This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. to reflect a comment from Mayor Domenic Sarno.

SPRINGFIELD -- The former assistant golf pro at Springfield's two public courses helped his boss destroy eight years of financial records in March of 2016, as federal investigators closed in.

But, Ryan McDowell continued siphoning thousands in cash revenues due to the city's general fund until the day dozens of law enforcement officials raided Franconia and Veteran's Memorial golf courses later that year, he told prosecutors.

He admitted to stealing $101,050 from the city and failing to report nearly $80,000 more in legitimate income to the IRS.

McDowell's guilty pleas to six counts of tax fraud in U.S. District Court Friday offered the first insider's glimpse at a long-running scam at the city courses. Suspicions over the cash-grab became public on July 28, 2016, when agents with the Internal Revenue Service descended on the pro shops during the peak of the golf season.

Agents also raided head golf pro Kevin Kennedy Jr.'s homes in East Longmeadow and on Cape Cod the same day.

A statement of facts contingent to McDowell's plea deal says McDowell told agents that he began stealing city proceeds in 2011.

"Between 2011 and 2016, suspecting the Owner/Operator was skimming cash from transactions payable to the city, McDowell similarly skimmed for himself large amounts of cash payable to the city," the statement reads.

Under a profit-sharing agreement with Kennedy Jr.'s golf course management company, the city was due all greens fees and motorized cart fees while Kennedy Jr. and his company could collect proceeds from the pro shop, private lessons and pull carts.

Both courses were once outfitted with separate cash registers for city revenue and the management company's revenues. McDowell said Kennedy Jr. told him to retrofit the "daily reports" on golf activity and revenues to match up with the totals in the city cash registers.

"McDowell did as the Owner/Operator instructed, even though he knew that the city cash register tape understated the amount of cash and credit card transactions payable to the city that the Owner/Operator was conducting," court records say.

The city eventually severed its agreement with Kennedy Jr.'s company. A private audit commissioned by the city found Kennedy Jr. withheld thousands in revenues annually due to the city.

Reached for comment Friday, city Solicitor Edward M. Pikula said Springfield officials continue to work at getting to the bottom of its potential financial losses.

"The city is continuing to work cooperatively with state and federal authorities on civil and criminal issues involving its prior contract for management of its golf courses," he said.

David Hoose, an attorney for Kennedy Jr., has denied his client stole any public money, and blamed the alleged discrepancies on the city's poorly drafted contract. Hoose has declined comment since the news of McDowell's plea broke.

Kennedy Jr. has not been charged in the probe, which went largely silent from a public standpoint until the charges against McDowell. He appeared in U.S. District Court Friday to plead guilty after waiving his right to be indicted by a grand jury.

Defendants who waive indictments and opt to plead guilty to "an information" -- an alternative mechanism to bring charges -- essentially take the path of least resistance with federal prosecutors and signal an early willingness to offer cooperation in criminal investigations.

McDowell's defense attorney, Lori Levinson, told a federal judge Friday that her client made overtures to retain her two years ago.

McDowell, 32, of Springfield, said little in court. He pleaded guilty and was set for sentencing for Dec. 6.

"Are you pleading guilty today because you are guilty or for some other reason?" U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni asked during a standard inquiry.

"Because I am," McDowell responded.

He faces a 16-month stint behind bars under federal sentencing guidelines, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Breslow.

Kennedy Jr. is the son of Kevin Kennedy, chief development officer under Mayor Domenic Sarno.

Kennedy Jr. won the golf contract with the city in 2006. His father, a onetime aide to Springfield Congressman Richard E. Neal, was hired by Sarno as chief development officer in 2011.

Reached for comment, Sarno released the following statement:

"From the onset, I have directed our legal and financial departments to cooperate fully with all appropriate investigative agencies and it has always been my position that, if any individual breaches the public trust, they should be held accountable to the full extent of the law and there are no exceptions."

Sarno refused to answer any follow-up questions regarding the dynamic around having a department head's son as the target of a city corruption investigation.

"The Mayor's statement speaks for itself," spokeswoman Marian Sullivan told a reporter, and did not respond to an additional request for comment.

Kennedy Sr. has been silent on the issue since the IRS raids two years ago.

McDowell told investigators he helped Kennedy Jr. "dispose of records" dating back eight years from Veteran's Memorial, including daily reports, cart fuel records and merchandise sales reports.

"However, McDowell continued to skim for himself cash from transactions payable to the city until approximately July 28, 2016, when Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) executed search warrants at each pro shop," the statement of facts reads.

McDowell was released without bail and ordered to adhere to certain terms of probation. He was allowed to postpone surrendering his passport so he could take a pre-arranged overseas vacation.

His plea agreement mandates that he pay $101,050 in restitution to the city.