Aug. 13 (UPI) — Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was discovered responsible Monday night by a jury in connection to an election safety breach at her workplace in 2021, the Colorado legal professional normal mentioned.
Peters, 68, was convicted Monday on seven of 10 counts she was charged with in connection to the breach of her workplace that noticed an unauthorized particular person make copies of voting machine laborious drives that included categorized info that had been then leaked on-line by conspiracy theorists who falsely mentioned it proved Donald Trump’s Huge Lie that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
The jury discovered her responsible of three counts of making an attempt to affect a public official and one rely every of conspiracy to commit legal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of obligation and failure to adjust to secretary of state necessities, Colorado Lawyer Common Phil Weiser mentioned in an announcement. She was acquitted on one rely every of conspiracy to commit legal impersonation, legal impersonation and id theft.
Weiser mentioned the U.S. public locations a “sacred belief” in its election officers to conduct protected, sincere and truthful elections — a belief that Peters violated.
“Immediately, she was held accountable for her legal acts, which put the protection of our elections — and the liberty and security of others — in danger,” Weiser mentioned.
The jury deliberated for roughly fours earlier than Judicial District Choose Matthew Barrett learn the decision at about 5:15 p.m. Monday, The Colorado Solar reported.
Prosecutors had accused Peters of stealing the identification of a county worker, Gerald Wooden, that she allowed a second particular person, Conan Hayes, to make use of to realize entry to the voting machines and duplicate their laborious drives throughout and after a scheduled replace on Could 25, 2021.
“The defendant was a fox guarding the henhouse,” prosecutor Janet Drake mentioned throughout closing arguments, CNN reported. “It was her job to guard the election tools and he or she turned on it and used her energy for her personal benefit.”
Peters is to be sentenced Oct. 3 when she faces upwards of greater than 20 years behind bars.
“Tina Peters willfully compromised her personal election tools making an attempt to show Trump’s Huge Lie,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold mentioned in an announcement Monday.
“Immediately’s verdict sends a transparent message: we won’t tolerate any effort to threaten the safety of our gold normal elections.”