Mark Green, the former superintendent of Columbia City Parks and Recreation, has found himself in hot water after being sentenced to three years for embezzling over $240,000 from city funds. The scandal unfolded when Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel initiated an investigation in March 2023 after noticing suspicious financial transactions.
Working alongside the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana State Board of Accounts, the investigation ultimately led to Green’s termination from his position. Shockingly, court documents revealed that Green splurged around $246,000 on baseball cards from ‘Sport Spot’ using the city’s credit card. Even more astonishing was the fact that he then sold some of these cards on eBay, later admitting to misusing city funds for his personal collection.
Initially facing a slew of charges including four counts of corrupt business influence, four counts of theft, and one count of official misconduct, Green struck a plea deal in April 2024 and pleaded guilty to one count of theft. As per the agreement, all other charges were dropped, but Green was mandated to pay restitution totaling $275,628. This sum included $100,000 to a bond company and the remaining $175,628 to the city.
The sentencing occurred recently, with the court ruling that Green would spend the first year of his three-year sentence either in jail or on work release, followed by two years of probation. This incident has shed light on the lax financial oversight at Columbia City’s Parks and Recreation Department, prompting a push for stricter controls to prevent such scandals in the future.