Arizona

... now where have I heard his name ... hey look! A squirrel!


https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/ex-arizona-lawmaker-guilty-attempted-election-fraud-40622084/

Former Republican state legislator Austin Smith pleaded guilty Monday to what he previously called “ludicrous” charges that he personally forged more than 100 signatures on his petitions for reelection last year.

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Smith pleaded guilty to the reduced charges as part of a plea agreement that gives him the possibility of avoiding a felony conviction. In Arizona law, when a person without a criminal history is found guilty of a low-level felony, the judge can wait until that person’s probation is finished before designating the crime a felony or misdemeanor. Essentially, that means if Smith completes any probation he’s sentenced to without violations, his conviction could be classified a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

And that’s important, because felons in Arizona can’t vote or hold elected office unless their rights are restored by a judge.

Per the plea agreement, Smith is to be sentenced to probation, a fine of at least $5,500 and will be banned for five years from seeking public office. But according to the attorney general, some terms of the plea agreement are nonbinding and could be rejected by the sentencing judge.

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