WARREN, Ohio - A former Niles municipal employee is going to prison for stealing from a church.

Michael Marrara, 59, was sentenced to one year in prison on Wednesday.

Marrara, who worked for the city for nearly 13 years, pleaded guilty earlier to grand theft for stealing nearly $100,000 when he was in charge of maintenance for Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish.

Before he was fired by the church in 2012, investigators say Marrara racked up $97,000 in charges on a church-issued credit card to pay personal expenses, including repairs to his vehicle, his monthly cable bill, vacation expenses, college tuition payments for his daughter's education, and thousands in fees at camp grounds in Portage County and in Kentucky.

Former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante fired Marrara from his job in the Sewer Maintenance Department last year after a disciplinary review of the criminal case against him.