Arizona Republican becomes first fake elector to plead guilty in 2020 election scheme

An Arizona Republican that was charged for her alleged role in a scheme to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election, became the first of the "fake electors" to plead guilty on Tuesday night. 

A grand jury indicted 18 individuals in April for signing documents claiming then-President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, which was allegedly done at the urging of the former president's campaign. 

Laura Pellegrino, one of the 11 people considered a "fake elector," accepted a plea deal that requires her to plead guilty to just one count of filing a “false instrument," Politico reported. The deal dismisses the conspiracy and forgery charges, and allows her to avoid prison time, reducing her sentence to just three years of probation.

Pelllegrino's plea deal is the second victory in the case for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis struck a cooperation deal with prosecutors on Monday, that dropped her charges in exchange for testifying in the case. 

Ellis also struck a plea deal in Georgia in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's election case, which forced her to suspend her law license in Colorado for three years. 

Trump has not been indicted in the Arizona case, but he has been named as an "unindicted coconspirator." Other Trump allies such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman have also been charged in the Arizona scheme. Giuliani pleaded not guilty in May.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.