Alan Dexter Bowman, James' lawyer, said his client has been ordered to report Monday to the prison in Petersburg, 25 miles from Richmond. James faces a 27-month sentence for corruption.

His co-defendant and former mistress, Tamika Riley, is to report to Alderson, W. Va., her lawyer, Gerald Krovatin, said. She was sentenced to 14 months.

The couple were convicted of a scheme in which James helped Riley buy city property at low prices, which she resold quickly for a profit.

James made a brief court appearance Friday in Newark regarding his appeal. His only comment to reporters was a stock answer: "It's a beautiful, God-given day."

The former inmates at Alderson include Martha Stewart, who spent four months there. She spent much of her time creating ceramic figurines for a nativity scene she later featured on her television show.

James, 72, spent five terms as Newark mayor. His final campaign, against a young lawyer, Cory Booker, who later replaced him, was the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary, "Street Fight."