Wednesday, November 20th 2013, 2:19 pm
Editor's note: A previous headline contained an error. It has been corrected. Spring's sentence is 7 months.
U.S. District Judge John Dowdell on Wednesday sentenced a former Tulsa Public Schools athletic director to seven months in federal prison for embezzlement.
Stephanie Spring pleaded guilty in March to federal charges of embezzling money from the school district. According to court documents, Spring rented out school facilities and kept the money herself, instead of depositing it in the school's general fund.
The judge also imposed a $10,000 fine and ordered her to pay more than $90,000 in restitution.
03/24/2013 Related Story: Ex-Tulsa Public Schools AD Pleads Guilty To Federal Embezzlement Charges
Spring was the athletic director at the district for 14 years. She resigned in January 2012 after being suspended without pay in November 2011.
The maximum sentence she faced was 10 years in prison. Spring's attorney petitioned the court for 12 to 18 months of probation.
"When you work with people day in and day out you trust them and you have relationships with them it's very difficult," TPS Chief of Police Gary Rudick said. "So this is a very difficult time for all of us."
Spring on Wednesday told the judge that she is truly sorry, deeply remorseful and added that she's embarrassed and ashamed.
She said she's proud of what she accomplished at TPS and that she is now a better person.
Dowdell admonished Spring, saying her actions were prompted by greed and that she hurt hundreds of school kids who live in poverty.
"This is a pretty sad day for Tulsa Public Schools," Rudick said. "I don't think anybody gets any enjoyment or pleasure out of this type of situation. It's a very sad situation when people with so much promise, so much going for them, make mistakes like this."
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