Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his former wife Vicky Pryce have both been jailed for eight months for perverting the course of justice.
The pair, sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, were convicted after she took driving licence points for him after he was caught speeding in 2003.
Huhne received a 10% reduction in his sentence because he pleaded guilty.
Pryce had claimed the defence of marital coercion, but was convicted last week.
The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said the pair both decided together not to tell the truth.
During Pryce's trial, the prosecution alleged that she had chosen to take the points but later plotted to expose Huhne after he revealed he was having an affair with an aide and ended the couple's 26-year marriage.
Mr Justice Sweeney said Pryce's "weapon of choice" - telling newspapers she took the points - was a dangerous weapon because they had both broken the law.
And the momentum of the news story led to Pryce's "unmasking".
The judge added that Pryce hoped the police would not obtain evidence of her involvement, but they did.
Mr Justice Sweeney said point-swapping was "all too easy to do" but it amounts to the serious criminal offence of perverting the course of justice.
"To the extent that anything good has come out of this whole process, it is that now, finally, you have both been brought to justice for your joint offence. Any element of tragedy is entirely your own fault," he said.
The CPS is understood to have run up about £100,000 in costs after Huhne attempted to have the prosecution against him thrown out before the trial began.
Earlier, the pair were greeted by hordes of photographers and TV cameras as they arrived at court.
Huhne, 58, arrived at Southwark Crown Court with partner Carina Trimingham, who he left Pryce for in June 2010. He resigned as the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire after admitting the charge.
Huhne and Pryce, 60, were charged last year over an incident in March 2003 when Huhne's BMW car was caught by a speed camera on the M11 between Stansted Airport in Essex and London. He was an MEP at the time.
It was alleged that between 12 March and 21 May 2003, Pryce, a prominent economist, had falsely informed police she had been the driver of the car, so Huhne would avoid prosecution.
'Cold day'He was in danger of losing his licence having already accrued nine penalty points.
The BBC's Norman Smith said the Liberal Democrats would not be releasing an official statement in reaction to the sentence.
He said that was because Mr Huhne had now disappeared from view and the party wants to "move on".
However, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oakeshott issued a personal statement as "a long-standing family friend" of the pair.
"This is a personal and political tragedy. Chris was a dynamic, decisive, strategic minister - an object lesson to us all in how to fight as hard in office as in opposition for the environment, economic growth, Europe and essential liberties," he said.
"It's a bitterly cold day for the future of radical, progressive politics in our country," added the peer.
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