A former concrete contractor from Cockeysville has been sentenced to five years in jail, all suspended, for a kickback scheme involving University of Maryland, Baltimore County construction projects, the attorney general's office said yesterday.

In 2006, Patrick R. Sisk pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to theft, conspiracy to commit theft and bribery.

He admitted that between 1999 and 2003, he participated in a scheme with a UMBC construction manager to create a steady stream of illegal cash generated by false and inflated invoices to the university.

As part of his plea deal, Sisk agreed to cooperate with the state attorney general's investigation into corruption in the procurement process at UMBC. He received a suspended sentence because of his assistance to investigators as the probe was unfolding, officials said yesterday.

Last week, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced that a sixth person, Christopher J. Keehner of Lutherville, had been convicted in the years-long probe. Among the benefits enjoyed by the conspirators in the overbilling scheme were a golfing junket to Ireland, a four-day resort vacation in Atlantic City, N.J., and cash, according to authorities.

UMBC officials have said that the matter had been referred to the attorney general's office after suspected corruption was uncovered through an internal audit.