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WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — A former Navajo Nation lawmaker has pleaded no contest in a criminal case accusing her of funneling $12,650 to her family.
Lena Manheimer's plea Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery means she'll avoid a weeklong trial that had been set to start Monday. The Window Rock District Court has since postponed the trial for two co-defendants.
The plea is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgement that prosecutors had enough evidence to obtain a conviction.
Prosecutors agreed to drop six counts of bribery against Manheimer. She will serve probation and community service as long as she cooperates with prosecutors in cases against her former colleagues.
A sentencing date hasn't been set.
The charges stem from an investigation of a Navajo Nation Council discretionary fund that no longer exists.
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