Former Democratic state Sen. Roderick D. Wright, 62, who was convicted of perjury and voting fraud largely because he lied about living in the district he represented, was released from jail almost as soon as he started his 90-day sentence on Friday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said that Wright arrived at the inmate reception center about 9:40 p.m. but Wright was released, supposedly because the jail was too crowded, according to the Los Angeles Times
Wright was convicted despite claiming he was acting legally and was not trying to act in a deceptive manner, according to the Times. Prosecutors and jurors agreed that he had made it look as though he was living in the Baldwin Hills house inside the district he represented in 2008 rather than his actual rental complex he owned in Inglewood.
On September 12, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy refused Wright’s request for a new trial, sentencing him to 90 days in county jail and three years’ probation. She also ordered that he needed to perform 1,500 hours of community service. Wright resigned his state Senate seat soon after that.
Wright’s successor will be chosen from a group of four Democrats and one Republican, who have filed papers to run in a Dec. 9 special election to replace him in the 35th state Senate District. The tow highest vote-getters will face off in a February 10 runoff if no candidate wins a majority of the vote.
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