Ex-Colorado county clerk found guilty of 7 counts in election tampering case

A jury on Monday found a former Colorado county clerk guilty on seven of the 10 counts she was charged with in connection with a security breach of her county's election computer system after the 2020 election.

Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was convicted of first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, failure to comply with requirements of the secretary of state, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and three counts of attempting to influence a public servant.

She was acquitted of the charges of identity theft, criminal impersonation and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation.

The judge will sentence Peters after a pre-sentencing investigation is complete. Four of her convictions are felonies.

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Peters, who was indicted in March 2022, was accused of copying hard drive images of election software in 2021, which ended up online and being discussed by Peters and others at conspiracy theorist and pillow salesman Mike Lindell's South Dakota symposium.

She allegedly used someone else's security badge to give an expert affiliated with the MyPillow chief executive access to the system. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Peters deceived government employees so she could work with Lindell to become famous.

Prosecutors say she became "fixated" on voting problems after becoming involved with those questioning the accuracy of the 2020 presidential election results.

The defense argued that Peters had not committed any crimes and only wanted to preserve election records after the county would not let her have its technology experts present for a software update.

She was convicted last year of a misdemeanor obstruction charge for refusing to turn over an iPad she allegedly used to videotape a court hearing.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold released the following statement after the verdict came down:

"Tina Peters willfully compromised her own election equipment trying to prove Trump’s Big Lie. She has been found guilty by a jury of her peers and will now face the consequences of her actions. Today’s verdict sends a clear message: we will not tolerate any effort to threaten the security of our gold standard elections. I am proud that justice for Colorado voters has been served today.

"As Secretary of State, I will enforce Colorado law to ensure that every eligible voter has access to safe and secure elections. I acted quickly to address the Peters election equipment breach, and then I led the first law in the nation on these types of insider threats. We will have a great general election in 2024."

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Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser's statement on the verdict:

"The freedom to vote is sacred in America. Many fought for—and even died for—establishing voting as a fundamental constitutional right. And it’s a right we continue to protect today. That’s because our democratic republic rests on the promise that every vote matters, every vote is counted, and the will of the people shall govern. We place a sacred trust in our elections officials to conduct safe, honest, and fair elections—ensuring that every vote is counted.

Tina Peters violated that trust with her fellow Coloradans. A Mesa County jury found her guilty on three counts attempt to influence a public official, and one count each conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and failure to comply with secretary of state requirements. Today, she was held accountable for her criminal acts, which put the safety of our elections—and the freedom and safety of others—at risk.

I want to thank the prosecutors from my team who worked side-by-side with Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein to bring justice in this case. They have worked for several years under difficult circumstances—including abhorrent threats. I am grateful for their commitment to the rule of law and sense of duty.

Today’s verdict is a warning to others that they will face serious consequences if they attempt to illegally tamper with our voting processes or election systems. I want to be clear—our elections are safe and fair. In fact, Colorado’s election system is the gold standard of the nation. And make no mistake: my office will continue to protect it.”

Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein's statement on the verdict:

"A jury of 12 of Ms. Peters' peers from Mesa County, Colorado, that she selected, convicted her of seven crimes, including four felony counts. This community has suffered greatly from the dishonesty, lack of transparency and refusal of Ms. Peters to take accountability.

Our system of government is based upon checks and balances, and no single elected official, or even branch of government, is above the law or should be allowed to act without those checks and balances.

Many thanks to Attorney General Phil Weiser for lending some of the finest prosecutors and investigators to us and his staff for being willing to be sworn in under my authority as District Attorney for the Twenty-First Judicial District. They, along with the talented members of my office, assured a successful prosecution."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published by Robert Garrison on Scripps News Denver .