Shark Tank Scammers? Kevin O'Leary & Kevin Harrington Sued For Fraud In Alleged 'Structured Scam'!

Several business owners are claiming to be victims of a debilitating shark attack — and not the kind that happens in the ocean!

According to reports, Shark Tank stars Kevin O’Leary and Kevin Harrington have been sued for fraud by 20 plaintiffs from across the country.

In a complaint filed Wednesday, the entrepreneurs claim they “were lured by the involvement, endorsement, and credibility” of the ABC stars to hire the services of one of two companies purported to be in the crowdfunding business — InventureX or Ideazon — to help launch their product or business.

The complaint claims these companies “turned out to be nothing less than facades designed to lure in unsuspecting victims, extract their money and then virtually disappear under the guise of delays, minimal to no performance, and no results.”

Per the complaint, the plaintiffs spent “months, if not years” trying to get their products/businesses launched but saw no results. To this day, they’ve yet to get their money back; and while the companies appear to be two separate entities to the public, the complaint alleges they “are actually intertwined and connected internally, constituting practical mirror images of each other,” forming what the docs described as a “structured fraud scam.”

The plaintiffs allege that O’Leary endorsed both of these companies despite a “lack of due diligence, basic investigation, or minimal inquiry to determine how real or legitimate” they were. Harrington, for his part, is allegedly a “partner and primary executive” of InventureX and “knowingly made personalized videos” that were sent to the plaintiffs “in order to lure [them] to sign up and and/or continue paying fees,” the complaint states.

The complaint claims the two companies allegedly “took hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the plaintiffs “while delivering little to nothing on the services they represented would be provided.” While Harrington has yet to comment on the suit, Mr. Wonderful issued a statement via his lawyer claiming he’s “never heard of” InventureX or Ideazon. The statement read:

“It appears that someone has been using my name and likeness without my knowledge, permission, or consent. I’ve never heard of any of these purported companies and have never conducted business with any of the plaintiffs who filed this suit. Obviously, I want to get to the bottom of it too, as my rights have been violated. We will make sure that the bad actors are held accountable.”

The plaintiffs are suing for fraud, negligence, breach of written contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They are seeking pay for damages, economic loss, emotional distress, and legal fees.

Thoughts?

[Image via KGUN9/Judy Eddy/WENN]