A 44-year-old Cumming man was sentenced to six months in prison and six months of home confinement for stealing more than $30,000 of government funds while working as a contractor for the U.S. Postal Service.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Owen Forrester sentenced Kenneth Welch to federal prison on Wednesday, Jan. 25. His confinement will be followed by three years of supervised release, and he has to pay back $32,577. He was also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

Welch pleaded guilty to the charges on Nov. 3, 2011.

Welch, who as a contracting officer had fiscal responsibility, was working two schemes to defraud the U.S. Postal Service, according to information in court and U.S. Attorney Sally Quinlan Yates.

First, from April 2010 to December 2010, he used Government-issued credit cards, originally issued to other employees and turned over to him, and he bought more than $19,000 in luxury gifts for himself and his family. He bought gifts through online retailers that included a golf cart and boat motor.

In the second scheme, from August 2010 to December 2010, Welch created fraudulent contracts and paid money to his personal commercial repair and renovation business for services that his company did not complete.

He took money left unused on other valid contracts that was to pay for the completion of construction work at the Decatur Main Post Office and the Warner Robins Post Office. As a contracting officer, his responsibility was to properly re-apply any funds leftover on valid contracts. Instead, Welch simply paid portions of those remaining funds to himself, taking more than $13,000 in public money.

“This money belongs to the government and to the people, and those who do not safeguard it will no longer work for the government or walk in freedom with the people,” Yates said.