By Jack Queen
(Reuters) - A former Colorado county clerk convicted of illegally tampering with voting machines was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday after repeating Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election at her court hearing.
Tina Peters was convicted at trial of seven counts of engaging in a security breach for opening Mesa County, Colorado’s election computers to Trump allies searching for evidence of fraud.
Judge Matthew Barrett sharply rebuked Tina Peters for her lack of remorse, calling her a "charlatan" who abused her position and betrayed her oath of office.
“You are no hero,” Barrett said. “You abused your position and you’re a charlatan who used, and is still using, your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that's been proven to be junk time and time again."
The sentencing was held just weeks before the Nov. 5 presidential election between former president Trump, a Republican, and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump continues to falsely claim his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden was tainted by widespread fraud.
Peters, a Republican well known for supporting Trump’s claims, was indicted in March 2022 following an election security breach at her office that led to voting equipment passwords being posted on a right-wing blog.
Peters denied wrongdoing and remained defiant during her sentencing hearing in Denver, saying her actions were only intended to “serve the people of Mesa County.”
She then launched into a lengthy presentation on election conspiracy theories, at one point prompting Barrett to interrupt her.
Barrett rejected Peters' request for probation, saying she needed to be punished for her "well-documented" lies and "serious" crimes.
“Prison is.... where we send people who are a danger to all of us, whether by the pen or the sword or the word of mouth,” Barrett said.