One former employee said, “Ignite pays for everything. Models, events, yachts. Dan would just have it wrapped with the Ignite logo, and all of a sudden it was an Ignite expense and he would send them the bill.”
Heffernan’s lawsuit seeks damages for wrongful termination, defamation, and Ignite’s violation of California whistleblower protection laws after Heffernan called out Bilzerian’s usage of company funds.
Issues arose in May 2020 following red flags raised by Ignite accountants preparing the company’s annual report as required by the Canadian Stock Exchange where Ignite shares are publicly traded.
In Heffernan’s lawsuit, it is reported that $843,014.06 in company expenses were “personal in nature,” which included payments for charges on one of Bilzerian’s credit cards. “To name a few” examples of this, a two-night trip to London in the six-figures, a $75,000 paintball field, a $65,000 “Four Elements Guns & Star Wars Set” as well as a $50,000 bed frame.
The lawsuit goes on to say that Heffernan attempted to convince Bilzerian to dump the $200,000-a-month mansion at a minimum, which has often been used for marketing events.
