So much for living fast.
The founders of Skully, a futuristic “Google Glass of motorcycle helmets” that raised $2.4 million on Indiegogo, are being accused of squandering their crowdfunding on items like Lamborghinis and strip clubs.
In a lawsuit filed on July 27, former employee Isabelle Faithhauer accuses founders Dr. Marcus Weller and Mitchell Weller of using company finances in a “fraudulent manner.”
“The Wellers intermingled personal funds with corporate funds and used the corporation as a tool to pay their personal expenses,” notes the complaint, which features a laundry list of business expense no-nos: rent for a personal apartment, grocery bills, GoPros, undocumented payouts to former employees, a Dodge Viper for personal use, a weeklong vacation in Hawaii, and $2,000 at the strip club “De Ja Vu.”
Back in 2014, we enthusiastically profiled the AR-1 helmet. “As attractive as any full-face brain bucket,” we wrote. “Under the hood it sports an in-visor HUD with on-board GPS information, a wide-angle rearview camera feed and hands-free Bluetooth.” Apparently, less than 100 were produced.
Faithhauer is suing for wrongful termination, defamation and failure to pay wages, among other things. So far the founders have not responded to the lawsuit or allegations (a PR representative for Skully did not respond to our requests for comment).
Although the Wellers had been forced out of the company, Skully announced on August 5 that they had ceased operations and announced they would not be able to ship the helmets or process refunds.
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