MEDINA — A Wellington man who took money to do landscaping for a Brunswick Hills Township resident but never performed any work was sentenced to a year in prison Monday.

Paul Unik Jr., 43, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony theft in July.

County Prosecutor Dean Holman said Unik took money for landscaping between September and December 2008 through his business, Northeast Ohio Landscaping. Hollman said Unik never performed the work he was contracted to do.

“These are always difficult cases because people tend to look at them as civil in nature,” Holman said. “We charged him with one count of theft and we’re happy we got a plea to it.”

A fifth-degree felony theft charge stems from incidents where the material stolen is worth between $500 and $5,000.

Unik also was convicted of theft several times previously in Lorain County. Court records show he was convicted of misdemeanor theft charges three times between 2001 and this year. In addition, he pleaded guilty to three felony theft charges in Lorain County between 2001 and this year.

Contact Maria Kacik at (330) 721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.