GOP-Backed Firm That Oversaw Questionable Arizona Election Audit Shuts Down After Judge Orders $50K-Per-Day Fine

Cyber Ninjas, the GOP-linked firm that led the 2020 Arizona election “audit,” has reportedly closed down.

Company spokesman Rod Thomson confirmed the news to the Associated Press on Friday, saying Cyber Ninjas has let go of all its employees. The news comes just two days after a judge blasted the firm for failing to turn over public records related to the presidential audit in Maricopa County. Judge John Hannah ordered Cyber Ninjas to pay $50,000 for every day it refused to provide the necessary documents, which were requested by the Arizona Republic newspaper in 2020.

Jack Wilenchik, the attorney representing the company, told Hannah that Cyber Ninjas is insolvent and that its CEO—“Stop the Steal” proponent Doug Logan—could not afford to go through all the requested documents.

“The court is not going to accept the assertion that Cyber Ninjas is an empty shell and that no one is responsible for seeing that it complies,” explained Hannah, who argued there was no evidence to suggest the firm was, in fact, insolvent. 

The judge went on to point out Cyber Ninjas had received millions of dollars in donations to carry out the election review. The “audit” was heavily pushed by former president Donald Trump, who attempted to overturn Joe Biden’s victory by spewing baseless claims of election fraud. After the audit results confirmed Biden’s narrow win in Arizona, state GOP officials concluded POTUS won a “free, fair and accurate election” in Maricopa County.

On Wednesday, Maricopa County election officials released a report slamming Cyber Ninjas’ audit practices. The officials claim the firm’s ballot review contained about 80 false or misleading claims about its findings.

As of Friday afternoon, Cyber Ninja’s website was still operating with no indication of a shutdown.