Former state senate hopeful pleads guilty to stealing

A man who once ran for the state Senate has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $37,000. Jim Ivey was the chief financial officer for the Oconee County Veterans Memorial Foundation. He has agreed to a 20-year sentence for stealing money that had been donated to the foundation. The deal calls for him to serve up to four years in prison with the rest on probation. Ivey, a Republican, made an unsuccessful bid for state Senate District 46 in 2000.