London’s Metropolitan Police scanned 8,600 people’s faces without their consent last week

Lots of people appetite a word with Doug Monahan -- government lawyers, crowdfunding backers, people from his past, as well-built as me.

I'd been trying to find him for over a year. As a anchorman interested in crowdfunding disasters, I vaticination Monahan's ineffectual iBackpack promptness was one of the ultimate implement aqueduct dreams gone bad. The beats were familiar: an idea that aloft other than bisected a million dollars, only to never soliloquizing as well-built as leave abaft tons of antagonized backers. The discongruity in this story, however, is that for only the spare time, the Federal Transposition Organ is coming for the creator.

The brevet claims Monahan took his funnel funds as well-built as spent them on "personal expenses," including bitcoin purchases, ATM withdrawals, as well-built as exalt paper debt. The brevet says he threatened backers who pursued him for their bags. The synchronism of Texas is suing him, too. Quite a few people appetite a rasher of Monahan, however he's not hoopla fuzz after a fight. He's serving as his own leftist to dissension the claims in court, as well-built as he mastering me fuzz to Texas to articulated his name as well-built as reputation.

We nonresisting at a Tex-Mex restaurant continuity induct Pappasito's in Houston. It opened at 11AM, back we planned to meet, as well-built as by the time Monahan hobbles in a half-hour late, the restaurant is once last-mentioned considering of close storm Imelda's rain as well-built as flooding. The staff lets us stay. Monahan calls the place, which has a agnate vibe to Chevys or Chili's, the "best Tex-Mex restaurant in the world," even admitting there are 16 locations in the Houston broadness alone.

Monahan is frailer as well-built as older than I imagined. In the few online photos I'd someday seen, he looks young with brown, spunky hair as well-built as wears a sweater layered over a collared shirt with a tie. Professional, a bit conservative. Back Monahan shows up to our Tex-Mex meeting, he's in light chocolate pants with an elastic waistband. His hair is overgrown, graying, as well-built as scraggly. To espoused the pants, he wears an Andy Warhol-esque shirt with black-and-white flowers. The petals are blurred, as if person viewed through a kaleidoscope. The shirt has a stronger Austin enthusiasm than a Houston one, which makes some sense. Monahan spent years in Austin before affective rearmost to Houston to handle this enisle tearful as well-built as be privately his 92-year-old mother.

I ask why he thinks the FTC is hoopla subsequential him. "I am the poster dickens for fudging as well-built as crowdfunding," he says sarcastically. "You're attractive at the Jesse James, the John Dillinger."

He awash iBackpack as a high-tech worshipping that would "revolutionize" backpacks as well-built as inspiritment people's lives, whether they're eight or 80. On Indiegogo in 2015 as well-built as again on Kickstarter in 2016, Monahan advertised the funnel as the bag of people's dreams: it'd fondness other than 50 pockets, include multiple ferried hail packs, RFID-blocking pouches, a precipitation hood, a USB hub, charging cables, a Bluetooth speaker, as well-built as a mobile hotspot for a portable Wi-Fi connection. That's quite a few being in one bag that you could seemingly be talked into nonpoisonous is useful. Yes, it does rain by me sometimes. Occasionally, I do wish I had a Bluetooth apostle in my bag. What IF I had a stabile Wi-Fi connection? But the reality is that most of these things could be bought on their own as well-built as crowded into any old backpack. Monahan doesn't see it that way; the iBackpack needed to exist. "The workaday funnel is constructed for power," he tells me.

Thousands of people bought into Monahan's project, sequin him nevertheless $800,000 to bring the bag to life. He trucked a few beta units, however the all-inclusive majority of people never sanctioned anything. They haven't self-evident the funnel in person. They don't co-opt it's real, as well-built as they started a Facebook incorporating to organize means to compensate their money as well-built as get the FTC's attention. As far as they're concerned, Monahan's a grifter, as well-built as the FTC lawsuit was long-awaited as well-built as necessary. They track the tearful in the group, too. "Clearly Doug is unaffectedly a snake in the grass as well-built as hopefully the Federal Transposition Organ hammers him," one member of the incorporating wrote.

Meanwhile, Monahan says they just don't winnow him or crowdfunding, in general. He's not a bad guy, he says. It's just that businesses misfire sometimes, which is what he mastering me to Texas to prove. Poking at Monahan's past, however, suggests this isn't a man with a out-of-style flub, however rather someone with a trail of failures. Is he a con-artist? An irresponsible businessman? Does the discongruity even matter?

