A former firefighter who stole more than $75,000 while serving as a union official has been spared a prison term.

Atlantic County prosecutors say Michael Palmer instead received a year of probation. The 36-year-old Somers Point man also must pay full restitution to Local 41 of the New Jersey Fireman's Mutual Benevolent Association and forfeited his job as a lieutenant in the Margate Fire Department.

Prosecutors say Palmer was the union's secretary-treasurer when the thefts occurred between 2011 and 2014. They say he made "personal use of the money" but have not disclosed further details.

Palmer pleaded guilty last month to charges of official misconduct and theft. He had been suspended from his firefighting job in July 2104 after prosecutors were notified about irregularities in the union's bank accounts.

"Scrutiny of Mr. Palmer's conduct, together with information received from him, has revealed more than a lone theft of funds from the Firefighter's Local 41 account," Judge Nelson Johnson wrote in a decision in an Open Public Records Act lawsuit against the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office by a citizen seeking documents related to the investigation.

"The investigation into his conduct has opened the door on other matters, and shed light on the potential misdeeds of other public officials and licensed professionals. The arrest of Mr. Palmer launched a wide-ranging investigation involving many people and extending beyond the City of Margate."

The judge barred release of those records. It was not immediately clear Friday the status of that investigation.

Sergio Bichao contributed to this report.

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