BRENTWOOD — The last person in the Kristin Ruggiero case has agreed to plead guilty to perjury for lying to a jury in May, 2010.

Daniel Ruggiero, 35, of Sanford, Maine will receive a deferred 12-month jail term and will be ordered to perform 100 hours of community service in exchange for his plea – if a judge approves the deal, according to court records.

Ruggiero was indicted on charges of felony perjury and misdemeanor false swearing.

He was expected to go on trial later this month in Rockingham County Superior Court for allegedly lying during his testimony in the May 2010 trial of Kristin Ruggiero, of East Kingston.

She was convicted of falsifying physical evidence for setting up her ex-husband, Jeffrey, by reporting to police that he sent her a series of threatening text messages.

It was part of a campaign to smear Jeffrey Ruggiero's reputation as a Coast Guard officer and to have him jailed in the middle of a bitter divorce, according to prosecutors.

Following Kristin Ruggiero's trial, prosecutors said they uncovered a scheme by defense witnesses — including Daniel Ruggiero — to lie during their testimony and provide fraudulent documents to support Kristin Ruggiero's claims of innocence.

Daniel Ruggiero testified on May 4, 2010 that he received a phone call from his estranged brother, Jeffrey, prior to appearing as a defense witness.

Prosecutors disputed that claim and later called him before a grand jury about his statements.

Ruggiero, who is free on bail, is expected to enter his guilty plea on Nov. 8. The deal came roughly five months after he was declared competent to stand trial by a judge.

Ruggiero claimed he could not remember his testimony due to a concussion he suffered hitting his head against a dumpster at work.

Judge Kenneth McHugh reversed a finding by the state Forensic Examiner's Office, saying that Ruggiero was able to give detailed testimony during the trial without any signs of losing his memory.

The case is the last among three others that came in the wake of Kristin Ruggiero's conviction in May 2010, which resulted in a 7- to 14-year prison term.

She was found dead in her prison cell on Dec. 28. Prosecutors say she committed suicide by overdosing on medications.

jkimble@newstote.com