An Arizona woman who plead guilty to illegally collecting four early voting ballots in the 2020 primary election has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years probation.

On Thursday, the judge rejected Guillermina Fuentes, 66-year-old’s plea for probation explaining he did not think the defendant accepts responsibility for her criminal act.

Fuentes, a school board member and former mayor of the border town of San Luis, caught the attention of investigators the day of the August 2020 primary. An investigation led to charges against Fuentes and another San Luis woman.

Yuma County Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson said, “The defendant acknowledged responsibility for carrying ballots for someone else however, she stated, ‘I’m not a criminal.’ ” “Well, you are a criminal,” Nelson told her. “You committed a criminal offense. I don’t think you recognize that as a criminal offense. That’s the problem that I have.”

Prosecutors alleged that Fuentes ran an operation using her status in Democratic politics in San Luis to persuade voters to let her gather and, in some situations, complete their ballots. Prosecutors dropped the more serious charges of conspiracy and forgery and both individuals pleaded guilty to a single count of ballot abuse.

Prosecutors were seeking a year in prison for violating a 2016 “ballot harvesting” law that makes it illegal to possess someone else’s mail ballots unless they are a family member, housemate or caregiver to the voter.

As a result of the sentencing Fuentes loses her school board seat and cannot serve in an elected or appointed position unless the felony conviction is dropped to a misdemeanor, which can occur after she completes probation. She has been ordered to turn herself into jail on Saturday.