A man who stole over $64,000 from a county fire company, was sentenced to serve a county jail term on Tuesday and make restitution of the funds taken.

Robert Lee Neff, 50, of Coaldale, and formerly of Summit Hill, was sentenced by Judge Steven R. Serfass to serve seven to 14 months in the county jail and to make restitution of $64,069.47 to the Lehigh Fire Company No. 1 of Lehighton. Neff previously pleaded guilty to a felony count of theft by deception.Neff was treasurer of the fire company when he stole the money. On Feb. 3, 2012, he went to the borough police station and confessed that he had taken money from the fire company by writing checks to cash or himself.Neff blamed the thefts on a gambling problem."I'm very sorry for what I've done," Neff told Serfass. "I was overtaken by my addiction of gambling. I'll do whatever I can to make it right."He said he has lost his home and job because of the gambling, but has secured new employment.A fire company spokesman, Bernard Mieczkowski, asked Serfass to impose a jail term so other people who are involved with volunteer groups and handle money know that they face jail time if they take any funds.Serfass rejected a request by defense attorney Angela Stehle for a weekend sentence or house arrest so her client can make monthly payments on the restitution since he has secured employment."You betrayed the trust of the fire company," Serfass told Neff. "It took a lot of hard working people a lot of time to raise the money taken."Serfass ruled the jail term will be followed by 36 months of probation. Neff was also ordered to continue his current counseling for the gambling addiction, have no contact with the fire company, not be allowed to be involved in any kind of gambling or go to places were gambling is permitted, and supply a DNA sample.He will begin the jail term at 9 a.m., Friday, Nov. 1. He was made eligible to participate in the work release program, if he qualifies. He must also pay court costs, which average about $1,000, and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and probation.