...a company founded in part by some guys that run what is, at best, an ethically bankrupt company preying on the fears of gullible small-business owners, and at worst, an outright fraud?
Sure, that'll have no impact at all, because people don't care at all whether the consultants they hire have a reputation for dirty business practices...
At the end of a very long and tiring day I have no reason to doubt my friends' character.
That's more disturbing than you probably realize. If Hashrocket and its people refuse to condemn a pretty transparent attempt to trick people out of their money, and instead focus only on the technical legality of it, that says to me that Hashrocket is probably a pretty amoral company.
Don't delude yourself, whether the legal shrapnel hits Mark, Chris and Marian or not, this reflects terribly on Hashrocket because of the poor ethics displayed, and others from the company publicly jumping to their defense and declaring that they've done nothing wrong worsens the perception substantially, it shows us that Hashrocket as a whole sees no ethical problem with running a straight up scam, as long as it's done within the letter of the law.
We would appreciate everyone's support in promoting facts over rumors.
The details may be relevant to the legal situation, but one look at that "advertisement" is all it took for me to throw out any doubt that these guys operate in an ethical void.
If you want to be a just-barely-legal scammer, that's fine, go for it, you might get rich and you might even avoid prison if you're smart enough. Just don't expect your more legitimate businesses to slip the stink of the scammy ones, that's not the way trust works.
I think it's a bit much to suggest that your friend's business is just an innocent victim of an overzealous and incompetent law enforcement system. The complaint has enough facts contained in it to at least suggest that there is something shady going on. The very nature of their industry is suspect.
Defend them all you want, but consider that it only encourages people to associate the accused (and their ethics) with those with the people at Hashrocket.
Hashrocket and United Directories are in the same office building. I was in the conference room next to the United Directories space when the police came to serve their warrants to United Directories. The police officers proceeded to tell the United Directories employees, "You no longer have a job. This company does not exist anymore. You will not be receiving a paycheck." Again, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Then came the bail hearing today. It lasted 5 hours. I was shocked and disheartened at how few actual facts were presented by the prosecution in order for them to drag someone into court. I was further disturbed when there was almost no basis provided or facts provided to how they were making the jump from what information they did have to trying to accuse Mark, Marian and their employee Chris of the allegations against them. The prosecution then further showed a total lack of ability to understand a basic business banking account or simple math. The judge made the decision at the end of the day to release Mark, Marian and Chris on bond but the prosecution forced his hand with a legal technicality to delay the decision.
At the end of a very long and tiring day I have no reason to doubt my friends' character. I am saddened at what I saw transpire in our law enforcement and legal system over this past week. Hashrocket is self-sufficient and will continue to build awesome web applications for our clients. We would appreciate everyone's support in promoting facts over rumors.
Thank You,
Adam Lowe