KSBW

Samantha Tomasini told a judge she hopes that prison will help her overcome drug addiction.

A California woman who was once accused along with her ex-boyfriend of trying to sell their 8-month-old daughter in a Wal-Mart parking lot for $25 asked a judge to send her to prison instead of giving her probation, The Monterey County Herald reported. 

Samantha Tomasini, 22, told the judge Wednesday that her emotional issues and drug addiction have made it hard for her to stick with court-ordered treatment programs.

She said she would wind up violating any new probation, NBC station KSBW in Salinas reported. 

The judge agreed and sentenced her to four years in prison. She originally faced up to six years, The Herald reported. 

Tomasini and her ex-boyfriend, Patrick Fousek, made national headlines when they were accused of trying to sell the infant to strangers for $25 in June 2010.   

Defense attorneys said Fousek, 40, was only joking when he made the offer. 

The Herald reported that Tomasini admitted to child endangerment charges after police found the child living in unsanitary conditions at the couple's apartment. 

Fousek is serving a six-year prison sentence after being found guilty of felony child endangerment in the Wal-Mart incident, KSBW reported.

The Herald reported that the judge and Tomasini's lawyer, Steve Liner, agreed that she had been under Fousek's sway at the time of her arrest. 

Tomasini agreed to serve probation in a plea deal, but left a live-in drug treatment program and was re-arrested last year for violation of probation. She admitted to using heroin while on probation after kicking her methamphetamine addiction, the paper reported. 

"She's a hard fit" for many rehab programs, Tomasini's lawyer Steve Liner told the paper. "She decided she'd just rather serve the time." 

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The Herald reported that Tomasini testified in Fousek's trial that she started using drugs again when the baby was 7 months old. Prosecutors said that Fousek put the child at risk when he failed to stop Tomasini from breast feeding after resuming her drug habit.

Blood tests didn't show traces of the drug in the child, The Herald reported. 

Liner said Tomasini could be released in just 16 months with time already served in a county jail and good behavior, the newspaper reported. KSBW reported that Tomasini hopes that prison will help her get clean and "just move on."

KSBW reported that the couple's daughter is being raised by a foster family.

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Pat Vasquez-Cunningham/ Albuquerque Journal file / Zuma

It is not clear what will happen to mayor-elect Daniel Salinas, as an investigation is underway of voter fraud, in addition to other pending charges. If Salinas is convicted of a felony, he cannot hold public office.

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico - A man facing extortion charges involving a stripper, and who is forbidden from entering City Hall, has been elected mayor of Sunland Park, New Mexico.

Daniel Salinas was accused of trying to blackmail a mayoral opponent, Gerardo Hernandez, to drop out of the race with a tape showing Hernandez receiving a lap dance from a topless stripper, New Mexico State Police spokesman Robert McDonald said.

He was arrested in late February for extortion, McDonald said. Salinas was later released on $50,000 cash bond on condition he not enter City Hall or contact city workers.

But his name remained on the ballot. On Tuesday, he won the election with an unofficial tally of 637 votes for Salinas and 553 for Hernandez.

"My attorney is looking into changing some of those restrictions so I can go back to work," Salinas told the Las Cruces Sun-News."I am very grateful and very happy for this support."

Setup or sleaze? Would-be mayor of Sunland Park, NM, caught with lap dancer

It is not clear what will happen to mayor-elect Salinas, as an investigation is under way of voter fraud, in addition to the pending charges. If Salinas is convicted of a felony, he cannot hold public office.

"They're still arresting people for voter fraud so it's all ongoing, rolling into one big investigation," McDonald said.

City Manager Jaime Aguilera was arrested along with Salinas and both men are charged with extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, tampering with evidence and alleged blackmail of Hernandez.

The election on Tuesday was to replace former mayor Martin Resendiz, who resigned last year after admitting to signing contracts while drunk.

Speaking to the Sun-News, Hernandez said that Salinas should resign.

"Ethically, there is not an option to run City Hall from the outside," he said. "If I were in his place, I would step down."

Salinas told the newspaper that he had no plans to quit.

Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

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