NEWARK, N.J.  —  Bowing to temptation is going to cost an Irvington meter maid his freedom.

Under a deal reached with prosecutors, 52-year-old Rodney Dennis has agreed to repay more than $31,000 he stole from parking meters.

State officials say Dennis pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree official misconduct. He faces three to five years in prison when he's sentenced next month.

Dennis was responsible for emptying municipal parking meters, bagging the coins and depositing them in an Irvington Police Department account. Instead, authorities say he placed them in his own account from Jan. 21 to Dec. 6, 2006.

The large coin deposits were noticed by a bank investigator, who alerted police. Dennis was fired in February 2008.