One of the 18 Republicans charged in Arizona with nine felonies for participating in a fake electors scheme has accepted a deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, while another got her charges dropped after entering a cooperation agreement with the prosecution. 

Loraine Pellegrino, one of 11 fake electors who signed a document claiming former President Donald Trump won Arizona in 2020, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false document and was sentenced to unsupervised probation with community service. 

The sentence “acknowledges her remorse and willingness to make amends,” Joshua Kolsrud, Ms. Pellegrino’s attorney, said in a statement.

---

---

Ms. Pellegrino and the other defendants, who include seven Trump associates in addition to the fake electors, had each been charged with nine felony counts of fraud, forgery and conspiracy. 

“Loraine Pellegrino’s decision to accept a plea to a lesser charge reflects her desire to move forward and put this matter behind her,” Mr. Kolsrud said. “She has taken full responsibility for her actions, demonstrating her commitment to upholding the law and contributing positively to the community.”

The news of Ms. Pellegrino’s plea deal comes the same week Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced she would drop the charges against another defendant, former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis, in exchange for her cooperation with the prosecution.

Ellis, according to the indictment, made false claims of widespread election fraud in Arizona and six other states, encouraged the Arizona Legislature to change the outcome of the election and urged former Vice President Mike Pence to accept the fake electors’ votes as he oversaw the congressional certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021.

Ms. Mayes said in a statement that the cooperation agreement “represents a significant step forward in our case,” noting Ellis’ “insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the state in proving its case in court.” 

Ms. Mayes added, “As I stated when the initial charges were announced, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined — it is far too important. Today’s announcement is a win for the rule of law.”

The motion Ms. Mayes filed to dismiss the charges against Ellis said the cooperation agreement “is also in the interest of justice as Ellis has already entered into a plea agreement for a felony conviction in Georgia, arising out of the same conspiracy charged in this case.”

In the Georgia case, Ellis pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings.