Tina Peters was found guilty on Monday of interfering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election. Peters served as a Colorado County election official.
Peters, who served as Mesa County Clerk, was convicted by a jury on seven out of ten counts that relate to tampering with election materials. Peters, who is a member of the Republican Party, is one of the most prominent figures in America among those who lied that the 2020 election was rigged against former President Donald Trump. She had pleaded not guilty to all charges in 2022.
Her interference with the machine marks the first time a local election official has been charged for a suspected security breach during the election that involves Biden and Trump. The jury discussed and deliberated the case for more than four hours before arriving at the judgment. Four out of the seven charges leveled against Tina Peters are felonies, which include three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and not complying with the secretary of state.
Peters was accused by prosecutors of involving herself in a “deceptive scheme” with the aim of influencing public servants, breaching security protocols, exceeding permissible access to voting equipment, and ultimately sharing confidential information with individuals who should not be involved in getting it. Prosecutors claimed that Peters exposed the county’s election computer systems to a breach, allowing someone who is not authorized to access voting equipment and records, which led to secure election images being shared on the internet.
It was reported that she became “fixated” on supposed voting issues after the 2020 presidential election, which some falsely claimed was rigged in favor of Biden. Prosecutors, in the course of their investigation, led to a search warrant for MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, who is a proponent of election fraud claims.