SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse Parks Commissioner Lazarus Sims has pleaded guilty in his court case for stealing from the city.

Sims was suspended from his job and charged with third-degree grand larceny last month, after an audit found that $5,400 had been taken from the city.

The former Syracuse basketball player pleaded guilty to a single count of petit larceny Monday morning. The agreement will keep him out of jail. He also reimbursed the city for $5,400, and put in his resignation letter to the city.

"In working for city government, we are granted the public trust. There can never be actions or behaviors that undermine that trust in any way," said a statement from Mayor Ben Walsh. "I am saddened at the way Lazarus’s service to the city is ending. ... Despite this outcome, I wish him only the best in the future."

Sims' attorney, William Sullivan, read a letter to the court saying that Sims fell on hard times. He accepted full responsibility for the crime, and said that he didn't want the one incident to define him.

According to court documents, Sims stole cash from the city of Syracuse Department of Parks and Recreation between October of 2016 and October of 2017. An audit found that cash payments for facility rentals were not being deposited into the general fund.