AUSTIN — American Phoenix Foundation, the shadowy group of guerrilla operatives that secretly filmed Texas lawmakers in 2015, was ordered Monday to turn over copies of its financial records after months of fighting an Austin lobbyist in court.

"The statute requires them to maintain detailed records of all transactions, money coming in, money going out. So they'll have to supply all that," lobbyist Steve Bresnen told The Dallas Morning News. When asked when he expects to get copies, he said, "That depends on whoever's got them."

The group's leader, Joseph Basel, responded that he would fight Judge Suzanne Covington's order, while confirming that his group was officially shuttered.

"APF is closed," he told The News in an email. "This has always been about harassment as promised by Steve [Bresnen] during his various freakouts last session. We are not going to let him harass our donors in the same way. So we will appeal turning over certain records that are clearly not his to have."

Joseph Basel (Facebook)

Bresnen, who represents clients like the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and AT&T, sued the foundation after it launched a campaign to secretly film lawmakers in the hopes of catching them in shady deals. The group claimed it amassed over 800 hours of footage in 2015, but only a few clips have been released since then.

Bresnen went after the group's financial records after several top donors said they gave money without knowing the group would be secretly filming legislators. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, American Phoenix Foundation does not have to disclose its donors but is barred from using any money to support or oppose a candidate or political cause.

While the group caused significant heartburn among Texas lawmakers in 2015, legislators haven't expressed worry that the group would be back this year. There have been no rumblings that it was going to reappear during the session, which kicks off Tuesday, especially after it failed to release large amounts of footage.

Basel has a long history of covert operations aimed at elected officials and lobbyists. He and conservative activist James O'Keefe were arrested in 2010 for attempting to enter U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's offices in New Orleans under false pretenses, and O'Keefe and Basel's wife, Hannah Giles, are famous in conservative circles for posing as a pimp and prostitute in undercover videos targeting the ACORN community organizing group.

These handout photos provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows, from left, James O'Keefe, Joseph Basel, Robert Flanagan and Stan Dai, the four men accused of trying to tamper with Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu's office phones. (AP Photo/US Marshals Service)

Since the 2015 legislative session, Basel has taken over operation of a farm near Coupland, Texas, about a 30-minute drive from the state Capitol.