Cyber Ninjas says it's 'shutting down' after Arizona judge fines it $50,000 a day in audit records fight


Cyber Ninjas, the Florida firm hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to conduct a partisan review of Maricopa County's 2020 ballots, said Thursday evening that it is not longer in business. "Cyber Ninjas is shutting down," company representative Rod Thompson told NBC News. "All employees have been let go," including CEO Doug Logan.
But an Arizona judge who had just fined it $50,000 a day for noncompliance with an August order to turn over audit-related records to The Arizona Republic, wasn't having it.
"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," Maricopa Superior Court Judge Hannah told Cyber Ninjas lawyer Jack Wilenchik. He questioned the company's insolvency, citing millions in donations, and suggested it needn't cost much to comply with the records request. Hannah said the fines would start to accrue Friday, and may be applied to individuals in the company.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Wilenchik has asked to quit as the Cyber Ninjas lawyer because he hasn't been paid, but Hannah refused to approve until new local attorneys are in place to represent the firm," The Associated Press reports.
The Republic had requested $1,000 a day in sanctions, but Hannah called that "grossly insufficient" to compel Cyber Ninja's compliance. "It is lucidly clear on this record that Cyber Ninjas has disregarded that order," he said in his ruling.
State Senate President Karen Fann (R) hired Cyber Ninjas to conduct what she called a "forensic audit" of Maricopa's ballots, part of a broader effort by allies of former President Donald Trump to find evidence for his claim the election was stolen. Cyber Ninja, which had no election review experience, eventually found that Trump lost the county, and Arizona, to President Biden by more votes than originally counted.
Cyber Ninja's final report also found several problems with how the election was conducted. On Wednesday, Maricopa County released its own report rebutting almost all the claims in Cyber Ninja's report. The county's three-month investigation did find that 87 of the 53,304 ballots flagged as questionable in the Senate review were either mistakenly double-counted or potentially cast illegally. In a four-hour hearing on Wednesday, county election officials ran through Cyber Ninja's errors and misleading and accurate claims, attributing them to poor analysis or fundamental misunderstandings of how elections are run.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Easy Money: the Charles Ponzi Story – an 'enlightening' podcast
The Week Recommends Apple Original podcast explores the 'fascinating' tale of the man who gave the investment scam its name
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotels
The Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
Scientists want to regrow human limbs. Salamanders could lead the way.
Under the radar Humans may already have the genetic mechanism necessary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests