Ex-Columbia City Parks Chief Sentenced for Embezzling Over $240K for Baseball Card Scheme

Mark Green, the former Parks Superintendent of Columbia City, has been sentenced to three years after embezzling city funds to purchase and resell baseball cards, following an investigation triggered by suspicious financial activities.

Mark Green, once the head of the Columbia City Parks and Recreation Department, faced sentencing this Monday after being implicated in a scheme where he embezzled over $240,000 from city funds. The discovery came after Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel called for an investigation in March 2023 due to unusual financial activity noted within the parks department.

The inquiry, conducted jointly by the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana State Board of Accounts, resulted in Green’s firing. Investigations found that Green had spent around $246,000 on baseball cards from 'Sport Spot' using a city-issued credit card. He would later sell some of these cards on eBay. During the proceedings, Green admitted to making these purchases with the city’s funds.

Initially charged with multiple counts of corrupt business influence, theft, and official misconduct, Green entered a guilty plea to a single theft charge in April 2024. The plea deal led to the dismissal of the remaining charges and mandated Green to repay $275,628, with $100,000 directed to a bond company and the balance to the city.

In the final judgment, Green was sentenced to a total of three years, with the first year to be possibly served in jail or on work release, followed by two years of probation. This case has spurred calls for increased financial oversight within Columbia City's municipal departments to prevent similar incidents in the future.