A former Piney Township official who pled guilty to stealing was ordered last week to return about $41,562 to taxpayers.
Circuit Judge John Beger said Roger L. Martin will pay back the money that was taken through a scheme he admitted involved the use of a township credit card. Martin entered the guilty plea in May.
Under the sentence, Martin received five years of probation and a sentence of 60 days in the county jail.
Martin, who is barred from seeking any elected public office or holding a position on any not-for-profit corporation or church board, will pay the money back at a rate of at least $1,000 monthly. If Martin successfully completes the probationary period, he’ll be eligible to have the conviction erased from the public record.
The Missouri attorney general’s office prosecuted the case, which was originally filed in January 2013. Martin was charged with multiple counts of fraudulently use of a credit or debit device.
A Missouri State Highway Patrol investigation alleged Martin used a fuel credit card without the knowledge of his fellow township members. Martin resigned his elected post in July 2012 after questions surfaced about the card’s use.
Earlier, a second former township official, Jackie Cooper, was sentenced after authorities alleged he had participated in the scheme. In 2014, total restitution of almost $25,000 was ordered by a judge.