RALEIGH - The founder and CEO of Cary's Mission House for Women, a transitional home for troubled women, has pleaded guilty to state income tax violations, according to the N.C. Department of Revenue.

Gloria Sawyer of Raleigh pleaded guilty last week to failure to file and pay state income and withholding taxes on the nonprofit organization's workers, the revenue department announced Tuesday.

Sawyer was placed on probation for 36 months and must pay restitution. The amount of restitution will be determined after the delinquent tax returns are filed, the revenue department said.

Mission House for Women helps women who are former criminals and drug users get back on their feet. It depends in part on grants from Raleigh, Wake County and the Governor's Crime Commission, as well as federal grants.

Sawyer served more than three years in prison in the early 1990s for drug crimes. According to state records, she also has past convictions for larceny, check forgery, shoplifting and possessing stolen records.