SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office tells 9 Investigates it has turned over an investigation to state regulators, to find out whether a man tricked investors into giving him thousands of dollars for an app that doesn’t work.
The man behind the app is someone 9 Investigates first reported on 6 years ago, and he used the names of prominent local attorneys to push the business.
The Consult App promised to allow consumers to communicate with an attorney through a messaging service. The creator, David Rupley, admitted the app is not working, but blames his former business partners and developers for changing the codes in order to steal the idea for themselves.
“I think first, it caught us off guard,” Morgan and Morgan attorney Damien Prosser said. “We see people who try to capitalize on our name in various ways, but this is the first time we’ve seen somebody try to do it with an app.”
Morgan and Morgan sent a cease and desist letter to the app’s creators, and Todd Miner told 9 Investigates he plans to do the same. The concern: Consumers will think the app, which promises to put you “face to face” with a local attorney at no cost, is actually associated with these attorneys, even though it’s not.
“You quickly look at it, and our fear is that people will think we’re promoting or endorsing the software they’re trying to sell,” Prosser said.
Todd Miner went on to say he has seen an increase in what he refers to as “imposter websites” that bid on his name on Google and then sell the leads to unscrupulous attorneys. He said the best way to reach him is to contact his firm directly.
We reached the app’s creator, David Rupley, by phone. He admitted Consult currently has no clients, and said that the use of those well-known attorneys was to advertise a separate platform in which he could create custom apps for individual law firms.
We first told you about the convicted fraudster back in 2015, years after he spent time in prison for organized fraud and theft charges. At that time, employees of an advertising company called ‘RenterPerks’ came forward one by one claiming they were never paid.
However, he said Consult App was a legitimate business, ruined by former business partners he’s accusing of stealing the codes to create their own copycat platform.
In a letter to investors, Rupley stated, in part, “Consult decided in October to delay and halt Company operations until further notice.” Rupley went on to claim that Consult was “sabotaged by trusted key company employees.”
Rupley claims to have proof that intellectual property and assets were utilized, stolen, and damaged purposely. He provided copies of cease and desist letters he claims to have sent to the former employees, and says he is in the process of filing criminal complaints.
Cox Media Group
