SPOKANE, Wash. — A western Washington online company is in hot water with the Washington Attorney General again.
Fallen Hero Bracelets sells decals, hats and t-shirts honoring our fallen heroes. Complaints continue to roll in reporting threats of verbal abuse and threats of legal action, despite an injunction against Fallen Hero Bracelets. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is now looking to possibly expand the terms of the injunction to limit the owner from selling anything over the internet.
Greg Church is a victim of some of those threats. Church is a fan of the movie American Sniper. The movie portrays, real life American sniper, the late Chris Kyle. Church wanted to buy his son a Craft International hat. It’s the company founded by Chris Kyle.
"So, when I Googled trying to find one of those hats Fallen Hero Bracelets came up on the internet search. So, I clicked on the Fallen Hero Bracelets site and they had a whole large selection of the Craft International hats," Church said.
Church ordered the hat from Fallen Hero Bracelets and even paid for expedited shipping. After a month, still no hat. He contacted the seller, Michael Friedmann, a couple of times and ultimately went to PayPal with his concerns. That is when he says Friedmann got upset. Church said eventually Friedmann threatened to sue him.
Friedmann wrote to Church, "Your harassment and stalking make you a disgrace… I'm going to look forward to this civil action against you."
Church searched the internet about Fallen Hero Bracelets and came across stories KREM did in the summer of 2018. Back then, there was a pattern of alleged behavior by Friedmann. He’s been accused of unleashing a torrent of expletive-filled responses to customer inquiries and routinely sending customers who cancel orders to collections and court. On top of that, the Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said while the Fallen Hero Bracelet website claimed sales benefited veterans’ charities, Friedmann had not donated any money.
"And he preyed upon that, took advantage of that trust to line his own pockets. So, we took him to court and got an injunction from the court saying he can no longer engage in this illegal behavior and we thought that would put a stop to it," Ferguson said.
Ferguson said his office continues to hear complaints from customers with stories of verbal abuse, lack of response and threats of legal action by Friedmann.
In light of that, his office sent a cease and desist letter saying, "It has recently come to my attention that this office and the Better Business Bureau have received a number of complaints from consumers since the date of those injunctions."
The AG is now seeking expanded terms from the court that could limit Friedmann from selling any goods or services over the internet.
“Judges don't mess around with this. They expect their orders to be followed and if that's not happening here there's going to be significant penalties for him," Ferguson said.
KREM also contacted attorneys for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Attorney David Bolls said even without the injunction, Friedmann has no permission to be selling "Craft" and "Chris Kyle" material, which is copyrighted. Bolls already knew of Friedmann, calling him a “mass violator."
He said, "Mr. Friedmann is an outlier. Most folks once they've been caught and we ask him to take down the infringing work they take it down. He's not the typical."
Since the initial injunction, it does appear the Fallen Hero Bracelet website no longer touts that proceeds benefit veterans’ charities and the company's behind-the-scenes name appears changed to Hudson Bay Trading Company. Still, the consumer complaints continue.
"Just changing the name and keeping the same conduct, that's not going to help him out," Ferguson said.
Church finally did receive the hat he'd ordered but he says the stress was hardly worth it.
"I'm probably not the only story out there, unfortunately. I wish I was," Church said.
Ferguson said his team will consider all the new information and consumer complaints. They'll try and impress upon the defendant; failure to follow a judge’s orders is not something they take lightly.
"Look no one wants to be in front of a judge facing potential sanctions. That's not a pleasant place to be," Ferguson said.
KREM confirmed the Attorney General's office did hear back from Friedmann before the deadline. They say he denies violating the injunction. In a response to a request for comment Friedmann told KREM in part:
I spend all day long in a preschool with my child, then I come back and spend all night working on the made to order handmade items I offer, which no one ever gives me enough time to make, and then cheats me out of every penny. I have never made a penny from any item I offer. And 99% of the people who complain not only receive their items, but they have never paid me. My business has been absolutely destroyed by the deceitful nature of the American consumer. But I am the bad guy.