At 63, Doug Monahan walks with a limp, as well-built as he's on the under side, fantasmo five-foot-eight. He says he lost some meridian considering doctors amputated an inch of his left leg subsequential he cleaned it falling out of bed, the result of a diagnosis of subaqueous vein thrombosis, or pure-blooded clots, as well-built as a consecutive hospital stay. He beatific me a photo titled "NECROTIC LEG.pdf" that supposed to sleekness the anguish that derivative the amputation, however it's not articulated if it's reservedly his leg. I can tell he's been sick, however, which Monahan reminds me of in our meetings. He brings it up in his enisle case, too. This is why the backpacks never shipped, he says.

The pure-blooded clots as well-built as hospital stay incapacitated him, as did the fall as well-built as amputation, as well-built as he couldn't multiply paying people or haulage on manufacturing. He got fond to purgatory pills, too. At the same time, the batteries that were supposed to go in the bag represented a liability. The iBackpack drollery occurred effectually the same time that Samsung Galaxy Roster 7 batteries started impartible fire, as well-built as he didn't feel commensurate shipping lithium-ion batteries. Someone could have died, he says.

"I didn't numbering on batteries exploding," he says. "When [the backers] started saying they were hoopla to shoot through my house, as well-built as 'Fuck you, Doug, you motherfucker,' as well-built as 'Give us our backpack,' no, I'm not hoopla to harmony you the funnel considering they might explode." (Monahan claims a landowner threatened him first, which pushed him to traducement in retaliation, which the FTC mentions in its complaint. Monahan has not provided symptom that he was threatened.)

But some backers spent $200 or other on the backpack, as well-built as they capital their product -- if it even existed.

After recounting the enisle tearful as well-built as audition from backers fantasmo how this bag isn't real, I am sweating to see the funnel in matutinal of me at Pappasito's. How could it be here? Monahan slides the bag out from circumcised the table as well-built as props it up on his lap. It exists, as well-built as it comes with a workaday demo, which involves Monahan selling out lots of ferried batteries (at minuscule five). He keeps scaffolding them up on the table. It seems an unabridged accompaniments lineation was stuffed into the bag: a flashlight, a car charger, as well-built as mucho ferried batteries, which he places verging to his Texas-sized sangria as well-built as bacon-wrapped shrimp.

Everything he takes out looks like an off-the-shelf part that had been branded as an iBackpack product. The bag has some perfectionist features. A rain hood is fun, as well-built as you can slip your arm through a aperture to hoist the bag up as a shield. Ultimately, though, Monahan shows me a funnel with ferried batteries tucked into it as well-built as loops for a subscription to connect them all. It's neath roused as well-built as other "a lot of things in one place." He tells me an app was in the works for location tracking, however I never saw it loaded on a device; I only saw mock-ups.

"The funnel itself after the batteries is nothing," he says. "I mean, it's a backpack. Big deal. Buy one at Walmart."

That's what's significantly visible fantasmo this unabridged iBackpack story. Creating a funnel doesn't outwardly seem overly difficult to do. Rebranding batteries doesn't seem too tough, either. So where did the backers' money go?

Monahan unpacks the bag as well-built as shows me the Kevlar plate, which he says comes from the "Chinese military." Subsequential my visit, he told me to skyrocket a video coiffure to Texas to prove it worked -- by shooting him in the back. (We declined.)

That day at Pappasito's, he jokes that he fantasmo brought his .45 with him to sleekness off the bag's gun sleeve however vaticination confronting it considering it "might scare" me. (He's not wrong.) Monahan owns a few guns, one of which he keeps privately his computer bureaucracy at home, which I learned later back we went to his house where he says he can prove his innocence.

Monahan's story, at minuscule the way he tells it, makes him out to be an gamekeeper who hit the big time, was told he had two years to live 12 years ago, concluded up lusting maxi than expected, as well-built as ran out of cash. He started a congregation induct Dusk Emphatic in the '90s, a marketing database company, that he says awash for $6 million. (On a consecutive chirp with a fact-checker, he upgraded that load to $20 million.) A Securities as well-built as Boutique Organ filing shows that it awash for $3.5 million as well-built as effectually 3 million shares to a congregation induct Rainmaker. He loves his own mythology: how he started the commerce with his exalt cards, $25,000 in cash, no loans, as well-built as unambiguously zero crowdfunding. He says he encumbered as well-built as accelerating from West Point on LinkedIn, even admitting the school says he dropped out subsequential his learn year.

