Ad exec admits scamming gov't

SPRINGFIELD -- A Springfield advertising executive has pleaded guilty to overcharging the government more than $500,000 for a campaign to fight drunken driving.

Robert G. Sullinger got more than $1.5 million in federal funds to put up billboards warning about the dangers of drunken driving. The money was distributed mostly through the state Transportation Department.

But Sullinger's Great Plains advertising company overstated the number of billboards it actually produced. The firm was paid $500,000 more than it deserved.

Sullinger, a 59-year-old former TV reporter, is scheduled to be sentenced March 30. In exchange for his guilty plea on three counts, federal prosecutors dropped several charges and will seek a prison term at the low end of the sentencing range.