Take-Two ex-CEO sentenced to 5 years (of probation)

Former Take-Two CEO Ryan Brant has avoided a four-year prison bid by "cooperating" with the investigation into the game publisher's backdating scandal. In February, Brant plead guilty to the practice of backdating stock options and has accepted a plea bargain, which guarantees the white-collar crook supervised freedom so long as he pays the remainder of his fines by mid-October. Brant's already handed over $4.7 million. He owes an additional $2.6 million.

Under the conditions of the plea bargain, Brant is barred from "control management positions" in public companies. His attorney Lawrence Iason declined to comment on the possibility of Brant aiding in the recent convictions of two fellow ex-Take-Twoers -- you know what happens to dirty, stinkin' rats...