Ex-N.Y. Assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa Gets Prison Time For Sham Marriage

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A judge has sentenced a former New York state lawmaker to a year in prison for buying an $8,000 sham marriage to gain citizenship.

Federal Judge Denise Cote ignored requests for leniency so that Gabriela Rosa could care for her son and her mother.

The judge said she found "troubling" suggestions that Rosa was merely naive or was following the American dream when she falsely married a U.S. citizen.

She admitted during her June plea that she lied about it when she became a citizen in 2005.

"I am a grown woman," Rosa said in June, when she announced her resignation. "I am responsible for the mistakes that I made, and that's why I'm here today."

Rosa, a Democrat, was elected in 2012 to represent Upper Manhattan.

"I also regret that almost 20 years ago, I regularized my immigration status through an improper way," Rosa said.

Rosa also pleaded guilty to another charge that she underreported her husband's wealth in a 2009 bankruptcy filing.

"I sincerely regret not properly reporting money regarding my husband's earnings that related to the bankruptcy proceeding," Rosa said.

Rosa, 47, was born in Santo Domingo, and in 1994 she moved to the U.S. She got married in 1996, and became a U.S. citizen in 2005.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)