Mark Green, the former superintendent of Columbia City Parks and Recreation, has found himself in a tight spot after being sentenced to three years for embezzling over $240,000 from city funds. This was no run-of-the-mill heist; Green used part of the stolen money to indulge in his love for collecting vintage baseball cards.
The saga began with a tip-off that set the wheels of justice in motion – Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel initiated an investigation in March 2023 after uncovering suspicious financial transactions. Collaborating with the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana State Board of Accounts, the investigation blew the lid off Green’s illicit activities and swiftly led to his termination from his once-respected role.
Court documents painted a grim picture of Green’s spending habits – a jaw-dropping $246,000 was funneled towards his baseball card obsession from ‘Sport Spot,’ using the city’s credit card as if it were his own personal shopping spree. To add insult to injury, he then proceeded to flip some of these ill-gotten cards on eBay, leaving a trail of deceit in his wake.
Charged initially with a laundry list of offenses – four counts of corrupt business influence, four counts of theft, and one count of official misconduct – Green decided to cut his losses by pleading guilty in April 2024 to a single count of theft. In exchange for this admission, the remaining charges against him were unceremoniously dropped, under the condition that he cough up a hefty sum of $275,628 in restitution.
The restitution package had Green reaching deep into his pockets, with $100,000 headed to a bond company and the staggering balance of $175,628 destined for the city’s coffers. The final nail in the coffin came this week as Green faced the music in court, where the gavel came down on a mixed bag of consequences – the first year of his three-year sentence is to be served in a state of potential confinement, be it a jail cell or on work release, followed by two years under the watchful eye of probation.
The fallout from Green’s misdeeds has shone a harsh light on the lax financial checks and balances within Columbia City’s Parks and Recreation Department. The glaring oversight in this case has prompted urgent calls for a revamp of the financial oversight systems in place to prevent a repeat performance of this white-collar crime. The community waits with bated breath to see if lessons have truly been learned, or if there are more wolfish characters still prowling in sheep’s clothing.
