A former county clerk in Colorado has been sentenced to nine years in prison for tampering with voting machines following the 2020 presidential election. Tina Peters, 68, was involved in breaching the election computer systems of Mesa County and facilitating unauthorized access to voting equipment and election records.
Peters, a Republican, was convicted in August on multiple charges related to election interference. During her sentencing, State District Court Judge Matthew Barrett criticized her actions, stating, “You are no hero. You’re a charlatan who used and is still using your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again.” The judge imposed an eight-and-a-half-year sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections, in addition to time in the Mesa County Detention Center.
Despite pleading not guilty to all charges in 2022, Peters was found guilty on seven out of ten counts, which included attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and first-degree official misconduct.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold described Peters as having made “dangerous attempts to break into her own election equipment to prove Trump’s ‘Big Lie’” and emphasized that efforts to undermine elections would not be tolerated.
This case is significant as it marks the first prosecution of a local election official concerning a security breach during the 2020 election. Prosecutors noted that Peters became increasingly obsessed with voting issues after the election. Investigators have also issued a search warrant for MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, known for promoting claims of election fraud, in relation to Peters’ case.