PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The woman at the center of the signature scandal that disrupted Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’ 2023 congressional campaign avoided prison time after changing her plea in Providence Superior Court on Monday.
Holly McClaren, who had been hired by the Matos campaign to gather signatures for the Democratic primary ballot, initially pleaded not guilty last year to two felony counts of violating nomination papers and two misdemeanor counts of submitting false documents. Her indictment followed a grand jury investigation into fraudulent signatures on nomination forms.
On Monday, McClaren entered a plea of nolo contendere, or no contest, meaning she did not admit guilt but accepted the consequences of a guilty plea. She was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation and is permitted to relocate to Virginia.
“She signed papers or signatures that she didn’t actually go out and secure,” said McClaren’s attorney, John Grasso, outside the courthouse. “She thought that by signing those papers she was confirming someone else had obtained the signatures, not realizing she was attesting to their authenticity.”
The scandal began in 2023 after the Matos campaign hired McClaren’s firm to help qualify for the Democratic primary. Questions arose when signatures submitted from multiple cities and towns, including Newport, Barrington, East Providence, and Cranston, were flagged as potentially fraudulent. Several individuals whose names appeared on the forms said they never signed them.
The controversy prompted an investigation and significantly damaged Matos’ campaign. Once considered a frontrunner, she ultimately finished fourth in the Democratic primary, which was won by Gabe Amo, now the district’s U.S. Representative.
Despite losing the race for Congress, Sabina Matos retained her position as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, as her office was not up for reelection.
Matos has never been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
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