Many people do not steal out of necessity. It can start out innocently, but the behavior can become very addictive. That was the case for a water maintenance supervisor from Beloit, Illinois.

Timothy L. Kosier was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing at least $880,000 from city coffers, though the entire loss may never be known. This as reported in the Chicago Tribune.

At his sentencing, the 45-year-old claimed that he got caught in a "vicious cycle," and once he started stealing from the city it just "snowballed."

Kosier stole at least $882,926 from the city, and Conley ordered him to repay $854,825. But the loss is a conservative estimate because invoices could only be searched back to 2002.

That is an egregious amount. Not only did his theft hurt the city financially, but also did significant damage to the city's reputation and to the morale of city workers who had to experience.

Some of the equipment and supplies bought with city money were used in Kosier's heating and cooling side business. He was basically purchasing all of his supplies using city money. A stop theft class is not enough for him.

Kosier worked for Beloit's Water Resources Department from September 1997 until June 8, 2011. Justice was swift. Just one day after the city's human resources department received an anonymous letter from a city worker reporting that Kosier was buying home improvement products for his own use with city funds, including a recently purchased lawn tractor that city staff could not find he was suspended.

After his suspension, he left the state for Florida, California and then Hawaii, where he was arrested.

I hope he gets everything that he has coming to him. Robbing the public and being in a position of trust is shameful. The amount stolen is staggering. I wonder how he is going to repay the city. I hope he gets an Illinois theft class and counseling while he is in jail. He will be paying for this for the rest of his life.