A 35-year-old man who worked as a parks planner for the city of Columbia for seven years will serve a 15-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to extortion. The white collar crime was committed over a four-year period that ended in January of 2010, and the man lost his job later that year when he was indicted on the federal charge.

The man admitted to accepting kickbacks from a contractor totaling roughly $10,000. The government alleges another $5,000 in kickbacks were taken by the man, but that charge is still up in the air.

The 35-year-old was hired in 2003 as a maintenance worker and rose to the parks planner post during his time with the city. At the time he was hired, the man was serving five years probation for previous crimes. However, he completed a background check and was hired by the city under the "second-chance program."

By pleading guilty to a federal charge of extorting money from a contractor, the government dropped one count of conspiracy and its intent to earn the maximum 20-year sentence against the 35-year-old. He will have to repay the $10,000 to the city, and may incur a penalty of an additional $10,000 when he is sentenced later this year.

The white collar crime came to light when the contractor in question provided evidence to the authorities, including a telephone conversation he recorded where the 35-year-old admits to committing the act of extortion. The prosecutor in the case also noted that an unidentified co-conspirator received kickbacks along with the 35-year-old, and that this scheme had been going on for years before the 35-year-old became involved.

Source: The State, "Ex-Columbia parks official pleads guilty to extortion," Clif LeBlanc, Jan. 6, 2011