Pro-Trump lawyer Stefanie Lambert turns herself in at Oakland Co. courthouse

Pontiac — Stefanie Lambert, a Michigan lawyer who championed dubious claims of election fraud nationally, turned herself in Thursday morning in a bid to resolve a bench warrant that an Oakland County judge issued two weeks earlier.

With her own attorney Dan Hartman by her side, Lambert appeared before Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Jeffery Matis three days after she was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, D.C. That arrest occurred because of the bench warrant Matis authorized on March 7, after Lambert failed to show up for a court hearing.

Lambert is facing four felony charges in Michigan for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to obtain and improperly access voting machines that were used in the 2020 presidential election.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Heide Herrmann released Lambert from custody in Washington, D.C., and told her to turn herself in to Michigan officials as soon as possible, which Lambert did Thursday morning.

Back in Oakland County, Matis ordered Lambert to be fingerprinted — something she's resisted doing for months — and to submit a DNA sample.

"I believe the court's order for fingerprints and DNA is to be complied with," Matis said. "It needs to be complied with. This case needs to move forward."

The hearing Lambert missed on March 7 was supposed to focus on why Lambert hadn't been fingerprinted despite orders that it happen.

"The reality is my client had lived and worked at the same house," Hartman said Thursday. "She's never been a fugitive of justice."

Hartman has previously argued that there were "communication issues," involving Lambert and her former lawyer Michael J. Smith that caused her to not show up on March 7. Smith withdrew as Lambert's lawyer soon after the bench warrant was issued.

On Thursday, Lambert was handcuffed and processed by Oakland County Sheriff's deputies. She returned to Matis' courtroom at about 1:15 p.m. and the hearing resumed. However, this time she was shackled at her wrists and ankles and wearing a maroon jail inmate jumpsuit instead of a black dress and red suit jacket she wore when the hearing began.

The judge set a $10,000 personal bond for Lambert, which her attorney said she would post the same day. Matis also ordered that Lambert appear for future hearings in person or remotely via Zoom.

Matis also denied a request by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat to require Lambert to arrive for future hearings at least three hours early and banning her from leaving the state.

However, Matis informed the attorneys that his ruling earlier in the day that the fingerprints and DNA not be shared with federal authorities was contrary to state law and that they would have to be forwarded to the FBI for its criminal database.

Hartman argued Lambert was accused of a misdemeanor charge for failing to appear in court, not a felony, and opposed her custodial arrest. He told the judge that his client agreed to submit to fingerprinting and DNA collection with the understanding those two things were the extent of the process.

Matis responded by arguing that neither he nor the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office dictate the policies of the Oakland County Jail for fingerprinting and DNA collection. Prosecutors from Muskegon County are handling the election machine tampering case against Lambert and two other defendants, Kalamazoo attorney Matthew DePerno and former state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City.

Lambert told her attorney and the judge that she was strip-searched by deputies during processing. She also claimed that a deputy made a mocking remark to her about her court case.

Her attorney asked the judge for an order requiring the Oakland County Sheriff's Office preserve any and all body camera footage of deputies involved in her processing. The judge granted the request.

After the hearing ended a little after 2 p.m. on Thursday, Hartman arranged for someone to post Lambert's bond.

Hartman spoke briefly Thursday afternoon to reporters outside of the county jail about the day's events. He reiterated his arguments before the judge.

"At the end of the day, you can say someone's civil rights were violated," he said. "It was a bad day for justice today."

Lambert has gained prominence among supporters of former President Donald Trump for her efforts to challenge election results and spearhead election-related litigation in battleground states. In Michigan, she worked on a high-profile and unsuccessful case that attempted to get the courts to reverse Democrat Joe Biden's victory.

She's also representing Patrick Byrne, former chief executive officer of Overstock.com, in a defamation suit brought against Byrne by Dominion Voting Systems. She was arrested in Washington, D.C., immediately after she appeared on behalf of Byrne for a hearing in federal court.

In a recorded statement that was released on social media Wednesday night, Lambert said she had been catching up on work after her arrest in Washington, D.C.

Details of the situation will "come out in time," she said.

"Every single time there's a weaponization tactic used, it actually kinda reveals what is really going on," Lambert said in the recorded statement.

cmauger@detroitnews.com