Former Anchorage GOP representative Gabrielle LeDoux faces four new counts of electoral misconduct, state prosecutors said Thursday.

Former LeDoux legislative assistant Lisa Simpson also faces two new felony charges, which could increase pressure on her to cooperate with authorities in their efforts to convict her former boss.

LeDoux was initially charged last year with one count and a number of misdemeanors related to her 2018 re-election campaign.

The case has been inactive for the past year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has only recently started to move forward.

LeDoux and Simpson have hired top-notch defense attorneys.

LeDoux’s attorney, Kevin Fitzgerald, declined to comment on the new charges Thursday, though LeDoux told the Alaska news source that she was “absolutely innocent”.

Simpson’s attorney Rex Butler said he believed prosecutors’ ultimate goal was to convict LeDoux and that they were “sending” Simpson to help.

“It’s all about their efforts to get Gabrielle,” Butler said.

LeDoux and Simpson both pleaded guilty in an initial hearing Thursday, according to a statement prepared by state prosecutors. A spokeswoman for prosecutors, Grace Lee, did not respond to a request for a copy of the prosecution documents in the case.

LeDoux was a longtime Republican lawmaker who faced a fierce backlash from party leaders after accepting a leadership position in the majority Democratic majority in the House. She lost her Republican primary last year.

The charges against LeDoux came after state election officials informed Alaskan state soldiers of what they described as irregularities in mail-in ballot requests during his campaign. 2018 re-election. The FBI was also involved in the investigation.

Simpson’s son Caden is also charged with election misconduct. He is represented by a public defender, according to a database of state courts.