Former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk Tina Peters was sentenced to 9 years in jail for main a safety breach of the county’s election system after being impressed by false and baseless claims of voting fraud.
Peters, a Republican, was convicted for giving a person affiliated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, an ally of former President Donald Trump, entry to the election software program she used for her county. Screenshots of the software program appeared on right-wing web sites.
She was discovered responsible on a lot of the prices associated to election tampering and misconduct.
“Your lies are nicely documented, and these convictions are critical,” District Choose Matthews Barrett stated. “I am satisfied you’ll do it yet again if you happen to may. You are as defiant as a defendant as this Court docket has by no means seen.”
“There are numerous issues in my thoughts which are crystal clear about this case, you’re no hero,” Barrett added. “You abused your place, and you are a charlatan who used and remains to be utilizing your prior place in workplace to hawk a snake oil that is been confirmed to be junk, time and time once more.”
Barrett known as the harm finished by Peters to undermine the integrity of elections “immeasurable.”
Earlier than being sentenced, Peters took the stand to ask for probation, and advised the decide she “by no means did something with malice” and believed she was serving the individuals in Mesa County.
Candidate Tina Peters speaks throughout a debate for the state management place, Feb. 25, 2023, in Hudson, Colo.
David Zalubowski/AP
“I am not a prison and I do not deserve to enter a jail the place different individuals have dedicated heinous crimes,” Peters stated.
The previous Mesa County clerk, who gave a prolonged and emotional speech, advised the decide she can be prepared to not speak about elections anymore if sentenced to probation.
“I actually am remorseful,” she stated.
Peters grew to become a number one determine fueling false and baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud after the 2020 election. Since then, Peters has held plenty of election denial occasions with Lindell.
The previous clerk is the primary native election official convicted of a safety breach after the 2020 presidential election, the Related Press reported.
“I got here to Colorado right now as a result of you could have right here in Colorado the important thing to the entire nation,” Lindell stated in 2022, “since you had an incredible county clerk, Tina Peters, (who) did her job.”
Lindell has not been charged within the case.
Throughout Thursday’s listening to, election denier Douglas Frank, a Lindell affiliate, stated Peters was amongst many election officers who have been “understandably involved” concerning the 2020 election.
“Tina Peters isn’t any conspirator, Tina Peters is a patriot,” Frank stated.
Matt Crane, the manager director of the Colorado County Clerks Affiliation, testified that Peters’ actions have led on to loss of life threats towards election officers within the state.
“We have seen very long time clerks select retirement because of the flames that Tina has willfully fanned,” Crane stated.
“These individuals have had their jobs made immeasurably tougher by what Tina Peters did and her ongoing efforts to gasoline the machine that continues to unfold lies and disinformation,” Crane stated.
“However most significantly, her actions have contributed to tens of millions of People creating a mistrust of their election for no purpose,” he added.