. Mischel added.

During Norman’s three-week trial in February, his lawyers presented him as a masterful strategist while the prosecutor, Michael Vecchione, insisted he was a money-hungry extortionist. Norman was found guilty on felony charges of grand larceny and coercion.