One of the 11 Republicans charged in Arizona’s fake lector scheme during the 2020 election pleaded guilty. Loraine Pellegrino, a Republican activist and the former president of the group Ahwatukee Republican Women who signed a document falsely claiming former President Donald Trump had won Arizona in the 2020 election, has now become the first person to be convicted in the state’s fake elector case.
Arizona Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Richie Taylor said Tuesday that Pellegrino pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false document, while the other charges against her were dismissed. Pellegrino had been facing nine felonies for her role in what Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes said was a conspiracy designed to “prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency.” Court records show Pellegrino was sentenced to unsupervised probation.
Pellegrino and 10 other people who had been nominated to be Arizona’s Republican electors had met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign the false document. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives. Seventeen other people had been charged in the case, including the 10 other Republicans who had signed a certificate saying they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and claimed Trump had carried Arizona in the 2020 election. Former president Donald Trump, who was indicted for alleged election interference in Georgia, was not charged in the Arizona case, but the indictment referred to him as “unindicted co-conspirator 1.”
Pellegrino’s attorney Joshua Kolsrud said in a statement: “Loraine Pellegrino’s decision to accept a plea to a lesser charge reflects her desire to move forward and put this matter behind her. She has taken full responsibility for her actions, demonstrating her commitment to upholding the law and contributing positively to the community. The sentence of unsupervised probation with community service acknowledges her remorse and willingness to make amends.”
On Monday, former Trump’s campaign attorney Jenna Ellis, who worked closely with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, entered a cooperation agreement with prosecutors who have asked for her charges to be dismissed. Ellis also pleaded guilty in Georgia to charges related to her support of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Indicted in the Arizona case were people who posed as fake electors in the state as well as Trump associates Rudolph Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, Jenna Ellis, Christina Bobb and Michael Roman. They were all charged with nine felony counts. Dozens of the fake electors have been criminally charged in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin and Nevada.
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