Former TV weatherman Bill Kamal hit the lowest point in his public life Friday when a Miami federal judge sentenced him to five years in prison -- plus probation for life after his release -- for using the Internet to entice a boy to have sex with him.
The fired WSVN-FOX 7 meteorologist, who turned 48 last month, apologized to U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore for his crime -- traveling to St. Lucie County on Oct. 24 for what he thought was going to be a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old.
''I come here today so remorseful and humble,'' said Kamal, whose sentencing drew more than 20 family members and almost as many former media colleagues. ``I can and will make things right again. I throw myself at the mercy of the court.''
Moore agreed with the recommendation by prosecutors and Kamal's attorneys to give him the mandatory-minimum five-year sentence. He had been facing up to 30 years.
But Moore disagreed with their request for 10 years' probation after his release. Moore imposed the maximum probation under law -- the rest of Kamal's life after his prison term -- citing ''the nature of the offense.'' He also will be included on the state's sex-offender computer registry.
The judge also fined Kamal $20,000, ordered him to get treatment as a sex offender and for alcohol abuse because of his drinking history and required him to obtain approval from his probation officer to use a computer in the future.
Last fall, Kamal was arrested in Fort Pierce when his arranged meeting for sex with the supposed teen turned out to be a police detective who had posed as the boy in an online chatroom.
Kamal, who pleaded guilty in December, worked for a decade as WSVN's lead weatherman. He developed a reputation as a marathon weatherman, especially during his around-the-clock coverage of four hurricanes during last summer and fall's record-setting season.
Life was good -- he owned condos in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, and owned a Jaguar.
Before moving to Miami in 1993, the University of Massachusetts graduate had been a weatherman for TV stations in Washington, D.C., Indiana and Atlanta.
''Professionally, Bill was at the top of his game,'' said his attorney, Jeffrey Voluck.
Before the hearing Friday, family, friends and business associates sent the judge letters to remind him of Kamal's whole life -- from his high-profile career to his charity work in the community -- not only his crime.
Kamal's cousin and godmother, Lorraine Kalil, called him the ''light of my life,'' describing how he took her on vacations to Europe and always checked in on her.
''He has been the world to me, and he has shown me the world,'' Kalil told the judge.
``I love him dearly. He is my life.''
Kamal teared up as she spoke.
Then his brother, Daniel, said Kamal was devoted to his family, friends and career.
''The one thing I never understood is when I would be watching the Red Sox, he would be watching the weather,'' Daniel Kamal told the judge, prompting some laughter. ``He turned out to be the smart one.''
Voluck, Kamal's attorney, argued for a more lenient probation, saying his client's crime ``was an acting-out situation, not that of a predator.''
A week before St. Lucie County police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Kamal and charged him with enticing a minor, Kamal entered an America Online chatroom called Boyzformen.
He made plans to meet the 14-year-old boy, who was actually Neil Spector, a St. Lucie sheriff's office detective who often poses as a teen in chatrooms.
In his communications to the supposed teen, Kamal communicated by e-mail, instant messages and chatroom conversations. He introduced himself by saying he's masculine, with a lean, muscular body, and that he is looking for a son to have sex with. Kamal set up a meeting and drove to Fort Pierce. When he was nabbed after stepping from his black Jaguar, Kamal was dressed in a sleeveless shirt, shorts and flip-flops.
On Friday, dressed in a blue suit more typical of his natty TV attire, Kamal smiled and waved to family and friends as U.S. marshals escorted him from the courtroom. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons will decide where he will serve his time.
''Thank you. Love you all,'' Kamal said.
''We love you very much,'' answered his supporters.
