A former Northern Kentucky police chief was sentenced to nearly four years in prison Monday after admitting to stealing more than $127,000 from his department.

Carl Mullen, 49, pleaded guilty in September to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Mullen was the police chief of Highland Heights, south of Covington. He admitted he issued fraudulent cash advances to himself on department credit cards. He signed off on the advances, indicating they were for legitimate purposes, the news release said.

The cash advances totaled more than $115,000. Mullen also admitted he stole $11,700 from an account that was supposed to fund criminal investigations.

Mullen's thefts occurred from January 2010 through November 2011, the news release said. He was indicted in June 2012.

Federal Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced Mullen to 45 months in prison at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Covington. Mullen will have to serve at least 45 percent of his sentence.

Josh Kegley: (859) 231-3197. Twitter: @HLpublicsafety.