HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ A 43-year-old East Hartford man has been given eight months in prison for his role in the theft of huge metal rings from Pratt & Whitney Power Systems.

Richard Guastamachio was sentenced Monday after being convicted of stealing 35 rings worth more than $2 million. However, his father paid $75,000 in restitution.

Guastamachio pleaded guilty Feb. 13 to first-degree larceny and conspiracy. His co-defendant, Ralph Gagliardo, was sentenced in October to 30 months in prison.

Prosecutors say the rings, made of a nickel-chromium alloy, are used to build power generators. Officials say the two men used a rented forklift and a flatbed tow truck to move the 2,500-pound rings.

East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney Power Systems is the industrial gas turbine business of Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. It manufactures power generation and mechanical drive equipment for electric generation, oil and gas markets.

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