HACKENSACK — Thomas Rica repeatedly apologized Wednesday at his sentencing for stealing nearly 2 million quarters from the Ridgewood parking system, the Record reported.

Rica, a Hawthorne resident, will pay back just under $250,000 of the $460,000 he admitted stole under a plea agreement.

On Wednesday in court Rica paid a $64,337.55 down payment, to be followed by $2,000 monthly payments over the five years he will serve probation. He forfeited his $30,000 pension as part of the plea deal and $4,000 Ridgewood sized from his home.

Daniel Keitel, the Bergen County Assistant Prosecutor on the case, said the agreement gets "as much of the money back to the public as quickly as possible."

Rica pleaded guilty in March to four counts of third-degree theft, avoiding jail time. He took the quarters in amounts of more than $500 on several dates in 2012 and 2013 from the Village Hall room where parking meter revenue was kept.

Keitel said it was difficult to calculate how much Rica had actually stolen. Rica made $86,000 a year as a public works inspector for Ridgewood before his arrest.

Related Coverage:

• Ex-Ridgewood inspector apologizes for stealing $460,000 in quarters | The Record

• Ex-Ridgewood worker who stole $460,000 in quarters avoids jail time



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