A former hedge fund consultant was sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 years in prison for insider trading, a crime that a judge said seemed to be growing in prevalence. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff noted the need for deterrence as he sentenced James Fleishman for his September conviction by a jury on insider trading charges.

Fleishman, 42, was among those charged in a government probe of so-called expert consultants who connected powerful hedge fund managers with employees of public companies who were willing to divulge secrets about earnings.

He was convicted of conspiracy and wire fraud after a 2 1/2-week trial. Prosecutors said he made more than $800,000 for three years of work as an executive at the California-based firm Primary Global Research.