A former Perth Amboy city employee was sentenced to a year in prison Thursday for cashing nearly $200,000 in Social Security retirement checks issued to his great aunt over the course of 19 years, the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Lance D. Nelson, 56, admitted he "intentionally failed to notify the Social Security Administration of his great aunt's death" in February 1998 and continued using the money -- more than $800 a month -- for personal expenses.

The Social Security Administration continued issuing deposits to the account, totaling $184,936 over the 19 years since her death.

Nelson, who was an assistant zoning officer for the city of Perth Amboy until late 2017, was a joint account holder in which his aunt received the direct deposits.

According to payroll information obtained through a records request last year, Nelson was hired by the city in 1997 and made $84,728 per year.

U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson sentenced Nelson to one year and one day in prison for one count of theft of government funds, the state's U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey announced.

Nelson will also pay restitution of the entire amount stolen and serve three years of supervised release post-incarceration.

Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook.