Mark Green, the former superintendent of Columbia City Parks and Recreation, recently made headlines after being sentenced to three years for embezzling over $240,000 from city funds. Green’s misdeeds came to light following a diligent investigation launched by Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel in March 2023. The probe was set in motion when suspicious financial transactions raised red flags.
Working in conjunction with the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana State Board of Accounts, authorities uncovered Green’s unlawful activities, leading to his subsequent dismissal from the city position. Court records divulged that Green had squandered around $246,000 on baseball cards from ‘Sport Spot,’ utilizing the city’s credit card for these unauthorized purchases. To compound matters, Green opted to sell some of these prized cards on eBay, exacerbating the seriousness of his actions.
Initially facing a litany of charges including four counts of corrupt business influence, four counts of theft, and one count of official misconduct, Green ultimately pleaded guilty in April 2024 to a single count of theft under a negotiated plea deal. This agreement paved the way for the dismissal of all other charges, though it came with a hefty price tag. Green was mandated to make restitution amounting to $275,628, which encompassed $100,000 to a bond company and the remaining $175,628 to the city coffers.
The culmination of Green’s legal saga arrived on a recent Monday, as he was handed down his sentence. The court decreed that he must spend the initial year of his three-year term either behind bars or on a work release program, with the subsequent two years to be served under probationary conditions. This high-profile case has brought to the fore glaring deficiencies in the fiscal oversight mechanisms within Columbia City’s Parks and Recreation Department, prompting urgent calls for more stringent controls and accountability measures.
