Tina Peters Sentenced to 9 Years for 2020 Election Tampering
Tina Peters, a former Republican election official from Colorado, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for her involvement in tampering with voting machines following the 2020 presidential election. The 68-year-old was convicted last August on multiple charges, including election interference, after she illegally allowed an unauthorized individual to access Mesa County’s election systems and records.
Peters carried out the breach amid unfounded claims of mass voter fraud, alleging that it caused former President Donald Trump to lose the White House. Despite her not guilty plea in 2022, a jury found her guilty on seven of the 10 counts, which included charges such as attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation conspiracy, and misconduct in office.
Judge Matthew Barrett, who sentenced Peters to eight and a half years in the Colorado Department of Corrections and additional time in the Mesa County Detention Center, stated, “You are no hero…You’re a charlatan.” He condemned Peters for using her position to promote baseless claims about the election.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold also criticized Peters, stating that her actions were a dangerous attempt to undermine the integrity of the election. This case marks the first prosecution of a local election official for a security breach related to the 2020 election.
Prosecutors noted that Peters became obsessed with alleged voting issues after the election, and investigators also issued a search warrant for MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in connection to her case due to his promotion of election fraud claims.