A former employee at Mounds Park Academy who embezzled $229,000 by purchasing MacBook laptops, iPods and Blu-ray discs he later sold online was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay restitution to the Maplewood school.

Jason Clayton Aune, 36, of Woodbury, pleaded guilty in January to four counts of theft by swindle. At his sentencing on Friday, he asked Ramsey County District Judge Salvador Rosas to give him "a second chance to make amends."

"I apologize to the students, to the parents and to the school itself," Aune said. "I've always loved that school."

If Aune doesn't follow the terms of his 10-year probation, he could face 4 1/2 years in prison. He declined to comment after sentencing.

"Obviously this is a serious offense," Rosas said. "It involved multiple incidents. ... You also betrayed the trust of Mounds Park."

Aune had been technology director at the school since 2004. Between June 2006 and December 2008, he used a Mounds Park Academy credit card to buy the equipment, including a blender and air purifier. He sold several items on eBay.

Rosas said Aune's remorse and lack of a criminal record led him to believe the theft was "an isolated incident" and therefore, decided on jail time.

Aune was ordered to pay $5,000 to the school to cover its insurance deductible. Hartford Insurance, the school's insurer, said in court records that it will be pursuing "full reimbursement" from Aune.

Aune left the school shortly after the theft was discovered, according to the complaint. Several times, Rosas said he wanted Aune to find a job so he could "make them whole eventually." Aune could be eligible for work release from the Ramsey County workhouse.