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"The offences here are serious. They each involve lies made three years apart," Judge Kenneth Karas said in passing sentence, adding that Jones had made "not a one-off mistake... but a repetition in an attempt to break the law.

"Nobody is above the legal obligation to tell the truth," he said, adding, "I recognise this is not a happy day for you or for your family."

Jones, 32, pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal agents over a steroid distribution scandal involving California laboratory BALCO and her role in a cheque fraud scheme.

An emotional Jones admitted in a statement to the court before sentencing she was "scared and nervous about today`s outcome", breaking down in tears as she pleaded with the judge to spare her jail time.

"Yes, I made mistakes by lying," she said. "I have admitted these too late but hopefully not too late to elicit from you the milk of human kindness."

"We all make mistakes," she said. "But I strongly believe that a person`s true character is revealed by their admission of those mistakes," she said.

Jones was also sentenced to two years` supervised release and 400 hours of community service.

Karas had previously asked why Jones should not be made to serve each perjury sentence consecutively rather than at the same time, defence and prosecution lawyers appealed to him not to do so given the public humilation she has endured.

Prosecutors asked that Jones be given a six-month sentence as was agreed in her plea bargain, which saved the effort of trials on both charges. Defence lawyers had said she should serve no jail time given her downfall.

A tearful confession to doping after years of denials was followed by Jones returning the three gold medals and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics to the International Olympic Committee.

Jones captured gold in the 100- and 200-metres at Sydney and helped the 4x100m relay to gold as well. She was also a five-time world champion.

But now, Jones has had all results since September 1, 2000, stricken from the records and has been banned by the IAAF, although she has retired from competition.

Jones lied to federal agents three times, starting in November of 2003 when asked about her connections to the BALCO steroid scandal.

In August and September of 2006, Jones was questioned about a check fraud scheme involving Tim Montgomery, the father of her son Tim who himself was banned and stripped of a 100m world-record run based on evidence collected in the BALCO probe.

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