Lancaster County treasurer pleads guilty to car sale charges

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Lancaster County Treasurer Andy Stebbing has been found guilty of several charges related to his private sale of vehicles.     

Stebbing pleaded no contest to several reduced charges on Thursday as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Stebbing lost his bid for re-election during the primary.     

Prosecutors say Stebbing used online sites to sell 12 vehicles in a 12-month period and didn’t report the income from the sales or the accurate amount on the bills of sale.     

State law requires anyone selling more than eight vehicles in a 12-month span to have a dealer’s license.     

Stebbing is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7. He faces up to a year in jail on each of the four charges.

Stebbing released the following statement to Channel 8:

“First and foremost, I’d like to thank my attorney Sean Brennan, my wife Erika, my family, my friends and the many residents of Lancaster County who supported me and stayed by my side since this all began, nearly 18 months ago. It is with relief and a sense of vindication that I plead no contest to three misdemeanors, bringing the case to a conclusion. I commend the Attorney General’s Office/State of NE for coming to a resolution outside of a trial. This agreement saves both myself and the taxpayers additional expenses of both time and money. I am eager to continue to carry out the remainder of my term as Lancaster County Treasurer as well as plan for my next step without further distraction.”