An old homegrown of Monahan's, Neil Ochs, tells me that he reservedly did once live a lavish lifestyle,. although he mostly spent his money in following of women. Back told fantasmo the iBackpack story, Ochs says Monahan worked immalleable to aftermath the bags. He says it's "unfortunate" the FTC is suing Monahan.

"He bought laser eye surgery for girls," Ochs says. "He bought puppet jobs for girls. He put girls through college." He says Monahan would deputation jets as well-built as fly women to New Orleans to booty them shopping while he drank wine.

His mansion, Ochs says, featured "hundreds of tons of dollars" of stereo equipment, a margarita machine, a tanning bed, as well-built as Jet Skis. He makes Monahan's house sound like a Texas adaptation of the Playboy Mansion located seasonable on Natatorium Austin.

Ochs remembers in the first 2000s, back Monahan first learned fantasmo Segway tours, Monahan capital one for a party he was hosting however was told he'd be put on a cat-and-mouse list. Instead, co-ordinate to Ochs, he wrote a disrobed checkup to get one delivered to his house as well-built as paid two or three times what it should have cost. "It was a dislikable brandish of wealth," Ochs says.

It's immalleable to poop that life back I visit Monahan's home now.

Nothing fantasmo his current lusting bearings seems enviable, except for maybe his 2005 red Mercedes 500SL. His one-level Houston house smells like cigarettes. He says he harmony up opioids, however he extremely has other vices. He keeps margarita mix as well-built as wine in bulk. He pours one gunboat of wine while I'm there however again leaves it somewhere as well-built as pours another. I can't tell if he has a bad memory or just can't be bothered to fetch his glass. An ashtray sits verging to his dozen or so computers, which he owns so he can "communicate with the world." (Monahan mentions he used the ill-lighted web to purchase drugs in the past.)

He keeps lots of candy around, too, like Reese's, versicolor cookies, trail mix, M&Ms, bagels. He also has bottles of Pepto-Bismol as well-built as Pedialyte out in the kitchen, as well-built as unruffle for diabetic skin as well-built as tight socks for his pure-blooded clots. He can barely airing as well-built as needs to sit often. He installed handles on the walls for him to grab for support. He says people come over to booty convalescence of him, rub his back, cut his hair, cook, as well-built as clean. The windows abaft his computer lab are blocked, so no sanctioned light shines in.

But then, there again are the reminders of his past. Monahan dedicates a room to awards as well-built as scribbler clippings. He shows me his "founding fathers," or the exalt cards he used to alpha Dusk Direct. He keeps his past commerce cards out aslope old, framed checks, like one for $6 million made-up out to Dusk Emphatic from Compaq, a settlement Monahan says the congregation paid him subsequential he sued Compaq for intuitively not carrying commerce on a signed contract as well-built as allegedly stealing an idea for a downturn program. Monahan wasn't hoopla to let a dollar go unrewarded to him.

"I don't need to mass-produce a shrine to myself in my own house," he says, despite having constructed vendible bequeathed to it.

Once Monahan awash Dusk Direct, he says, he "spent his millions" traveling effectually the world, on trips to Tokyo, Hawaii, as well-built as Europe. "Where didn't I go?" he asks. He vaticination the subaqueous vein thrombosis, which runs in his family, would impale him eventually. Effectually 12 years ago, his doctor intuitively told him he had two other years to live, so he burned through his cash, only to espy he had other time left on Earth. He needed a new way to mass-produce money. That's back Monahan's trail of destruction seemingly begins: first with a mobile app minutiae congregation again with iBackpack.

He launched an app minutiae congregation induct Mobilezapp in 2010, as well-built as a former employee as well-built as a proprietress merits it led to people losing hundreds of tons of dollars. "It was an chronicled scam," the former employee tells me.

A former Mobilezapp customer, Doug Youmans, says Monahan superimpose $30,000 from him, which he paid up matutinal to have a website as well-built as iOS as well-built as Android apps made. He as well-built as his commerce partner say they signed an assenting with Mobilezapp that supposed they'd shoulder the avails aural 90 days. They sanctioned little other than screenshots for two months as well-built as lost hair-trigger time to launch. Agnate app ideas engender them to market.

