The 67-year-old founder and vice chair of Essex Financial Services was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Thursday for his part in obstructing a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

Authorities said John W. Rafal attempted to conceal secret and improper referral payments he made in order to secure the business of a wealthy client. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton of the District of Massachusetts sentenced Rafal, who lives in Old Lyme, to one-year probation with four months to be served in home detention, and a $4,000 fine.

Rafal also has a separate agreement with the SEC that will bar him from working in the securities industry for life. As part of that agreement, Rafal must pay the SEC nearly $600,000.