Sigel, whose real name is Dwight Grant, was expected be released at about 5 p.m. EST, officials said.

He will probably report to a halfway house Thursday, where he will be entitled to leave each day to go to work, officials said.

During a hearing Wednesday morning, Sigel admitted that he visited the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., which is outside the area in which he is allowed to travel under the terms of his probation.

"I'm human, but I'm working on my mistakes," he told Surrick, according to the Associated Press.

The judge acknowledged that Sigel has made some positive contributions but said his actions must have consequences, the AP reported.

"If they're looking at you as a role model, you've got to do the right thing," Surrick said.

Afterward, defense lawyer Fortunato N. Perri said that Sigel is "prepared to accept the consequences for his actions."

"The court has always been more than fair in how it has handled this matter, and this sentence will give Beanie the opportunity to continue in the entertainment business," Perri said.

Authorities learned of Sigel's trip to the casino last month when they read about it in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Surrick also found that Sigel had been associating with a known felon, Terrence Butler, another violation of his probation.

Sigel had pleaded guilty to gun possession by a felon in late 2004, and Surrick had sentenced him to a year and a day in prison, followed by two years supervised release, or probation.

In February, just before the probation was expected to expire, Surrick extended federal court oversight of Sigel for what a prosecutor called a "technical violation." Sigel had been stopped twice by Philadelphia police in the company of Butler and did not report this as required to his federal probation office