A UCR computer student whose technical skills sabotaged a student government election in April pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Tuesday and was sentenced to weekends in jail.

Shawn Bijan Nematbakhsh, 21, of Moreno Valley had been accused of felony computer hacking but agreed to the misdemeanor charge in Riverside County Superior Court.

Judge Michael Beecher placed Nematbakhsh on unsupervised probation for three years and ordered him to serve 28 days in jail on weekends, starting Sept. 12.

Nematbakhsh used the university's computer lab, where he worked, to cast 801 votes for a fictitious write-in student candidate named American Ninja.

According to court papers, Nematbakhsh told a co-worker the next day, "Don't worry, the American Ninja will be our next president."

Nematbakhsh told campus police that he considered his hacking a "senior prank" that was also intended to expose the programming flaw in the system, court papers said.

He has paid $3,129 in restitution, covering the costs of a second election in May.

"I thought it was a funny joke at the time, but now I realize I hurt some people and I'm sorry for the damage it caused," Nematbakhsh said outside court Tuesday after he was sentenced.

He said the school initially suspended him but later reduced the discipline and placed him on probation, which gives him another chance. A second infraction would lead to suspension. He graduated this year and has entered UCR's master's program as a computer science major.

"The school has him back in their good graces," said defense lawyer Peter Scalisi.

Deputy District Attorney Sam Long said the plea agreement reflects Nematbakhsh's cooperation in the case.

"At an early stage, the defendant accepted responsibility for his actions and took steps to go ahead and make full restitution," the prosecutor said. "It was a prank, but by the same token, there's a loss here."

Although Nematbakhsh will be on unsupervised probation, authorities reserved the right to search his computer to ensure that he is not involved in hacking, Long said.

When police searched Nematbakhsh's residence in April, they reported finding marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms, but prosecutors did not file drug charges.

Long said other people lived with Nematbakhsh so it was unclear to whom the drugs belonged.