A former majority leader of the Alabama state senate has pleaded guilty to two felony charges of stealing from his legal clients, authorities announced today.

Zeb Little, a Cullman attorney and former state senator, agreed to pay $74,043 in restitution, according to court records. He could face up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing date hasn’t yet been scheduled. Little’s defense attorney didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

Little stole money from clients in personal injury cases, said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall in a press release.

“(Little) would inform the clients that a settlement had been reached and said that he would pay the medical bills from the settlement amount,” according to the attorney general. “Instead of paying the medical bills, he transferred that portion of the settlement money to himself.”

Little was initially charged with three felony crimes earlier this year after a victim told the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office that money from her father’s estate had been stolen from a trust account, the authorities said. This past week, records show, Little was charged with another felony count of theft related to funds stolen from additional victims.

“The victims in this case trusted Little to represent them,” Marshall said in a statement. “These victims needed help during a difficult time and went to Little searching for justice. Instead, they were victimized again by the greed of an individual who used his position of trust to enrich himself. This type of conduct erodes at the trust that the people of Alabama should be able to place in members of the Alabama bar. It will not be tolerated.”

Little will be sentenced by Judge Terry Dempsey in Cullman County Circuit Court. Dempsey, of Franklin County, was specially appointed to the case after Cullman County judges recused themselves. It’s not uncommon for local judges to recuse from cases involving high-profile parties or people who work in the legal system.

Marshall thanked the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office and Assistant Attorneys General Katie Langer and Chris Moore for their work on the case.

Little, a Democrat, served in the state Senate from 1998-2010. He was majority leader from 2002-2010.