BRIDGEPORT — A former Connecticut lawmaker who had been charged with election fraud for allegedly voting in a district where she did not live has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators, but avoided prison time.
Christina Ayala on Friday received a one-year suspended sentence and was barred from running for public office for two years.
Ayala pleaded guilty to providing false statements to the State Elections Enforcement Commission in the course of its investigation.
She was initially arrested a year ago on eight counts of fraudulent voting, 10 counts of primary or enrollment violations and one counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Ayala rejected a plea deal in July, saying she wanted to go to trial. It’s unclear what led her to change her mind and plead guilty.
She was first elected the state House of Representatives in 2012 and was defeated in a primary last year.
