— A disgraced former Passaic City cop, who perplexingly had been selected to run the city's recreation department, was indicted on Tuesday for allegedly extorting more than $5,000 from participants of the city rec programs.

Eriberto "Eddie" Carrero, 54, was fired as the city's recreation director in March after a city audit revealed massive discrepancies in the department's finances.

Prosecutors said Carrero charged participants in recreation programs additional fees, depositing the money in a trust account only he had access to. The alleged corruption, which netted him more than $5,000, occurred between 2009 and 2012, prosecutors said.

Tuesday's grand jury decision marks the second time in 20 years Carrero has been brought up on official misconduct charges.

Carrero was forced to resign from the police department after he pleaded guilty to official misconduct and theft charges in 1997. He accepted payments for security details at public schools in the city but never actually performed the work, prosecutors said.

Carrero completed a pre-trial intervention program and was rehired by the city four years later, according to records.

Mayor Alex Blanco in 2012 said he was willing to overlook Carrero's criminal past, telling The Record that the ex-cop "deserved a second chance."

Blanco could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.

James Kleimann may be reached at jkleimann@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskleimann. Find NJ.com on Facebook.