James Robert Murphy, 38, of Columbia, S.C., admitted sending dozens of e-mails and faxes to Seattle city employee Joelle Ligon, who broke up with him about 14 years ago.

He acknowledged harassing his ex-girlfriend and her co-workers by sending them unwanted e-mails.

The U.S. attorney's office said the harassment included making it appear that Ligon was sending pornographic material to her colleagues.

At his sentencing, Murphy said he was "stupid, hurtful and just plain wrong" to torment Ligon like he did.

"I was going through a bad patch in my life," Murphy told U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly. "I want to take my lumps and get on with life."

Murphy was arrested in April and charged under a 1997 federal law that equates sending obscene e-mails with making obscene phone calls. Prosecutors said they believe he was the first person prosecuted federally for cyber harassment, defined as using the Internet with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass.

He could have faced two years in prison and a fine of $250,000, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of three to five years on probation.

Prosecutors had recommended 160 hours of community service, but Zilly stiffened that part of the sentence, saying he was surprised that Murphy "made no effort to indicate your remorse to the victim, to indicate you were sorry."