Pro-Trump lawyer charged in voting machine probe wanted to keep access to machines secret

A Trump-aligned Michigan lawyer facing criminal charges for allegedly plotting to seize voting machines in the wake of the 2020 election didn't want anyone to know that she gained access to the equipment, according to text messages she sent.

Michigan lawyer Stefanie Lambert Junttila, who faces charges related to unauthorized possession of voting tabulators, wrote to Doug Logan — the former CEO of the now-shuttered cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas — in a March 14, 2021, text message, "We have access to new machines here."

"Keep that a secret," she wrote in a subsequent text message. Logan allegedly tampered with tabulators accessed by Lambert and other allies of former President Donald Trump in Michigan, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office, which carried out an investigation along with the Michigan State Police, into reports of third-party access to voting machines in the state.

The text messages were obtained through a public records lawsuit filed by The Arizona Republic in 2021. A judge in January 2022 fined Logan's company $50,000 a day for failing to turn over all Arizona election audit-related records. Logan was hired by the Arizona Senate to oversee a so-called forensic audit in Maricopa County that ultimately found that President Joe Biden won the county.

Messages exchanged between Lambert and Logan offer a window into what appears to be a coordinated plan to carry out an election review in Michigan that prompted even those involved to tread carefully. In one message, Logan questioned how he should describe his access to equipment in Michigan out of an apparent concern about potential issues arising from handling it.

Asked to comment on the messages, Lambert provided a statement she said was from her attorney Michael Smith denying that his client violated any laws. "Unfortunately, she is unable to answer your questions because she is bound by attorney client privilege," the statement reads. Neither Logan nor his attorney immediately responded to voice messages from the Free Press seeking comment.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel investigated allegations of unauthorized third-party access to voting machines and accused Lambert, former Michigan GOP attorney general candidate Matt DePerno and former state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, of orchestrating a plot to access voting machines. Nessel's Office also accused Logan and others of breaking into the machines.

Nessel sought the appointment of a special prosecutor to consider bringing criminal charges in the matter because she was campaigning against DePerno at the time. Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson was appointed to the role and announced last week that a grand jury brought criminal charges against DePerno, Lambert and Rendon.

The trio of Trump allies were arraigned in Oakland County Circuit Court and released on personal bonds.

Voting machine probe: Pro-Trump attorney Stefanie Lambert Junttila charged

Logan will not face criminal charges in the matter, according to a news release from Hilson's Office. Those asked to analyze voting machines were "deceived" by some of those charged "and made to falsely believe on multiple occasions that their possession and tampering of the tabulators was lawful," the release states.

In text messages exchanged between Lambert and Logan, the two discussed plans for carrying out some kind of investigation, referring at one point to a "mi forensic group," an apparent reference to some type of election review.

"It appears they want an investigation w integrity," Lambert wrote to Logan on March 12, 2021. She does not name the individuals who apparently sought a review. "That's good :-)" Logan replied. "Yes," Lambert wrote. "And we will find you if needed," she added. Logan responded, "I told them I had to speak with Matt Deperno first."

Two days later, she told Logan about gaining access to "new machines" and directed him to keep the information secret. Logan responded with a note stating that "Cyfir can do that work," an apparent reference to a contractor for Logan's Cyber Ninjas.

Cyfir founder Ben Cotton joined Logan in breaking into tabulators during tests performed on the machines in Oakland County, according to the request from Nessel's Office for a special prosecutor in the voting machine investigation.

An exchange several days later indicates that Lambert and Logan met in Barry County at some point. A voting machine from the county was turned over to a third party, according to the petition from Nessel's Office.

"LOL, what are you still doing awake :-D," Lambert wrote to Logan on March 19, 2021. In a text message Logan sent Lambert later, he wrote, "I don't sleep LOL. I thought we went over that in Barry county. I have a country to save LOL."

In a different series of exchanges that same day the two made plans to grab takeout dinner in Detroit, and Lambert said restaurants were limited in the city due to COVID-19. "Very little to love about Detroit," Lambert said at the beginning of the exchange. "Just a few awesome attorneys."

About a month later, Lambert told Logan, "I just got a full investigation in a Michigan county." "I'll need to speak with you regarding the audit," she added in the April 27, 2021, text exchange.

Several weeks later, Logan later appeared to express concerns about how to characterize his role examining voting equipment and sought Lambert's input.

"Its my opinion that the equipment in Michigan was put under your care, and even if I used it that doesn't put under 'my control,'" Logan wrote to Lambert on May 14, 2021. "However, is that accurate / right way to approach and view this, or should I be more careful with my wording?"

An Oakland County judge last month ruled that the Michigan election law banning undue possession of voting machines bars possession not authorized by the Secretary of State or a by a court order.

Lambert, through her attorney, argued in an April court filing indicated that local election officials and law enforcement could authorize third parties to carry out their own election probes and analyze voting machines. But her attorney later walked back that assertion in a subsequent filing and hearing.

Arizona Republic investigative reporter Robert Anglen contributed to this report.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pro-Trump lawyer's texts shed light on voting machine probe