Ex-school board member admits guilt in commission scheme

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A former Mount Olive Township school board member has admitted his role in a scheme that bilked the district of $371,000.

Forty-seven-year-old Robert Mania pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud.

Prosecutors say while serving on the board, Mania schemed with others from 2007 to 2009 to increase the amount of commissions paid by the district's health insurance carrier on the district's account. A portion of the commission payments was diverted to a company for distribution to Mania and others.

Mania faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine when he's sentenced in July.