Current:Home > InvestJurors deliberating in case of Colorado clerk Tina Peters in election computer system breach-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Jurors deliberating in case of Colorado clerk Tina Peters in election computer system breach
View Date:2024-12-23 18:27:35
DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday urged jurors to convict former Colorado clerk Tina Peters in a security breach of her county’s election computer system, saying she deceived government employees so she could work with outsiders affiliated with MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell, one of the nation’s most prominent election conspiracy theorists, to become famous.
In closing arguments at Tina Peters’ trial, prosecutor Janet Drake argued that the former clerk allowed a man posing as a county employee to take images of the election system’s hard drive before and after a software upgrade in May 2021.
Drake said Peters observed the update so she could become the “hero” and appear at Lindell’s symposium on the 2020 presidential election a few months later. Lindell is a prominent promoter of false claims that voting machines were manipulated to steal the election from Donald Trump.
“The defendant was a fox guarding the henhouse. It was her job to protect the election equipment, and she turned on it and used her power for her own advantage,” said Drake, a lawyer from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.
Drake has been working for the district attorney in Mesa County, a largely Republican county near the Utah border, to prosecute the case.
Before jurors began deliberations, the defense told them that Peters had not committed any crimes and only wanted to preserve election records after the county would not allow her to have one of its technology experts present at the software update.
Defense lawyer John Case said Peters had to preserve records to access the voting system to find out things like whether anyone from “China or Canada” had accessed the machine while ballots were being counted.
“And thank God she did. Otherwise we really wouldn’t know what happened,” he said.
Peters allowed a former surfer affiliated with Lindell, Conan Hayes, to observe the software update and make copies of the hard drive using the security badge of a local man, Gerald Wood, who Peters said worked for her. But while prosecutors say Peters committed identity theft by taking Wood’s security badge and giving it to Hayes to conceal his identity, the defense says Wood was in on the scheme so Peters did not commit a crime by doing that.
Wood denied that when he testified during the trial.
Political activist Sherronna Bishop, who helped introduce Peters to people working with Lindell, testified that Wood knew his identity would be used based on a Signal chat between her, Wood and Peters. No agreement was spelled out in the chat.
The day after the first image of the hard drive was taken, Bishop testified that she posted a voice recording in the chat. The content of that recording was not included in screenshots of the chat introduced by the defense. The person identified as Wood responded to that unknown message by saying “I was glad to help out. I do hope the effort proved fruitful,” according to the screenshots.
Prosecutor Robert Shapiro told jurors that Bishop was not credible.
Peters is charged with three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, one count of identity theft, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.
Peters’ case was the first instance amid the 2020 conspiracy theories in which a local election official was charged with a suspected security breach of voting systems. It heightened concerns nationally for the potential of insider threats, in which rogue election workers sympathetic to lies about the 2020 election might use their access to election equipment and the knowledge gained through the breaches to launch an attack from within.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Man accused of killing American tourist in Budapest, putting her body in suitcase: Police
- NFL MVP rankings: Does Steelers QB Russell Wilson deserve any consideration?
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- Joey Graziadei Details Why Kelsey Anderson Took a Break From Social Media
- New Mexico secretary of state says she’s experiencing harassment after the election
- NFL power rankings Week 11: Steelers, Eagles enjoying stealthy rises
- Barbora Krejcikova calls out 'unprofessional' remarks about her appearance
- Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
Ranking
- Asian sesame salad sold in Wegmans supermarkets recalled over egg allergy warning
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- 13 Skincare Gifts Under $50 That Are Actually Worth It
- FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo dies at 22 after injuries from October crash
- Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
- Women’s baseball players could soon have a league of their own again
- Tom Brady Shares How He's Preparing for Son Jack to Be a Stud
- Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
Recommendation
-
Louisiana mom arrested for making false kidnapping report after 'disagreement' with son
-
Charles Hanover: A Summary of the UK Stock Market in 2023
-
Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
-
When is 'The Golden Bachelorette' finale? Date, time, where to watch Joan Vassos' big decision
-
Kristin Cavallari's Ex Mark Estes Jokingly Proposed to This Love Island USA Star
-
Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
-
Kentucky gets early signature win at Champions Classic against Duke | Opinion
-
Why Suits' Gabriel Macht Needed Time Away From Harvey Specter After Finale