A U.S. federal court approved an agreement that calls for the former head of sales at CA to pay $29.7 million in restitution for his role in a $2.2 billion accounting scandal at the software company.

Stephen Richards pleaded guilty to conspiracy, securities fraud, perjury and obstruction of justice in April 2006 and was sentenced to seven years in prison in November.

The money, along with about $800 million that former CA Chief Executive Sanjay Kumar was ordered to pay in April, is part of an overall $1.02 billion restitution settlement with victims of the fraud.

During a hearing in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Judge I. Leo Glasser approved an agreement between Richards, Richards' wife and U.S. prosecutors.

Richards will pay $200,000 toward the restitution payment out of the money he deposited for his bail, according to the agreement filed in court this month. He has also agreed to pay the unpaid portion of the money in monthly installments of 15 percent of his gross income after he is released from prison.

His lawyer, Karen Willenken, declined to comment after the hearing.

CA, formerly known as Computer Associates, restated its results for fiscal 2001 through 2004 after Kumar and Richards left the company. The Islandia, N.Y.-based company agreed to pay $225 million in shareholder restitution.

Richards started working for CA as a customer service representative at 23. He rapidly rose through the ranks of the company's sales division and was named head of worldwide sales in April 2000. He resigned in April 2004.

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