On August 12, 2024, a jury found Peters guilty of three counts of attempting to influence a public official, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, official misconduct, violation of duty, and failure to comply with the requirements of the Secretary of State. She was sentenced to serve nine years in prison. On March 8, 2022, a grand jury in Mesa County indicted Peters on 10 felony and misdemeanor charges, including criminal impersonation, official misconduct, and violation of duty, as part of an investigation into an election tampering investigation. Peters pleaded not guilty to all charges on Sept. 7, 2022. In August 2021, digital images and passwords associated with the Mesa County's election equipment were shared online in an unauthorized data breach. An investigation determined the breach came from Peters, the Mesa County Clerk, and her deputy clerk, Belinda Knisley, who, according to the indictment, "devised and executed a deceptive scheme which was designed to influence public servants, breach security protocols, exceed permissible access to voting equipment, and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people." As part of these efforts, Peters and Knisley used the name and identity of Gerald Wood without his knowledge or permission. Read the full indictment here. As a result of the investigation, Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) asked a judge to prohibit Peters from overseeing Mesa County's 2021 municipal elections, which was approved. In January 2022, Griswold also requested that a judge prohibit Peters from overseeing the county's 2022 elections, which Mesa County District Court Judge Valerie Robison approved on May 10, 2022. In a statement released on March 12, 2022, Peters, who announced her candidacy for Colorado Secretary of State the previous month, said, "I am innocent and a jury of my Mesa County peers will agree I was protecting them," adding: “ The voters of Colorado need to know that I stand here continuing to serve Mesa County and I will continue on with my principled campaign to remove Democrat Jena Griswold from the secretary of state’s office. Colorado deserves better. It’s unacceptable for Democrats in power and republicans who are willing to do their political bidding, to mock, threaten and indict clerks and staffers for doing their sworn duty to call out suspicious elections tampering. ” —Tina Peters