Woman gets 17 months for lies, bribery

EVERETT — Pepper Prigger made one last ditch effort Wednesday to stay out of the slammer.

Over the years Prigger, 33, has been the subject of numerous criminal investigations, including allegations of prostitution and blackmail. She has avoided a criminal record, until now.

A Snohomish County jury earlier this month convicted Prigger of three counts of perjury and one count of bribing a witness.

Prigger was accused of lying to police about being assaulted by her young son’s father, a Washington State Patrol trooper.

She paid a woman $100 to lie to police. The woman agreed to say that she witnessed the trooper attacking Prigger last year outside a convenience store in Arlington while the two exchanged custody of their son.

Prigger and the man are engaged in a contentious court battle for custody of their nearly 3-year-old son.

Prigger’s story fell apart when Arlington detectives pressed the witness and she confessed to taking money and a ride home in exchange for writing a false police report. Prigger was arrested in May.

Prigger tried to convince a judge on Wednesday that she couldn’t communicate with her attorney and needed a new one. She asked to delay her sentencing for a couple of weeks.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Michael Downes denied the request. Prigger had already attempted to delay the trial when she said she might hire a new lawyer. Besides, her attorney Marybeth Dingledy, with the Snohomish County Public Defender’s Association, did a remarkable job representing her, Downes said.

Downes sentenced Prigger to a year and five months in prison, the top of the standard range.

Her attorney requested that Prigger be given a first-time offender waiver. That could have meant a three-month jail sentence, two years of community custody and counseling. Prigger didn’t have any previous criminal convictions. Her father believed she would benefit from mental health counseling, Dingledy told Downes.

The judge denied the request.

“She has not owned up to anything,” Downes said.

Prigger took extreme efforts to further her false allegations against the father of her child, the judge said. She manufactured evidence and recruited and convinced a woman to perjure herself. She could have cost the trooper his job.

“It is hard to imagine a worse situation than what Ms. Prigger did,” Downes said. “The actions of Ms. Prigger are honestly despicable.”

Prigger has made headlines before in Seattle and Chicago for involvement in scandals involving police, prostitution and money laundering. None of that history was raised during this case.

Her victim, the state trooper, told Downes he’d been placed on administrative leave for about a month while Prigger’s allegations were investigated and revealed to be false. The lies took a toll on his family, he said.

He said it wasn’t the first time her allegations caused him trouble at work. Prigger is getting better at making a false allegations against him, he said, and he doesn’t believe the accusations will stop.

“She does not believe the laws apply to her,” the man said.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Firefighters respond to a 911 call on July 16, 2024, in Mill Creek. Firefighters from South County Fire, Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Camano Island Fire and Rescue left Wednesday to help fight the LA fires. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Help is on the way: Snohomish County firefighters en route to LA fires

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused at least 180,000 evacuations. The crews expect to arrive Friday.

x
Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence

The 18-year-old victim remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River. Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves water, sewer rate increases

The 43% rise in combined water and sewer rates will pay for large infrastructure projects.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The Everett Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council approves $111 million construction of sewer project

The Port Gardner Storage Facility, in the works for more than a decade, will help prevent overflows of the city sewer system.

Two students walk along a path through campus Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. A group of nearly 20 community groups are planning to study how to make it easier for young people to find jobs. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Goal for Everett coalition: Make it easier for young people to find jobs

The organizations hope the months-long process will improve access to resources for young people.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.