After a state Supreme Court judge yesterday sentenced Clarence Norman Jr. to two to six years in prison for two separate convictions on campaign corruption charges, prosecutors said the prospect of hard jail time may crack what they say is the former assemblyman’s false veneer of innocence and ignorance of wider networks of corruption in the Brooklyn judicial system.

Throughout the trial, chief prosecutor Michael Vecchione portrayed Norman, who for years headed the Brooklyn Democratic Party, as a politician willing to knowingly flout the law for his own benefit, both financially and politically.

During yesterday’s sentencing, Norman’s lawyer, Edward Rappaport, denied the charges of widespread corruption, describing Norman as a longtime servant of the community who made some unwise decisions.

He will have to serve at least two years in prison before he will be eligible for parole, a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney said.

Norman was convicted in September on felony charges of violating election law and falsifying business records to conceal money given to him by a lobbyist, which he illegally used in his reelection campaign. In December, he was convicted on larceny charges for depositing a check for $5,000 made out to his campaign into his personal bank account. Norman immediately resigned his leadership of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and lost his position as an assemblyman representing Crown Heights as well as his law license.

Dressed in an immaculate dark suit, Norman was placed in custody at the courthouse following the sentencing. A crowd of more than two dozen of his former constituents, family members, and friends were there to support him.

Lawyers for Norman rushed to submit paperwork to appeal the sentencing, but the hearing determining the validity of the appeal was pushed to Friday. If a judge in the appellate division agrees to an appeal, Norman may be eligible for bail until the appeal is resolved.

Calling Norman “devious and manipulative,” Judge Alan Marcus denied requests from Mr. Rappaport to consider his record of service to Brooklyn and sentence him to community service instead of prison time. Judge Marcus was brought over from Queens to handle the case because of an ongoing investigation of corruption in the Brooklyn judicial system, of which Norman was allegedly a part.

Norman read a statement to the court during the sentencing. He pro fessed to be sorry and took responsibility for his mistakes in judgment, a stance he has held throughout the trial.

Outside the courtroom, Mr. Vecchione called the speech “hollow,” claiming Norman continues to refuse to take responsibility for his intentional deceitfulness. Mr. Vecchione, who is also chief of the Rackets Division of the district attorney’s office, said he was still interested in finding out what Norman knows about how judgeships were allegedly bought and sold in Brooklyn.

“I guess we’ll see in the next few days if the defendant wants to come and talk to us,” he said.

Mr. Rappaport said his client had no intention of “making things up or lying” to help the district attorney’s investigation. He said he plans to appeal the sentences because the conviction was for a “victimless, nonviolent crime” and thus not worthy of prison time.

Joanne Seminara, a Democratic district manager for the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn and a self-acknowledged reformist, called the day a sad one for the public’s trust in politics.

“He got involved for all the right reasons,” she said. “I don’t know where and how it started to break down. It further undermines the political process.”

Since District Attorney Charles Hynes has started investigating corruption in Brooklyn politics, the Democratic Party has had a chance to take a fresh look at itself, Ms. Seminara said.

“I think, as unfortunate as it is, it is a starting point, an impetus, that things have to change in Kings County,” she said. “The way Democrats do business needs to become more transparent and the way we choose judges needs to change.”

City Council Member David Yassky said restoring the reputation of the party is an ongoing project.

“My hope is that we can turn the book on the Democratic Party and make it a real force for a progressive agenda,” he said. “I think the new leadership of the party has a big job to do to rebuild its credibility.”

Ms. Seminara said this particular round of convictions is not as germane to Brooklyn political reform as those expected to take place in March, when charges of extortion and coercion against Norman and the executive director of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Jeffrey Feldman, will be played out in court. During the trial, the district attorney is expected to explore an alleged market for judgeships allegedly brokered in part by Norman and senior members of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.