Former Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. formally pleaded guilty Wednesday to three more felony counts in state District Court, telling reporters after the hearing that he's determined to complete his court-ordered drug-treatment program, which would keep him out of prison.

Block, 34, pleaded to other felonies last month and resigned from his $90,000-a-year job at the regulatory commission. He said he's serious about completing his Drug Court program — despite the face that he recently was arrested for failing a drug test mandated by the program only days after starting.

"Drug Court is a program I'll take very seriously," he said. "I want to put all this behind me." Block has admitted he's addicted to prescription painkillers.

If he fails to complete treatment, he faces up to four and a half years in prison.

State District Judge Michael Vigil, who accepted Block's plea, didn't mention the recent arrest during the brief hearing. "That was taken care of in Drug Court," he said.

Vigil said a defendant can complete Drug Court in about nine months. "If you're perfect," he added.

The judge said the program has increasing penalties for failing its drug tests. The first offense gets a participant a night in jail. For any subsequent offenses, the penalty goes up to four days in jail, then seven days, then 14 days. "After that, you're probably terminated," Vigil said.

The testing and therapy sessions for Drug Court are handled by a private company, Millennium Treatment Services, which contracts with the court.

Block pleaded guilty to felonies related to misusing public campaign funds in his 2008 campaign. He had claimed on a campaign-finance report that he'd paid a band $2,500 to play at a campaign event. However, members of the band later told reporters that no such event ever took place — a fact Block later admitted.

Earlier this month, before he resigned from the Public Regulation Commission, Block pleaded guilty to multiple felonies related to misusing his state-issued gasoline card.

Vigil encouraged Block to "start saving your money" so that he can pay restitution charges that are part of his plea deal. An attorney from the state Attorney General's Office said the amount of restitution will be about $8,000.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.