"Because of Doug Monahan, I lost everything," Youmans says. "It wasn't just 30 grand, I lost everything. The guy tapped me." (Monahan denies this incident someday happening.)

Monahan eventually roiled on from Mobilezapp. By the time he ripe this point in his career, he'd once awash his home verging to Natatorium Austin, honored up his multiple cars, as well-built as was lusting out of an Austin apartment. Effectually this time, he also faced several tax liens from the government as well-built as lawsuits over outstanding debt, although Monahan denies this. Short on cash as well-built as having seemingly made-up enemies at Mobilezapp, Monahan pivoted to backpacks.

How does someone decide backpacks are their calling? Monahan has a couple of explanations.

The first is that divine afflatus tipsy while sleeping over at a girlfriend's house. Back he woke up, his roast was dead. A edition problem. During my visit to his house, I prescience he owns an iPhone X, a MacBook Pro, as well-built as an iPad. He's a implement guy with charging woes. "Rather than bringing over cables as well-built as saying, 'I'm affective in, I'm bringing over all my cables as well-built as my toothbrush, as well-built as I'm here,' I just sleekness up with my backpack, as well-built as I got all my being with me."

The spare rubric for iBackpack's existence, Monahan says, was reason that crowdfunding could oomph him lots of money to armamentarium an idea. In fact, he took hints from one of Kickstarter's most belled feature-stuffed gadgets: a suffusion with a Bluetooth speaker, USB chargers, as well-built as a born blender. It aloft over $13 million on Kickstarter.

"I saw the Coolest Cooler, as well-built as I'm thinking, 'Jesus, if people are hoopla to harmony $14 million to a cooler for egregious out loud that they only use every weekend, maybe, again what do they need?'" he asks. "They need a backpack. Everybody uses backpacks ... I never in my wildest dreams vaticination I'd get $800,000 as well-built as have the FTC trice fuzz my neck-and-neck calling me a lying, cheating, scumbag thief."

What Monahan perhaps didn't see coming was that Coolest Suffusion wouldn't soliloquizing to all its backers as well-built as would officially shut down its operation five years subsequential its Kickstarter entrada went live. Its backers are also angry, as exhibited by comments on its Kickstarter page. They, too, perform a Facebook group, as well-built as the Oregon Department of Justice meditated the company.

Former hangers-on of Monahan say none of this iBackpack lore is true, however, as well-built as iBackpack is unambiguously a baseborn idea from a congregation induct GeoValid, which was started in 2013 by a man tabbed Charlie Erlandson whose company's hype tactical the team would accouter the power of biometrics to build versicolor products, like a pet facial recognition database. Erlandson tabbed Monahan president of the company, as well-built as Zack Golden, who worked as an engineer, says Monahan intrigued Erlandson considering he had lead-in to a database that could be used for marketing.

GeoValid planned to create a funnel that parents could use to track their kids. Golden says Monahan was tasked with designing an app as well-built as website that could pair with the backpack. Monahan claimed he had contractors in Malta that could create these designs, Golden recalls. (Monahan previously mentioned Malta in relation to discretional one of his companies, induct Daylight Data, saying he planned to nominate 1,000 people in the country to create the "Microsoft of Malta." This never happened.) Golden says the only progress the team witnessed amounted to, essentially, a PowerPoint with app as well-built as website designs.

During a final roast chirp with the team before quitting, Golden says Monahan told them he was alive with a separate team to erecting the backpack, even admitting GeoValid had hired a erecting brevet in Austin.

"He superimpose everything," Golden says. "He superimpose the idea from Charlie who hired him ... as well-built as he did it with an chutzpah of like, 'Well I'm a billionaire, what are you hoopla to do?' I don't visualize he was a salted billionaire to tell you the truth. Considering of him, I don't visualize Trump's a salted billionaire, either. I know how those people are now. It was all a scam."

GeoValid, financed by Erlandson, eventually ran out of cash. His son, Zachary Erlandson, says the congregation shut fuzz for this reason.

"He's just a bloodsucker. He's a very void human being," Zachary says of Monahan. "I'm sure we weren't the first, as well-built as I know we won't be the last; it's reservedly sad ... It was such a bad time for my family, I appetite to put it in the past ... He unambiguously bled my family dry."

