ALBANY, N.Y. -- A former assistant police chief for the city of Watervliet pleaded guilty Tuesday, admitting his role in a two-year embezzlement scheme that stole tens of thousands of dollars from a funeral home.
Mark Fiet, 64, pleaded guilty to felony counts of grand larceny and falsifying business records. When he was director of the Parker Brothers Memorial Funeral Home in Watervliet, state police had accused Fiet of making false entries in the business' ledger and stealing more than $50,000 between 2011 and 2013.
Fiet had worked for the funeral home for more than a decade. He had previously worked for Watervliet Police Department and rose to the level of assistant chief before retiring in 2013.
Fiet's attorney, E. Stewart Jones, said the Clifton Park resident is remorseful for what he has done, and accepted responsibility Tuesday.
"He has always accepted it, from the very beginning," Jones said Tuesday. "He never ran away from that."
The attorney for Parker Brothers Funeral Home said Fiet once expressed remorse to the owners, early in the investigation. Since then, there has been no contact between the parties.
"They're hurt, because Mark was not just a friend to them," said attorney George LaMarche. "He was someone the funeral home considered family -- and so with what he did to them, he completely violated the relationship they so greatly respected."
Fiet will be sentenced February 2, when he faces up to three years in prison. As part of a plea agreement, he will also be required to pay back between $50,000 and $65,000 in restitution.
Alleged co-conspirator Samuel Catalano Jr., 54, is also charged in the case.