Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk who espoused the false conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election due to ballot fraud, was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for crimes related to a breach of her county’s voting system.
“You are no hero,” state District Court Judge Matthew Barrett told Peters. “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.”
“Your lies are well documented, and these convictions are serious. I’m convinced you’d do it all over again if you could,” Barrett told the former Mesa County clerk.
“You’re as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen.”
Peters, who had requested probation, told the judge before being sentenced, “I’ve never done anything with malice to break the law. I’ve only wanted to serve the people of Mesa County.
Prosecutors had asked Barrett to sentence her to the maximum possible sentence: 20 years behind bars.
She was immediately taken into custody after Barrett rejected her lawyer’s request that she remain free.
Peters, 68, was convicted by a trial jury in August of seven criminal counts, including attempt to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, violation of duty, and failure to comply with secretary of state requirements.
She was accused of using another person’s security badge to allow someone else to gain access to her county’s election system.
The person who used that badge was affiliated with Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow and a leading proponent of the claim that Trump’s defeat for a second term was due to ballot fraud.
Peters had falsely accused Dominion Voting Systems, which made Mesa County’s election system, of participating in the purported scheme against Trump.