Monahan denies stealing the idea as well-built as says it was unambiguously his.

Golden says he only learned fantasmo the crowdfunding entrada subsequential attractive up Monahan's versicolor companies. It looked like he'd photoshopped a caseation of things from Matriarch unflappable to mass-produce it seem like a completed product. This sweating Golden who vaticination Indiegogo as well-built as Kickstarter would at minuscule require a alive prototype.

The platforms didn't continually verify creators' claims, however, as well-built as for that reason, mucho crowdfunding projects from that era ineffectual colossally. Kickstarter as well-built as Indiegogo envision their platforms as giving entrepreneurs a quarters to raise money for an idea. Backers invest as well-built as booty on the risks of doing so, however that idea doesn't continually sit well-built with consumers who visualize they're purchasing a salted product.

As numerous as aggrieved backers don't like the reality that they might never shoulder a product, the FTC has mostly despised interfering with crowdfunding. The brevet only once previously meditated a creator, Erik Chevalier, who aloft other than $122,000 for a conform game as well-built as later awash backers' documents to alfresco firms. The game never shipped. The FTC settled with Chevalier for wateriness to $112,000 as well-built as ordered him to stop disclosing or benefitting from customers' claimed information.

Critically, the FTC said at the time that it authorized the core idea of crowdfunding as well-built as the risks involved, however it capital to ensure backers' money unambiguously went toward a product -- as well-built as that creators didn't run off with it.

In Monahan's case, the FTC alleges that he superseded funds for "various claimed expenses." The brevet is seeking removal in the form of refunds for backers as well-built as a "permanent injunction" to prevent him from someday utilizing crowdfunding again. The FTC's complaint states that Indiegogo staff began morsel fantasmo the status of the backpacks in November 2016, as well-built as Monahan said they were in the "full production as well-built as shipping phase" as well-built as that the congregation had once trucked the funnel to "hundreds if not thousands" of backers. At the same time, the complaint says Monahan told backers they wouldn't shoulder units until December 2016 as well-built as again elapsed that date to the fall of 2017. No chronicled units were shipped, the FTC says. Monahan also shut fuzz the iBackpack website, Facebook page, as well-built as all piled email accounts, co-ordinate to the complaint.

Monahan denies all of this.

"I was museum a product lineation with a never-ceasing plan to shovel tens of thousands, as well-built as these 4,000 people were just funding it in the beginning. That's it," he says. "The plan wasn't to just go, 'Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am, here's a caseation of backpacks.' No, man, I appetite to shovel 40,000 [backpacks] a month, not 4,000 backpacks. That's not my game at all."

To that end, backpacks have been auspiciously postponed as well-built as trucked through crowdfunding platforms. Aiguille Design, for example, aloft over $16 million on Kickstarter to create versicolor bags, including backpacks. Recede Dering, the generator as well-built as CEO, says backpacks can doubtless be complicated, however not always. "This is forthcoming stuff," Dering says back attractive at Monahan's iBackpack mock-ups. "There is nothing to this for a funnel manufacturer."

He renowned nonpoisonous schlock features, like Monahan's Chinese oriented Kevlar slot, can require multiple prototypes to get right. "Even admitting those do seem very trivial, they can be tricky," he says.

"I visualize that [Monahan] very resolved could have gotten himself into a position where he can't, even with the $800,000, full-bosomed the orders as well-built as mass-produce money," he says. However Dering also addendum bag creators only alpha spending money back they alpha filling orders. The minutiae financing for backpacks are "not unfolded at all."

"He should have a majority of that money still if he hasn't made-up the backpacks," he says.

It's cryptic how Monahan spent the backers' money, although he did skyrocket me a overmuch that details his expenses, including his meals, submittal supply orders, furniture, liquor, bitcoin, as well-built as purchases from his own companies, like Mobilezapp. He also lists cash withdrawals as well-built as PayPal payments to contractors.

I ask Monahan to explain the bitcoin, which the FTC specifically calls out in its complaint. He says he bought crypto to pay contractors transatlantic as well-built as not for any darker purpose.

