WEST PALM BEACH -- The former Lantana police officer arrested last year for stealing cash from Hispanic men during traffic stops was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday morning.

The sentence for Mark Ott comes eight months after he was caught in a joint undercover sting operation from the FBI, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Palm Beach County state attorney's office.

Prosecutors found that Ott stopped several Hispanic males between February and May of last year, asking for their identification and confiscating between $35 and $400 in cash from them during each stop. On most occasions, prosecutors said, Ott targeted the men after they left local check cashing stores.

Ott's arrest in May came after he stopped an undercover sheriff's deputy and an FBI agent posing as a driver and passenger. Ott confiscated the wallet the deputy carried, stuffed with $400 in photocopied bills, and returned it after he had swiped $150 from it.

The three-year sentence is part of a plea agreement between prosecutors and Ott's attorney, Michael Salnick. Ott pleaded guilty to five felony charges of evidencing prejudice while committing robbery because evidence in the case showed he targeted Hispanics. As part of the agreement Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp accepted this morning, Ott will also have to repay at total of $1,780 to the victims.

"It has always been Mr. Ott's intention to do the right thing in this case," Salnick said regarding the restitution.

Ott, 36, started working for Lantana police as a dispatcher and became an officer in 2006. A string of reprimands marked his time with the department, including his placement on probation for a year after a 2008 internal investigation showed that he had reported to work drunk more than once.

Salnick would not provide a reason why Ott began committing the robberies, but pointed out a request he made to the judge that Ott be sent to a prison offering treatment for alcohol abuse. After he and Ott reviewed the charges against him, Salnick said, Ott immediately decided against fighting the charges.

"He didn't want to embarrass the police department, his family or the victims by going forward," Salnick said. "It's a very unfortunate case, but Mr. Ott is looking forward to completing his sentence and moving forward with his life."