Mark Green, the former Columbia City Parks and Recreation superintendent, has found himself in hot water after being sentenced to three years in prison for pilfering over $240,000 from the city’s coffers. What did he do with all this money? Well, he decided to splurge on an impressive collection of baseball cards. Talk about a costly hobby!
This whole shady scheme unraveled when Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel caught wind of some questionable financial activities in March 2023. Suspecting that something fishy was going on, an investigation was swiftly launched in collaboration with various authorities, including the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana State Board of Accounts. And lo and behold, their sleuthing uncovered Green’s elaborate embezzlement scheme.
Court documents spilled the beans on Green’s spending spree, revealing that he had shamelessly dropped a whopping $246,000 on baseball cards from the ‘Sport Spot’ store using the city’s credit card. To add insult to injury, he then went on to hawk some of these ill-gotten cards on eBay. When confronted about his misdeeds, Green coughed up the truth and owned up to misappropriating city funds for his extravagant card purchases.
Initially facing a laundry list of charges including corrupt business influence, theft, and official misconduct, Green cut a deal in April 2024. By pleading guilty to a single theft charge, he managed to wriggle out of the rest of the accusations. However, this sweetheart deal came with a hefty price tag – Green was ordered to pay back a grand total of $275,628. A cool $100,000 was to be reimbursed to a bond company, with the remaining $175,628 destined for the city’s coffers.
Green’s sentencing wasn’t the walk in the park he might have hoped for. While he avoided the full extent of the law, the court saw fit to hand down a three-year sentence, with the caveat that the first year could potentially be spent behind bars or on work release. The remaining two years would entail keeping a low profile on probation. Talk about a steep price to pay for a few fleeting moments of card-collecting bliss!
This cautionary tale has thrown a glaring spotlight on the glaring deficiencies in financial oversight within Columbia City’s Parks and Recreation Department. The glaring lack of controls that allowed Green’s scheme to flourish has raised alarm bells, serving as a stark reminder of the importance of robust checks and balances in safeguarding public funds. Let this serve as a timely reminder that honesty is always the best policy – especially when it comes to raiding the city coffer for baseball cards!
