A former Colorado state official who promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison on charges including official misconduct related to a Mesa County voting system security breach.
It was Tina Peters has been convicted Four felony and three misdemeanor charges in August for using another person’s security badge to authorize someone associated with the MyPillow founder Mike Lindellprominent election denier and ally of former President Donald Trump, access to the county’s election equipment.
The county’s machines had to be replaced after the information, including passwords for the machines, was posted online.
In her closing argument in August, prosecutor Jessica Drake said Peters was “the fox guarding the hen house.” “It was his job to protect the election equipment and he turned it on and used his power to his advantage.”
Peters claims he did nothing wrong.
“It is heartbreaking to hear the vile accusations and outrage against me for what I have done to protect the people of Mesa County,” he told the judge before handing down his sentence. He said he was just trying to protect the information to make sure the election was safe and asked the judge to give him a suspended sentence.
Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, told the judge there are legal avenues he can use to protect the information he wants without engaging in a “treacherous” scheme. He said his actions cost the county more than $1 million.
District Attorney Daniel Rubinstein asked the judge to give Peters the maximum sentence, citing his lack of remorse. He also noted that despite widespread allegations of fraud, he has never identified a single fake vote.
District officials said his ongoing fraudulent election claims led to a series of death threats against election workers as he traveled the country promoting his claims and neglecting their actual duties. Peters denied the allegations and said he called the office when he was out of state.
After Peters was indicted, he ran for secretary of state in 2022 and lost in the Republican primary. He claimed that he committed fraud in those elections and demanded a recount After losing by 85 thousand votes. The count again It resulted in her receiving an additional 13 votes – the same as overall primary winner Pam Anderson.