SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A former police officer who pleaded guilty to illegally selling prescription painkillers as part of a drug ring operating in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains will spend six months in federal prison.

WFMZ-TV (http://bit.ly/292XEJn ) reports Thursday that a federal judge in Scranton gave 46-year-old Stephen Nordmark a break as prosecutors were seeking between 15 and 21 months in prison when he was sentenced Tuesday.Nordmark was a 14-year veteran officer for the Stroud Area Regional Police when he resigned in 2010 and was indicted three years later.Nordmark's case is somewhat of a mystery as federal authorities have sealed the documents charging him. But details have emerged as others in the ring have pleaded guilty in recent years..Nordmark's public defender says work-related stress caused Nordmark to drink heavily and make poor choices.---Information from: WFMZ-TV,

http://www.wfmz.com