A local election official who became a hero to election deniers was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for leading a voting system data breach inspired by rampant false claims that fraud changed the 2020 presidential outcome.

Tina Peters allowed a man connected to pillow salesman and election liar dealer Mike Lindell to misuse a security card to gain access to Mesa County’s election system.

Jurors found Peters guilty in August. to convict her of seven charges related to misconduct, conspiracy and impersonation, four of which were felonies.

Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced her on Thursday. Peters had argued for probation. In handing down his sentence, Barrett said it was clear Peters had shown no remorse for her actions.

“I’m convinced you would do it all over again if you could,” Barrett said, according to Colorado Public Radio. “You are as challenging a defendant as this court has seen.”

During the trial, prosecutors said Peters, a Republican, sought fame and became “fixated” on voting issues after becoming involved with those who had questioned the accuracy of the presidential election results.

Peters was charged with allowing access to county voting equipment by an outside individual who obtained security credentials under a different name. Materials and passwords were then published online on Telegram and on the right-wing channel Gateway Pundit, which is also being sued for defamation over election-related lies.

Peters’ actions came as conspiracies surrounding the vote tabulation machines grew, especially those operated by Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion has fought against the lies spread about its machines and secured a large settlement from Fox over its false claims on the subject.

That anti-machine sentiment is still at play on the right in the 2024 election — with some pushing for manual counting of all ballots instead of machine tabulation.

Peters is an example of the kind of insider threat to elections that officials fear: People who work in elections themselves can upend systems from within. Pro-democracy groups praised the conviction Thursday, saying it should make it clear to those trying to undermine the election that there will be consequences.

“It’s good that she’s being held accountable,” said Nick Penniman, CEO and founder of Issue One, a cross-party democracy group. “Today’s sentencing should send a message to other would-be saboteurs that tampering with America’s elections is not a game, and that law enforcement is watching.”

Peters’ actions in Mesa County came with both financial and reputational costs. County officials say they are now being linked to this breach and to election denial. A county commissioner estimated the financial impact on county taxpayers at $1.4 million, Colorado Public Radio reported, including for Peters’ salary and recounts.

The county clerk position was the first Peters held, starting in 2018. She ran unsuccessfully for the state’s top elective job, secretary of state, in 2022.