A tax evader turned government informant received a light sentence in Florida last week for his co-operation with US authorities over their investigation into the affairs of UBS, according to media reports.

Jeffrey Chernick was sentenced by a federal court judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to three months imprisonment followed by one year of probation. He was a 70-year-old businessman from New York.

He had initially faced a maximum three-year prison term, while his lawyers had sought a probation sentence that would have kept him out of jail. Mr Chernick pleaded guilty in July to using Swiss bank accounts, including one at UBS, to hide money from tax authorities.

This is the second case in a few days where a person has received a sharply reduced sentence for helping US authorities in this way. Steven Michael Rubinsteain, an accountant, has been sentenced to a year of house arrest after admitting he concealed assets from the Internal Revenue Service. A judge said he deserved credit for helping authorities in providing information.