Republican election official convicted in connection with 2020 election

A 12-person jury in Colorado has found Republican election official Tina Peters guilty of seven criminal counts, including attempting to influence a public official.

This case is directly associated with the conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections promoted by Mike Lindell concerning Dominion Voting Systems.

Ex-county clerk found guilty of election interference https://t.co/3jbt1fOjsl

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 13, 2024

According to a statement from Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State Tina Peters deliberately compromised her own election materials in order to support Trump’s false claims. Griswold added that the jury’s verdict was unequivocal: no effort to compromise the security of our elections will be tolerated.

After a nearly two-week trial, Peters was found guilty of three misdemeanors, including attempting to influence a public official and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. The offenses include gross official misconduct, refusal to obey an order of the Secretary of State and dereliction of duty. However, she was acquitted of the charges of criminal impersonation and conspiracy to impersonate.

It is important to note that Tina Peters pleaded not guilty after her indictment in March 2022. She is accused of facilitating unauthorized access to voting system files and passwords, which were subsequently leaked online, seriously jeopardizing the security of election systems.

During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Peters had used an employee’s security badge to facilitate access to a person linked to Mike Lindell. With this action she had allowed someone, posing as an employee, to manipulate a Dominion Voting Systems hard drive.

Prosecutors claim that Peters was aware of the seriousness of her actions and had adopted discreet measures, such as turning off surveillance cameras and using disposable cell phones. She also communicated via Signal, an encrypted messaging app, and had expressed fears of imprisonment when she learned of the investigation.