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Three days after he was sentenced to jail time and probation for living outside the district he was elected to represent, Democratic state Sen. Roderick Wright submitted his resignation Monday.
Wright’s short resignation letter said he would step down effective Sept. 22.
On Friday, Wright was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to perform 1,500 hours of community service. He will also serve three years on probation.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy noted at the sentencing hearing that his conviction means he is “no longer eligible to hold public office in the state of California.”
Wright told the Sacramento Bee he still does not believe he committed a crime, “but a jury saw differently.”
“So I have to live with that,” he told the Bee.
He said he plans to return to Sacramento to clean out his office before beginning his jail sentence Oct. 31.
Wright, who was indicted in 2010, was convicted Jan. 28 of five counts of fraudulent voting, two counts of perjury by declaration and one count of filing a false declaration of candidacy. Prosecutors said Wright was living in Baldwin Hills, outside the Inglewood-area district he was elected to represent in November 2008.
During the trial, Wright’s attorney — Winston Kevin McKesson — maintained that the senator had “followed the law,” telling jurors that the lawmaker had “established domicile” at the Inglewood property, where Wright’s stepmother was renting a unit from him.
McKesson signaled that his client will appeal his conviction.
After his conviction, Wright was suspended March 28 by the state Senate.
— City News Service