Tina Peters, convicted in a Colorado state court before Judge Matthew Barrett of identity theft and election data theft, walked free this week after Governor Jared Polis commuted her nine-year sentence. She’d served less than 18 months.
Peters was the former Mesa County election clerk who used a local resident’s identity to enter county election facilities, where she stole 2020 election data and shared it with Trump allies. She hoped it would prove Trump won Colorado. It didn’t.
At sentencing, Barrett called Peters a “charlatan” who deserved longer: “I’m convinced you’d do it all over again.” Election and cybersecurity experts called it a serious breach of election data. Mesa County officials said it cost millions to remediate while Peters ran a losing bid for Colorado secretary of state in 2022.
The commutation breaks Polis’ stated standard. He’d publicly committed to clemency only if Peters showed genuine remorse. Her neighbors and community members testified at sentencing she was largely unrepentant. A KUSA review of dozens of Polis pardons and commutations confirmed he’d never previously freed a prisoner without open remorse. Polis told KUSA that Peters expressed regret.
Trump pressured state officials to free Peters for months, even attempting a federal pardon. Because she was convicted of state crimes, only a gubernatorial commutation could reduce her sentence.
Polis’ office hadn’t responded to press inquiries at publication time.
James Okafor