DENVER (AP) - A tax protester who set fire to an Internal Revenue Service office in what authorities called an anti-government plot was sentenced Tuesday to 33 years in federal prison.

James Cleaver, 49, of Colorado Springs was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch to pay $2.2 million in restitution along with codefendant Jack Dowell.

The two were among five men accused of torching the IRS office in Colorado Springs on May 3, 1997. The blaze destroyed the office, injuring a firefighter and causing $2.5 million in damage.

"In America, there are numerous ways one can lawfully voice dissent," U.S. Attorney John Suthers said. "Resorting to violence and putting innocent people in harm's way is inexcusable, and those who are responsible for these types of cowardly acts must be held accountable for their crimes."

Dowell, 51, was sentenced in April to 30 years in prison for arson. His cousin, 52-year-old Thomas Dowell, was acquitted.

Authorities said Cleaver masterminded the arson as a protest against paying taxes. They said the three men broke into the IRS office, dumped five gallons of gasoline and used a timing device to ignite the blaze 10 minutes after they left.