A federal magistrate judge has rejected a bid by a former Colorado county clerk to be released from prison while she appeals her conviction of tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election.
Tina Peters, 70, was convicted in October 2024 of facilitating unauthorized access to Mesa County’s voting systems, seeking to uncover evidence of alleged election fraud. This breach led to sensitive election data being leaked online. She was later sentenced to nine years in prison at La Vista Correctional Facility.
Peters filed a federal lawsuit asking to be released on bond while her appeal is considered. She argued that the state judge violated her First Amendment rights by considering her election-related statements at sentencing. The state countered that her bond request had been fully litigated in Colorado courts.
But on Monday, Judge Scott T. Varholak ruled that Peters’ challenge “must be dismissed without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,” noting that her claims remain before Colorado’s appellate courts.
At her 2024 sentencing, Judge Matthew Barrett described Peters as a “charlatan” who endangered the community by “spreading lies about voting.”
Peters’ state appeal remains pending, and the federal court emphasized that any constitutional issues must first be resolved there.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
