An Española man who forged absentee ballots during the 2016 municipal election was given a deferred sentence last month.
Dyon Herrera, 24, was charged with a fourth-degree felony and pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to violate Española's municipal code, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Herrera is able to avoid a felony charge in exchange for completing 18 months of probation without any violations, according to the news agency. If he'd been given a prison sentence, it would've been up to 18 months.
Herrera testified against Laura Seeds, who was found guilty in November of five felonies and sentenced to five years' probation and was given probation as part of his plea agreement.
Seeds was convicted of illegal possession of absentee ballots, making false statements and conspiracy to violate the city's election code. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Herrera conspired with Seeds to vote for her husband and he forged his grandparents' signatures on absentee ballots. Seeds' husband, Robert, won the city council race by two votes.
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