NATION IN BRIEF : Jail Term Rejected for Single Mother

A federal judge in New York City rejected federal sentencing guidelines that called for a 33-month prison sentence and granted probation to a woman convicted of mail fraud, largely because she is a single mother. Bonnie Gerard, 49, who pleaded guilty last September to mail fraud, broke into tears after U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet sentenced her. Gerard, who has two teen-age children, ran a company that funneled payments from advertising agencies to actors who appeared in commercials. She pleaded guilty to keeping about $1.6 million she collected from agencies and did not pass on to actors. She must repay the money.