A Valparaiso man got one year of probation Wednesday — including six months on house arrest — after he admitted defrauding an Indiana Department of Environmental Management oil storage cleanup program.

That included continuing to bill the state $45,000 for reimbursement for a year after one contractor died, filings show.

Alan Jones, 55, pleaded guilty in January in the U.S. District Court in Hammond to wire fraud.

His lawyer Visvaldis Kupsis said Thursday that Jones admitted he signed off on the paperwork, but didn’t pocket any of the money. He said the owner took the money, who was not indicted.

As part of his sentence, Jones will have to repay $123,000 to IDEM, along with a $5,000 fine.

Court filings show Jones worked for two environmental firms in Chesterton, including Thompson Env

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