Zeke Thadduss Dahl — a former contender in the 2010 Austin mayoral race — has been sentenced to five years supervised probation for forging checks in his grandmother’s name.

Dahl, 33, was sentenced on Friday in Mower County District Court. He was convicted of felony check forgery; one charge of financial transaction card fraud was dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court documents. Dahl must complete 10 hours of sentence-to-service as part of his sentence.

According to a court complaint, Dahl’s grandmother reported on Dec. 10 that Dahl had taken around $8,000 from her bank account without her permission by using her bank card and forging some of her checks.

His grandmother reportedly told police he had a “bad gambling habit” and had admitted to taking the $8,000 before he went to gambling treatment. Apparently the bank told her she could only be reimbursed if she pursued criminal charges.

On Dec. 23, Dahl admitted to police that he made unauthorized purchases and withdrawals using his grandmother’s account, including forging checks in her name. According to the court complaint, Dahl admitted that he stole around $5,000 from her, but did not deny that the total may have been closer to $8,000.

Police obtained copies of an affidavit of check fraud, checking account statements, savings account statements and numerous copies of processed checks.

The former mayoral candidate came in last in the August 2010 primaries with only 103 votes. He ran on the immigration platform, pushing more federal dollars and enforcement in Austin. He also focused on the importance of keeping tax money circulating in Austin and not allowing so much of it to escape into the state’s hands.