Tina Peters, the former clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday for her involvement in a breach of her county’s voting system, amid her promotion of unfounded conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 presidential election, according to CNBC News.
Peters was taken into custody immediately after judge Matthew Barrett dismissed her lawyer’s plea for her to remain free.“I’m convinced you would do it all over again if you could,” Barrett said. “You’re as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen.”
The court had previously heard how Peters, who had requested probation, was convicted in August on seven criminal counts, including attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, violation of duty, and failure to comply with secretary of state requirements.
Prosecutors had sought a maximum sentence of 20 years, accusing Peters of using another individual’s security badge to facilitate unauthorised access to her county’s election system. The individual who gained access was affiliated with Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow and a prominent advocate for the discredited claim that Trump lost due to ballot fraud.
Throughout the proceedings, Peters falsely alleged that Dominion Voting Systems, which managed Mesa County’s election infrastructure, was complicit in a scheme against Trump.