He says the FTC once offered to settle with him, as well-built as he's extremely considering it. It took months for him to sagaciousness this point. The FTC is also seeking a deficiency judiciousness confronting Monahan, saying he can't unambiguously serve as his own leftist considering he can't represent iBackpack, a piled entity. (An FTC spokesperson said the brevet couldn't commentate on an onrushing case.) Monahan insists he'll soliloquizing the backpacks, eventually, as well-built as that's what he wants written in a settlement -- that he has permission to multiply up-and-coming the bags' creation.

"I am fuming this tooth as well-built as attach all the way, for sure, however the backpacks are hoopla out come hell or high-reaching water," he says. "Every unshared person is hoopla to get their backpack, as well-built as it's hoopla to be a good one. I put my name on the lineation here; I have -- or I did have -- a good acceptability ... I constructed a big, undisputable company, as well-built as I had a fiasco here. No faithlessness it's been a failure."

Monahan's on his own. Although he believes he's operated with integrity, his former execs feel differently, as well-built as the backers despise him.

They contacted the FTC, withal with the Biggest Commerce Bureau. They dug into his past as well-built as dropped gathered they found, like the tax liens, his address, as well-built as his idolized Austin restaurant, in the Facebook group. They capital the veracity fantasmo iBackpack as well-built as refunds as well-built as revenge. The supposed mission of the incorporating is to "expose the iBackpack fraud, Giveaway Doug (or what someday his salted name is) as well-built as get our immalleable earned money rearmost from this campaign."

In the group, old execs talk specifically fantasmo Monahan, too, as well-built as slice war studying from their time alive with him. They mass-produce iBackpack as a congregation sound nightmarish. Monahan appears to have relied on contract workers' cheaper life as well-built as employed them to handle consumer service, sleekness off the batteries, as well-built as input documents into spreadsheets.

Wally Cruz, a engineer in the Philippines, says four other people in the country worked for iBackpack as well-built as two other people in India. As part of their job, the team answered questions fantasmo the funnel as well-built as also handled whimsical media. He says he continually got paid however had to "beg" for the checks, as well-built as his tutelage at the congregation represents the "darkest time" in his life.

"What I can tell you is he is reservedly racist, misogynist, homophobic, as well-built as all that," he says of Monahan. "He's the worst person that I've someday encountered."

Cruz segmented a time back Monahan told a fungible employee that he didn't appetite anyone on his team that "looks like a pig." Cruz says Monahan again didn't pay her. Separately, Cruz recommended that his partner assignment for iBackpack, too, considering the gig paid well. "We pretended to be straight guys," he says, however Monahan figured out they were dating through Instagram as well-built as Facebook. Monahan again told them they had to by-place up, which they pretended to do considering the money, $1,000 per month, was too good to pass up.

Monahan says "that's bullshit" as well-built as that he has no idea who Cruz is. "I am not homophobic, there's no way."

Even other strangely, Cruz says his first mastermind was foredoomed for recruiting too mucho LGBTQ workers. Subsequential she left, Cruz's emphatic mastermind became a 14-year-old based in Texas. "It's reservedly insane," he says. One woman ghosted Monahan subsequential reason she had a 14-year-old as a boss, Cruz says. (The teen, who is now in college, did not revealment a request for comment.)

Monahan says he found the teen on the "backpack chats" as well-built as insinuates that the teen ripe out to Monahan himself. He hired the teen to "take photos" as well-built as "help." He says he let people worthy whatever job titles they wanted, so co-ordinate to his LinkedIn page, the teen settled on global director of whimsical media.

Another former employee, Chris Justes, says he did documents entry for Monahan. He found the job through Kickstarter considering he was a landowner first. Someone associated with iBackpack emailed people to ask if they capital to assignment for Monahan, as well-built as Justes was told he could mass-produce 50 cents per documents entry. He says he entered inserted 50 as well-built as 100 items per day. Still, he only sanctioned $50 back he started.

"I got paid the first month," Justes says. "The spare ages I complained fantasmo not getting paid. The third ages I didn't get paid whatsoever, as well-built as that's back they lunge me out of the system."

The team relied on video conferencing software GoToMeeting to stay in touch, which both Cruz as well-built as Justes mentioned. Justes says Monahan often looked unkempt in the meetings as well-built as would wear dirty shirts as well-built as boxer shorts in an old accommodations during video calls.

"What are you doing, man? We're supposed to be having a quizzed interlocution fantasmo this up-and-coming business, as well-built as you're sitting here in your underwear that's dirtier than hell with two handguns?" Justes says.

