A former aide to ex-state House Speaker Christopher Donovan was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in prison in connection with illegal contributions to Donovan's failed congressional campaign last year.

Robert Braddock Jr., who was convicted in May of campaign finance violations, was sentenced in New Haven to three years and two months in prison. Campaign finance regulations play a critical role as the country grapples with regulating money in campaigns, Judge Janet Bond Arterton said.