June 1 (UPI) — Tina Peters is set to be released from a Colorado state prison on Monday after being imprisoned for almost two years for scheming to tamper with the 2020 election results.
President Donald Trump had called on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to release Peters, 70, who he has called a “political prisoner” and “hostage.” On Monday afternoon, Peters is scheduled to walk free.
Peters was sentenced to prison in 2024 for allowing an election denier who was not a Colorado election officer to access the Mesa County Elections Division office and attempt to copy the hard drive of the county’s voting system. The scheme was to be carried out to show that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Trump.
Polis, a Democrat, has been censured by his party for ordering Peters’ release.
“I am writing to inform you that I am granting your application for commutation,” Polis wrote in a letter to Peters.
Peters will be released on parole to Grand Junction, Colo. She served as an election official in Grand Junction and owns a home there.
Grand Junction has a population of 72,000 people.
The terms of Peters’ parole have not been made public.
Mesa County officials, including leaders of the local Republican Party, have voiced criticism of Peters and her release. Peters’ legal fees related to the election scheme cost the county more than $1 million.
“I hate that this is what my town is known for,” said Dan Rubinstein, the Mesa County district attorney who prosecuted Peters.