Embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters Indicted On Felony Counts

MESA COUNTY, CO — Tina Peters, the embattled Mesa County clerk and recorder accused of giving an unauthorized person access to the county's voting systems, has been indicted on 11 charges, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Peters is charged with felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to attempt to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and identity theft, prosecutors said. She is also charged with misdemeanor counts of official misconduct, violation of duty, and failing to comply with the secretary of state.

Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley was also indicted on charges including felony attempts to influence a public servant and conspiring to attempt to influence a public servant, as well as misdemeanor charges of violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.

A warrant for Knisley’s arrest was issued, The Colorado Sun reported.

District Attorney Dan Rubenstein and Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement that the grand jury was randomly selected from the same pool of citizens that elected Peters and was chosen months before the incidents happened.

"This investigation is ongoing, and other defendants may be charged as we learn more information," Rubenstein and Weiser said.

Peters, a Republican, was accused of letting Gerald Wood attend a Dominion Voting Systems software update in May 2021. Sensitive information including photos of confidential passwords for the county's voting systems were then posted online after the update.

She has spread baseless claims about fraud during the 2020 presidential election and appeared at a "cyber symposium" held by election denier Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow. She was barred from overseeing the 2021 coordinated election in Mesa County and rejected a deal with the secretary of state's office that would have allowed her to be involved in the 2022 elections with strict conditions.

Last month, the far-right county clerk said she was also running to become the state's top elections official.