Matthew Tyrmand sat on the Project Veritas board when it removed founder James O’Keefe as chairman in February 2023. The board cited financial malfeasance. O’Keefe’s allies accused Tyrmand of orchestrating the ouster. The New York Young Republicans suspended Tyrmand from their advisory board over his role. He resigned from Project Veritas months later.
The two men have been in litigation ever since. In a November 2024 deposition tied to that civil case, fellow board member George Skakel testified under oath that Petrogen — a pharmaceutical company both he and Tyrmand invested in while serving on the PV board — “could be sold to a big pharma, like Pfizer.” Project Veritas was actively investigating Pfizer at the time.
On February 10, 2026, O’Keefe published hidden camera footage of Tyrmand recorded at a Miami Beach restaurant. In the video, according to O’Keefe, Tyrmand admitted to serving as an FBI and Southern District of New York informant providing information about O’Keefe and conservative organizations. O’Keefe said Tyrmand stated on camera, “I would kill him, because he is one of the most evil people I’ve ever known.” O’Keefe also said Tyrmand shot rifle bullets through his image on the cover of his book “Breakthrough.” O’Keefe filed a restraining order against Tyrmand in Palm Beach County.
Tyrmand did not respond publicly to the footage. Six weeks later, on March 26, he obtained a temporary stalking injunction against O’Keefe in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Case No. 2026-005543-FC-04. His petition — which would detail what he alleged to get a judge to sign the order — has not been made public.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s detective arrived at O’Keefe Media Group’s West Palm Beach headquarters on March 30 to serve the papers. O’Keefe was not present. The deputy returned the next day and served O’Keefe on camera during a livestream.
O’Keefe appeared before Circuit Judge Marie Elizabeth Mato on April 1. The court extended the TRO on its own motion until May 11 and ordered O’Keefe to complete a sworn firearms disclosure form. The form cites 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(8) and §924(a)(2). Failure to surrender firearms carries up to ten years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The court’s own documents raise questions about how the case fits the statutes being applied. Every page labels the order “(STALKING)” — filed under Florida Statute Chapter 784, not the domestic violence statute §741.30. Domestic violence injunctions require the parties to be family or household members. O’Keefe and Tyrmand were colleagues on a nonprofit board. The federal firearm provision, §922(g)(8), applies to orders involving an “intimate partner.” The court assigned the case to the Domestic Violence Division anyway.
O’Keefe said he is filing an emergency interlocutory appeal, citing Near v. Minnesota and NYT v. United States. He is also filing an anti-SLAPP motion seeking attorney’s fees. He called the order a “heckler’s veto” — arguing the TRO is based on third-party reactions to his reporting, not the reporting itself.
The final hearing is May 11 at 9:30 AM before Judge Mato at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center in Miami. Both sides must present witnesses and evidence. If Tyrmand does not appear, the case may be dismissed. If O’Keefe does not appear, a permanent injunction may be entered against him.
The May 11 hearing will answer whether a stalking injunction between two former board colleagues can survive constitutional scrutiny — and whether the federal firearm statute applies to men who never shared a household. Until then, the court order stands, and O’Keefe faces a choice between surrendering his firearms and risking federal prosecution.
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