Wichita ? A disbarred immigration lawyer from Wichita and his wife were given three years of probation Thursday for forging signatures to help immigrants stay and work in the United States.

James S. Phillips Jr. and Alicia Morales-Phillips received less than the 15 to 21 months in prison recommended in the case. They were convicted on 16 criminal counts after a trial in February.

U.S. Senior District Judge Wesley Brown, in giving the couple probation instead of prison time, said they are not a danger to society.

The judge also placed the couple under house arrest and said probation officials could use electronic monitoring devices to track their whereabouts.

Prosecutors said Phillips, 61, and Morales-Phillips, 53, forged business owner signatures on employment certification forms for immigrant workers.

According to evidence brought out at trial, the couple used forged documents to collect hundreds of dollars in fees from clients who needed papers so they could remain in the U.S.