PROVIDENCE – A second contractor for Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’ failed congressional campaign in 2023 has changed his plea to no contest to accusations that he help submit fraudulent nomination papers, according to a report by WPRI-TV CBS 12.
Johnston resident Christopher Cotham, who was charged in April 2025 with two felony counts of violating nomination papers, and two misdemeanor counts of submitting nomination papers to election officials containing false signatures, pleaded no contest in Superior Court on May 4.
The change allows Cotham to avoid any jail time and that he accepts the conviction while not having to admit guilt, according to the report.
Cotham is the second former worker who was charged and changed their plea on the signature scandal.
Holly McClaren, who was at the center of the scandal, changed her plea in R.I. Superior Court in June 2025 to no contest. She was sentenced to three years of unsupervised release was allowed to relocate to Virginia.
McClaren initially pleaded not guilty in 2024 to two felony counts of violating nomination papers and two misdemeanor counts of giving false documents to an agent, employee or public official last year after she was indicted by a grand jury.
McClaren‘s firm, Harmony Solutions, was hired by the Matos campaign to collect the signatures needed to get on the ballot for the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary.
However, the nomination papers came under scrutiny in July 2023 after three municipal boards of canvassers flagged fake signatures on documents many residents said they never signed. Others included signatures of dead people.
Those nomination paper submissions allegedly from McClaren triggered a wave of investigations both at the local and state levels.
Signatures reportedly found on papers for Matos’ campaign were either forged or of deceased residents. Then-Newport Canvassing Clerk Stephen Waluk told Providence Business News at the time that the paper with the questionable signatures was submitted by McClaren.
Discrepancies were also reportedly found in Barrington and East Providence.
Cotham told police that he had known McClaren since 2013. He said she told him he would be paid $2 per signature, but could not remember if he received any instructions on how to obtain signatures.
“He said that it was difficult to get signatures, and a lot of people he encountered did not want to sign the nomination papers,” state police investigators reported.
He also said he worked together as a pair with another campaign worker most of the time at locations in East Providence, Bristol, Warren, Jamestown and Newport.
Matos’ campaign at the time said it was “deeply disappointed and angry” about the reports of fraudulent signatures. During a candidate debate at Roger Williams University in August 2023, Matos said she took responsibility for the signatures submitted on her behalf. She also reiterated that she had “more than enough signatures” to qualify for the ballot and that she “didn’t need this” controversy.
“The person [who submitted the fraudulent signatures] who I trusted lied to us, and I took responsibility for that,” Matos said during the debate. “But I am the candidate here on this stage with the most experience to run for office.”
A month later, the R.I. Board of Elections ruled that while Matos’ campaign had more than enough valid signatures for Matos to be eligible for the ballot, the board still had questions about the signatures themselves.
Matos was never accused of being involved in the scheme.
Material from the Rhode Island Current was used in this report.
