The lawsuit tied to Camp Freedom founder Bill Bachenberg ended in June 2025, when the Pennsylvania businessman agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a federal suit brought by cybersecurity firm XRVision. The firm said Bachenberg refused to pay for a forensic audit of Pennsylvania voting machines after the analysis found no evidence of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.1The Morning Call. Lehigh Valley Businessman and Trump Elector to Pay $500,000 to Settle Voting Machine Audit Lawsuit Camp Freedom, the veterans’ nonprofit Bachenberg co-founded, was not itself a party to the case.
Who Sued and What They Alleged
XRVision, an AI and video analytics company, and its president Yaacov Apelbaum filed suit on July 18, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The defendants were Bachenberg, Michigan attorney Stefanie Lambert, and Lambert’s law firm.2Citizens’ Voice. Founder of Camp Freedom in Carbondale Area Named in $10M Lawsuit Over 2020 Election Fraud Investigation XRVision said the defendants owed $550,000 in unpaid fees for work investigating claims of 2020 election fraud in Antrim County, Michigan, and Fulton County, Pennsylvania.3LehighValleyLive.com. Lehigh Valley Business Owner Sued Over Probe Into Unfounded 2020 Election Fraud
The complaint contained ten counts. Breach of contract claims ran against both Bachenberg and Lambert; libel, slander, and malice claims were directed at Lambert.4Armchair Lehigh Valley. Prominent Lehigh Valley Republican According to the complaint, after the firm’s report found no fraud, the defendants pressured XRVision to instead report the presence of “cheat codes” in voting software or evidence of remote hacking. When the firm refused, the defendants allegedly launched a defamation campaign calling Apelbaum and his company incompetent and labeling them federal operatives.5WFMZ. Man From Lehigh Valley Named in Lawsuit Over Election Fraud Investigation XRVision said the smear cost it a planned contract with the Pennsylvania Senate for forensic election analysis. It sought $5 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.3LehighValleyLive.com. Lehigh Valley Business Owner Sued Over Probe Into Unfounded 2020 Election Fraud
The Voting Machine Audit at the Center of the Case
The dispute grew out of a forensic analysis of Dominion Voting Systems machines in Fulton County, Pennsylvania. Under the lawsuit’s account, Bachenberg engaged XRVision in March 2022 for a $200,000 audit, and the project was later expanded, adding $350,000 to the scope. XRVision said it would not have signed the contract without Bachenberg’s commitment to fund it, and that he personally reiterated that commitment during status updates.1The Morning Call. Lehigh Valley Businessman and Trump Elector to Pay $500,000 to Settle Voting Machine Audit Lawsuit
On June 4, 2022, XRVision told the defendants its analysis found no evidence the voting systems had been hacked or pre-configured to favor any candidate. The final report, delivered around June 22, 2022, reached the same conclusion. The lawsuit said the defendants then terminated the project and demanded a refund.6LehighValleyLive.com. Local Trump Backer Agrees to Pay $500K to Settle Voting Machine Audit Suit The Fulton County audit itself had been requested by state Sen. Doug Mastriano and other Pennsylvania lawmakers as part of broader efforts to scrutinize the 2020 results.
How the Case Ended
On June 18, 2025, a motion was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan to dismiss the case against Bachenberg with prejudice, confirming his agreement to pay $500,000. The payment was satisfied as of June 11, 2025.7Detroit News. NRA Leader Bachenberg Agreed to Pay to Settle Suit Tied to 2020 Michigan Election The settlement did not address the underlying allegations.1The Morning Call. Lehigh Valley Businessman and Trump Elector to Pay $500,000 to Settle Voting Machine Audit Lawsuit
Lambert remains a co-defendant. She is separately facing felony charges in Michigan for allegedly tampering with voting machines.1The Morning Call. Lehigh Valley Businessman and Trump Elector to Pay $500,000 to Settle Voting Machine Audit Lawsuit
Bachenberg’s Broader Election-Challenge Funding
The XRVision case was one piece of a wider pattern. A Philadelphia Inquirer investigation reported that Bachenberg provided a $1 million line of credit to Lambert’s law firm to fund election fraud investigations and lawsuits in multiple states, and that he was copied on emails about payment disputes involving voting machine analyses in Arizona. In May 2021, according to the Inquirer, Bachenberg emailed associates asking for financial contributions to help “save our country” and investigate election fraud, noting he had ways to keep donors anonymous.8The Philadelphia Inquirer. Bill Bachenberg Pennsylvania 2020 Election Donald Trump
Bachenberg also chaired Pennsylvania’s slate of alternate electors that submitted a certificate to Congress declaring Donald Trump the state’s 2020 winner, despite Joe Biden’s certified victory. He and Bethlehem attorney Tom Carroll both signed the December 14, 2020, document as “alternate” electors.1The Morning Call. Lehigh Valley Businessman and Trump Elector to Pay $500,000 to Settle Voting Machine Audit Lawsuit Pennsylvania’s certificate, unlike some other states’, included a conditional clause stating the votes should only be counted if a court determined they were the legitimate electors. Then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in early 2022 that this language meant the conduct did not meet the legal standards for forgery; his successor, Michelle Henry, maintained that position as of mid-2023.9Spotlight PA. Pennsylvania Trump Fake Electors Jan. 6 Committee Charges Explainer No criminal charges have been filed against any of Pennsylvania’s alternate electors.10The Philadelphia Inquirer. Trump Indictment Pennsylvania Fake Electors
The U.S. House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection subpoenaed Bachenberg on January 28, 2022, identifying him as “Chairperson, Pennsylvania” of the alternate elector effort.11LehighValleyLive.com. Lehigh Valley Business Owner Subpoenaed in Jan. 6 Probe Mike Ryan, a former employee of Bachenberg’s nonprofit, later told special counsel Jack Smith’s office that Bachenberg had direct contact with Trump and top allies, specifically naming Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman. Bachenberg has not been charged in any federal or state indictments related to election interference.8The Philadelphia Inquirer. Bill Bachenberg Pennsylvania 2020 Election Donald Trump
Camp Freedom’s Role
Camp Freedom itself was not named as a plaintiff, defendant, or contracting party in the XRVision suit. The nonprofit’s connection to the case is through its co-founder. Bill and Laura Bachenberg founded Camp Freedom on an 1,800-acre property near Carbondale in Lackawanna and Wayne counties, Pennsylvania, and it provides free year-round outdoor experiences for disabled veterans, first responders, their families, Gold Star families, and Gold Shield families.12Camp Freedom PA. Camp Freedom Activities include guided hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, and shooting sports.13The Morning Call. Camp Freedom Founded by Lehigh Valley Couple Promotes Healing Through the Outdoors for Veterans, First Responders The one direct link between the camp and the litigation reported in the file is the whistleblower account: Mike Ryan, who spoke to Jack Smith’s office, was a former employee of the Bachenberg nonprofit.8The Philadelphia Inquirer. Bill Bachenberg Pennsylvania 2020 Election Donald Trump