Previous Colorado county clerk Tina Peters was handed a 9-year jail term due to her involvement in an illicit voting data plan.
Judge Matthew Barrett, having had previous disagreements with Tina Peters over her perpetuation of unproven claims about rigged voting machines, stated to her that she didn't take her responsibilities seriously.
"I've got no doubt you'd do it all over again given the chance. You're as stubborn as any defendant this court has met," Barrett declared while announcing her sentence. "You're no hero. You misused your position and you're a fraud."
The jury found Peters guilty in August for enabling a man to misuse a security card to access the Mesa County election system and for being deceptive about his identity.
This man was associated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a prominent propagator of disproven claims that voting machines were manipulated to steal the election from Former President Donald Trump.
During trial, prosecutors argued that Peters, a Republican, sought attention and became "obsessed" with voting issues following her involvement with those questioning the election results' accuracy.
Once seen as a hero by election deniers, Peters remained unrepentant about her actions.
Before her sentencing, Peters claimed that everything she did in an attempt to expose supposed fraud was for the greater good.
"I've never intentionally broken the law or acted with malice. I've just wanted to serve the people of Mesa County," she told the court.
Peters' continued assertions, unsupported by any legal authority, about "wireless devices" and software altering ballot images in voting machines, drew the judge's frustration, who mentioned that recounts revealed no discrepancies.
"I've let you go on long enough about this," Barrett stated. "The votes are the votes."
Later, the judge pointed out Peters' ongoing appearances on broadcasts to sympathetic audiences for her personal gain.
"It's just more lies. No reasonable person believes them. No, ultimately, you cared about the private jets, the podcasts, and people flying with you," Barrett said.
Peters had the right to remain defiant, the judge acknowledged, but it was "certainly not beneficial to her situation today."
The breach initiated by Peters raised concerns about rogue election workers, supportive of partisan lies, potentially exploiting their access and knowledge to undermine voting processes from within.
Peters was charged with three counts of influencing public servants, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and failing to comply with the secretary of state.
However, she was acquitted of identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and one count of criminal impersonation.
Following her conviction, Peters accused Colorado-based Dominion Voting Systems, the makers of her county's election system, along with state election officials' lawyers of stealing votes in a post she made on X.
"I will keep fighting until the truth, which wasn't allowed to be presented during this trial, is revealed. This is a sad day for our nation and the world, but we will win in the end," she stated.
Colorado's Attorney General Phil Weiser characterized Peters' conviction as a warning that tampering with voting processes will hold significant consequences.
In light of the trial, Peters' political stance earned her support from those who questioned the election results' accuracy, positioning her as a hero among election deniers. However, her continuous assertions about voting machine manipulation, lacking any legal backing, only fueled the judge's frustration and were deemed misleading by the court.
