Mesa County, Colorado’s former clerk and recorder was sentenced to 9 years in jail on Thursday for orchestrating a safety breach within the wake of the 2020 election. Tina Peters was convicted by a jury in August and can serve her sentence first within the Mesa County Jail after which in the Colorado Division of Corrections.
“I’m convinced you would do it all over again if you could,” twenty first Judicial District Decide Matthew Barrett instructed Peters throughout sentencing. “You’re as defiant a defendant as this court has seen.” The choose denied Peters’ request for probation or group correction.
“Prison is the only place that duly meets the purposes of sentence in this matter,” the choose mentioned.
Barrett additionally referred to as Peters a “charlatan” who used her place “to peddle snake oil,” in keeping with NBC Information. Throughout her sentencing listening to, Peters lamented she was “very taken aback by how awful I’ve been depicted,” mentioned she was a “child of God,” and argued that she wouldn’t have the ability to get the correct of magnetic mattress on the Division of Corrections if imprisoned there.
Peters was discovered responsible of utilizing her place to breach safety and tamper with election tools on the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s workplace in Might 2021. Prosecutors mentioned she hoped to gather proof that Donald Trump had gained the 2020 presidential election.
The state opened an investigation into the potential tampering in August 2021, after photos of information and copies of election tools exhausting drives appeared on election conspiracy web sites. Not lengthy after, Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered the county to switch 41 items of compromised election tools.
In Might 2021, Peters reportedly stole freelance software program engineer Gerald Wooden’s identification with a view to create a safety entry card. She then instructed her deputy clerk, Belinda Knisley, to show off safety cameras skilled on the room that was breached. The day earlier than the election tools was due for a software program improve, Peters, together with somebody linked to MyPillow CEO and Trump loyalist Mike Lindell, went into the safe room and copied information from the tools. Each Knisley and Wooden lower plea offers with prosecutors in return for his or her testimony in opposition to Peters.
Peters was a darling of election denier circles following the 2020 election. She ran for secretary of state whereas being investigated for her crimes—and accused her personal celebration of rigging the election in opposition to her when she misplaced.
A Mesa County commissioner mentioned Peters’ actions price taxpayers $1.4 million and necessitated a number of recounts, in keeping with Colorado Public Radio.
Peters was dealing with as much as 20 years in jail and kicked up a actually large fuss when she was first arrested in 2022. Good riddance to unhealthy garbage.
