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A former Essential Phone exec used company funds for Lamborghinis, claims lawsuit

A former Essential Phone exec used company funds for Lamborghinis, claims lawsuit

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A new lawsuit claims that Osom Products CEO Jason Keats has been using company money to fund trips, exotic cars, and his racing hobby.

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A picture of the OSOM OV1 smartphone laying face down.
OSOM’s first phone, eventually renamed the Solana Saga.
Image: Osom

A lawsuit filed against Osom Products, Inc. by its former chief privacy officer, Mary Stone Ross, claims that the company’s CEO, Jason Keats, used business funds for extravagant purchases that include two Lamborghinis, reports Android Authority.

Keats, who founded Osom after Essential shut down and hired several of Essential’s former workers, is also accused of using company resources to pay for things ranging from his racing habit to his racing partner’s salary to his own mortgage, the outlet writes. Ross has apparently asked the court to make Osom give her access to company records that may prove the lawsuit’s claims.

The lawsuit also reportedly claims that Keats tried and failed to sell the company to HP and that, after that deal fell through, he tried to get Osom to pivot to making an “AI-powered camera.” The company’s “resources are allegedly depleted.”

An unnamed spokesperson denied the lawsuit’s claims when asked by Android Authority.