A Times account of the conviction of Michael Steinberg as part of the federal investigation into insider trading at the hedge fund SAC Capital reports, "Mr. Steinberg faces a maximum of 85 years in prison, but will almost certainly receive a sentence of only a few years."
"Only" a few years? It sounds as if the Times is making light of it. "A few years" in prison can be a long time for the prisoner or his family and is a lot more than the usual civil penalty of fines, disgorgement, and a temporary or lifetime ban from the securities industry that is assessed in other securities fraud cases.