Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters was sentenced to nine years in prison for illegally tampering with voting machines and engaging in a security breach related to the 2020 US presidential election, Reuters reports.
Peters was convicted of seven counts related to a security breach that exposed election system passwords after she allowed Trump allies access to election computers in search of voter fraud evidence in the 2020 presidential election. Peters, who remains a supporter of Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud, denied any wrongdoing and claimed her actions were intended to serve her community. Judge Matthew Barrett criticized her lack of remorse, calling her a “charlatan” who abused her office and rejected her request for probation, emphasizing the need for punishment due to her documented lies and serious crimes.
The sentencing comes just weeks before the upcoming presidential election, where Trump continues to falsely assert that his 2020 loss was due to widespread fraud.
