Former Colorado clerk Tina Peters, who was the first local election official to be charged with a security breach after the 2020 election amidst conspiracy theories, was found guilty on most charges by a jury. She allowed an expert affiliated with My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell access to the Mesa County election system using someone else’s security badge and deceived officials about the expert’s identity. Prosecutors claimed Peters sought fame by becoming involved with those questioning the election results.
Peters was convicted of various charges related to attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, official misconduct, violation of duty, and failing to comply with the secretary of state. She was found not guilty of identity theft and other conspiracy charges. The defense argued that Peters was trying to preserve election records and did not commit any crimes.
The verdict came after prosecutors argued that Peters allowed an imposter to take images of the election system’s hard drive before and after a software upgrade, with the intention of appearing at Lindell’s symposium. The defense claimed that Peters had to access the voting system to ensure its security and had not committed identity theft.
The case raised concerns about insider threats in elections, where rogue election workers could potentially launch attacks from within. The guilty verdict was seen as a warning to others not to tamper with election systems. Peters is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3rd.
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