RENO, Nev. (AP) — Former Nevada lobbyist and developer Harvey Whittemore surrendered to a minimum-security prison on the central California coast Wednesday to begin serving a two-year sentence for making illegal campaign contributions as his lawyers prepare to argue his case before a federal appeals court.

Whittemore, 61, reported just after 10 a.m. at the minimum security work camp at the federal prison complex in Lompoc, California, just north of Santa Barbara, U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke said.