San Diego

A former member of the Ocean Beach Town Council was sentenced Wednesday to four months in County Jail for forgery.

Ken Erhardt, 39, of San Diego, was also ordered to repay Great American Bank $1,887.55 it lost when it cashed a check that had been altered in his account.

San Diego Municipal Judge Jesus Rodriguez also fined Erhardt $150 and placed him on three years’ probation.

Erhardt had been free on his own recognizance, but was taken into custody immediately after the sentencing.

Erhardt pleaded guilty Oct. 21 to forgery, a felony, involving the cashing of a $2,400 check by a company promoting a sweepstakes. According to the probation report, Erhardt altered a check that said its date of expiration was Dec. 31, 1987, to Dec. 31, 1988. Blackened out in ink on the check were the words, “Not valid until stamped by the U.S. Purchasing Exchange as a winning entry.”