A former Conyers mayoral candidate has been sentenced to prison for using a company she founded to steal nearly $325,000 from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to a news release, Olivia Ware, 63, who finished third to Vince Evans in the 2017 mayoral race and today lives in nearby Oxford, was sentenced to two years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She also was ordered to pay $323,100 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Ware pleaded guilty to bank fraud March 23.

Northern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan. Photo: John Disney/ALM