A former Southern California state senator convicted of perjury and voter fraud served half an hour of a 90-day sentence behind bars.

Democrat Rod Wright appeared Friday at a Los Angeles County jail to begin serving his sentence. But the 62-year-old former lawmaker was released almost immediately after the paperwork was completed -- just 34 minutes after he was booked.

Wright was convicted earlier this year on eight felony counts, including perjury and voting fraud, for lying about where he lived when he ran for office.

He had said he moved into an Inglewood property he owned so he could run in 2008 to represent the 25th Senate District, but jurors found that Wright actually lived outside the district.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Wright was released because of jail crowding. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials could not confirm the reason for his release.

Wright resigned his seat rather than face possible expulsion. In separate cases, two other Democratic state senators have been indicted on federal bribery and corruption charges.

Wright was also ordered in September to complete 1,500 hours of community service and will be on probation for three years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.