If you think the man who used-to-be in charge of finances for the Nebraska State Fair got off easy, when a possible 60 year prison sentence turned into a month behind bars, you’re not alone. 

The Attorney General is fighting this week’s sentencing of the Fair Board's former finance director, 30-year-old Patrick Kopke.

Kopke pleaded no contest and was found guilty earlier this year of three counts of felony theft, which according to the AG are tied to accusations that he embezzled $150,000 from the Board.

On Friday, Hall County District Court Judge Andrew Butler sentenced Kopke to 30 days in jail, 15 years’ probation, and ordered him to pay $158,000 thousand dollars in restitution— a thousand dollars a month for the next 13 years. Kopke must also undergo gambling counseling and perform 300 hours of community service—a minimum of three hours a month starting in January.

Following the sentencing Attorney General Doug Peterson’s office issued a statement noting it is “disappointed” and will appeal.

The statement goes on to say: “Mr. Kopke was put in a position of public trust. He violated that trust and pled to a felony. The State asked the court for a five to ten-year prison sentence. We believe the sentence issued of 30 days in jail, 15 years of probation, and restitution is inadequate.”

Kopke’s 30 days in prison began Friday and could be extended two more months.

According to the judge’s order Kopke: “Shall serve an additional 60 days of incarceration beginning on October 22, 2022 at 10:00am unless waived by the probation office.”

In 2019, before he was charged in the embezzlement case, Kopke resigned from the fair, with a parting shot that it would go bankrupt in a year.

It didn't.