NORWICH – A Coventry man has pleaded guilty to a number of crimes and agreed to pay back stolen money in a plea arrangement with prosecutors.

Joseph N. Wright, 36, of Greene, pleaded guilty Friday to felony grand larceny and bail jumping, along with another crime he committed 15 years earlier.

Wright pleaded guilty to a 1995 felony forgery charge, admitting he signed an ex-girlfriend’s name to a personal check so he could withdraw $175 to buy a puppy.

For 14 years, an active arrest warrant lingered over Wright until he was arrested in February of 2009 on unrelated charges.

The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wright in February on charges of felony larceny after an investigation claimed he took money from area residents in his work as a contractor, failing to deposit the money in a trust account or finish the projects.

Defense Attorney Paul Tomkins of Binghamton said Wright had been living in Chenango County for over 11 years and had been previously stopped by local law enforcement and underwent background checks in that time without ever being detained over the forgery charge.