Tina Peters, Former Colorado Clerk, Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Election Security Breach
GRAND JUNCTION, CO, March 14, 2025 – A Colorado district court judge has sentenced former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters to nine years in state prison, concluding a high-profile case involving a security breach of election equipment in 2021. The sentence was delivered on Thursday, following a jury trial in which Peters was convicted of four felony counts, including attempting to influence a public servant and official misconduct. Peters, who was found to have allowed an unauthorized individual to access and copy voting system software, argued her actions were aimed at uncovering election fraud, but the court ruled they compromised election security protocols. The prosecution presented evidence that Peters facilitated the theft of a hard drive from the county’s election system, which later appeared in online forums. Judge Matthew Barrett cited a lack of remorse and a pattern of deception as factors in the nine-year term, which exceeds the prosecution’s request of five years. Peters has indicated she will appeal the verdict.