A former security officer for a Neiman Marcus store in Dallas has been sentenced to 27 months, according to media reports.

A federal judge in Dallas on Wednesday sentenced Manuel Alvarez of Mesquite to 27 months in prison for stealing hundreds of pieces of jewelry from the retailer and selling some online, according to media reports.

Alvarez, 37, also must make restitution of more than $323,000, the Houston Chronicle reports.

In December, Alvarez pled guilty to transportation of stolen goods in interstate commerce and aiding and abetting, the Chronicle reports.

He admitted that he stole at least 400 pieces of jewelry, worth a total $200,000 to $400,000, from the store and, along with accomplices, sold them on Ebay, the Dallas Business Journal reports.

Neiman Marcus vice president Gary Manson, said in courtroom testimony, that Alvarez had been a trusted member of the Neiman Marcus team, and that theft of property by Alvarez, a loss prevention specialist for many years, had meant more than a financial loss to the company and its employees, the Business Journal reports.

JCK