The sister of a Spokane man sentenced to 15 years in prison for a gang-related shooting is accused of lying while under oath last fall.

Jasmine N. Singh, 26, pleaded not guilty Monday to one count of first-degree perjury in connection with testimony at an evidence hearing Nov. 23 before Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor.

Singh told Deputy Prosecutor Larry Haskell during that hearing that she never talked to her brother, Anthony D. Singh, about his case, but police recorded jail phone calls between the two that show otherwise, according to court documents.

Anthony Singh, 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him in December for a July 2008 shooting that didn’t injure anyone but made his Crips gang affiliations the center of the trial.

Jasmine Singh, who said her brother is not a gang member, appeared in court on the felony perjury charge today after receiving a summons.

Her public defender, Dana Beard, asked Judge Linda Tompkins to allow Singh to skip the jail booking process, saying it violated her due process rights, is an unfair burden and is "embarassing."

Tompkins declined.

Singh said after court that the accusation against her is false.

“They’re charging me for something in Anthony’s case that I had nothing to do with,” she said.

Past coverage:

Feb. 11: Gang ties mean long sentence for gunman

Dec. 14: Crips gangster on trial for '08 shooting

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