BOISE, Idaho - A Las Vegas man has been ordered to spend at least three months in jail for stealing from the Idaho retirement system designed for state employees.

A federal judge last week sentenced Vernon Geier, 67, for interstate theft from the Public Employment Retirement System of Idaho, or PERSI. Geier was sentenced to five years probation, but ordered to spend three months of incarceration and another three months on home arrest.

He pleaded guilty to one count of interstate theft in August.

Prosecutors say Geier and his mother had bank accounts between 2002 and 2004 that received benefits from PERSI even though Geier's mother died in January 2002. Prosecutors say Geier failed to notify PERSI administrators of her death, resulting in a loss of about $65,000.

The judge ordered Geier to pay restitution of nearly $46,000.