Bernard Ebbers, the former CEO of WorldCom Inc. who oversaw the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison.

The sentence was handed down by Judge Barbara Jones of Manhattan federal court three years after WorldCom collapsed in a US$11 billion accounting fraud.

Earlier this week, Jones had rejected Ebbers’ bid for a new trial.

Ebbers, who was born in Edmonton, is the first of six former WorldCom executives and accountants facing sentencing this summer.