ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --
Former Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano was sentenced to three months behind bars and nine months of electronic monitoring for stealing and selling department property online.
Solano pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud and admitted to stealing hundreds items from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department, authorities said. Solano said he sold the stolen items on eBay, prosecutors said.
Solano took the stand and broke down in tears, saying he's sorry and he knows he disappointed the community he was supposed to protect. The former sheriff said his home was in foreclosure, so he started selling bulletproof vests and other property from the sheriff's department on eBay.
He faced as many as eight years in prison. The state asked for the maximum sentence Friday.
Solano will also have to pay county taxpayers $25,000.
After serving his sentence, he'll be on probation for four years.
"I firmly believe we have to hold public officials accountable. We held (them) to a higher standard, especially the sheriff of Santa Fe County or any law enforcement officer for that matter," said prosecutor Matt Chandler.
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