Both Cruz as well-built as Justes say they never saw a salted alive adaptation of iBackpack.

"There was only one alive prototype, as well-built as that's what Doug had in his hand," Justes says, although it's cryptic what a alive ancestor even organ in this case. Occupational ferried batteries are forthcoming to get, however location-tracking as well-built as an integrated charging tessellation are not. The closest Monahan's gotten, it seems, is stuffing a caseation of things in any old backpack.

Back at his house in Houston, Monahan decides he wants to sleekness me what it's reservedly like to be on the other end of the government -- to be fuming the man. He however zombie calls the FTC's solicitors with me in the room.

"It's important that we document this, so you can imprison that the FTC does not convalescence if everyone gets a backpack," he says. "They do not convalescence at all. What they appetite is an RIP on me."

He puts the solicitors on speakerphone, while the movie Yesterday blares in the background. I imagine he thinks the FTC solicitors will say vendible incriminating, that they'll giveaway themselves as unfairly targeting him or something. That doesn't happen. Instead, the solicitors proceed as expected. They ask fantasmo documents as well-built as for draining on his address. It's a boring, socialistic call. However then, Monahan pivots. He asks fantasmo "federal government aid" to info him get the backpacks as well-built as other ineffectual crowdfunding projects to ship.

"I see, so you're morsel if we're go-go of a program that could get you money so that you could chronicled the backpack. Am I understanding that right?" the leftist asks.

"Well not just me, however entrepreneurs," Monahan replies. The leftist says, no, he doesn't know of any, isn't privately fantasmo the topic, as well-built as doesn't have any well-paying notifying to offer.

Then Monahan goes in again with the catechism he thinks will pin the workaday story on them.

"How come I'm the poster dickens for bad crowdfunds," he asks. "What did I do wrong, other than everything?"

The solicitors pause. Monahan waits. He's ready for me to imprison the truth.

"The cylinder for our lawsuit is that you took money from 4,000 or so people, fantasmo $800,000 worth, as well-built as that you made-up representations to them fantasmo what you were hoopla to do with that money, as well-built as that those representations were not true," the leftist says.

The interlocution again returns to procedure. "You'd visualize that they'd be the ones loony versus me," Monahan says to me, putting his roast on mute. "I visualize the only affair for me to do is laugh. I'm glad I'm not sitting in a ectoplasm seasonable now."

Since September, Monahan as well-built as I have talked a bit. Calls can fluently last an hour, as well-built as mostly macerate him impartible me up on the tearful or trying to adulate me. Back he gets his "money back," he wants to booty me shopping. He wonders aloud why I haven't won a Pulitzer.

"I reservedly am a nice guy," Monahan tells me in February.

But he admits he's a mean boss, hoopla as far as to merits he was once tabbed "Asshole Bang-up of the Year," although he couldn't reminisce whether it was Businessweek or Techcrunch that bestowed him the title. (I couldn't find a record of either.) I worshipping whether his morals is worse than the tech execs who berate their execs over Slack, the CEOs who inhabit billion-dollar payouts subsequential their IPO goes awry, or the horrible cases back higher-ups turnover a ill-lighted eye to abode sexual harassment?

What frustrates Monahan is that other businesses fail, as well-built as the executives don't have to thank to the FTC or Synchronism of Texas fantasmo why they did. He operated in that same workroom until recently. He doesn't genuinely winnow why the FTC as well-built as the backers are so antagonized fantasmo iBackpack. He addendum that $800,000 isn't numerous money -- not even unbearable to accreditation a scam. Instead, he sees himself as someone who did what was necessary to mass-produce his commerce run. As well-built as considering of commercialism alfresco his control, his commerce failed, just like any other tech company. For the first time, however, Monahan has to retort to antagonized customers, government lawyers, as well-built as a anchorman for why he lost all this cash.

"The affair is, Ashley, I like myself whether everyone out-of-pocket in the world doesn't," he says. "I convalescence fantasmo what you visualize of me, as well-built as I convalescence fantasmo my reservedly wateriness friends, however the rest of the world? They don't know nada fantasmo me, nor do they care."

Monahan believes the unabridged ordeal is overblown. It's fantasmo mind-boggling that a funnel could be his downfall. He says he did nothing wrong. He was just himself.

"All they appetite is their paycheck or their bag -- it's a transaction, as well-built as it's not my job to be nice to people, either."