[JURIST] Former WorldCom [JURIST news archive] accounting director Buford Yates was sentenced to a year and a day in prison on Tuesday for his role in the company's billion-dollar business fraud. In 2002 Yates pleaded guilty [USA Today report] in Manhattan Federal Court to conspiracy and securities fraud charges for his part in a scheme to defraud investors by falsifying WorldCom's financial condition. Yates [litigation settlement information], who will begin serving his sentence on Oct. 10, was also fined $5,000 and given three years probation. The judge limited Yates' sentence because of the "substantial assistance" and "cooperation" he gave prosecutors in this case. WorldCom, which now operates as MCI Inc., went bankrupt in July 2002 due largely to its fraudulent [CBS report] activities. Reuters has more.