Ongoing threats from ex Black Hops Directors
In February 2023 I finally left Black Hops for good. I’d started the company with Eddie and Govs, I was the major shareholder, CEO and one of only 2 Directors for the entire time minus a few months (when Tony Sutherland came on board to break the deadlock between me and Eddie).
I’d given so much for Black Hops. I was the key decision maker 7 days a week, stress non stop all day every day, I’d put in almost half of the original capital (all the money I had at the time). I’d taken a below market rate wage for the entire time I worked there, reducing my wage to zero many times.
The list goes on and on. No complaints here, just what you do when you run a company. But the way I was treated when I left, hurt… a lot.
Just after I left, I called my lawyer wanting some advice about what my liabilities would be given I was a signatory to the Judo Bank loan. He said ‘I can’t represent you, I have a conflict’.
Then a few hours later, I got legal threats from him on behalf of the Directors Eddie and Tony.
We used to laugh about the Ice Cube lyric “I started this gangsta shit, and this the motherfuckin’ thanks I get?”
Indeed.
This was May 2023.
The Directors Eddie and Tony were concerned that I was speaking to other investors about my feelings on where the company was at financially (which I was). They wanted to scare me into not having those conversations. Can you imagine the major shareholder of a company not allowed to speak to other investors about concerns about how finances are being handled at the company? Obviously in the end my concerns turned out to be bang on, but the Directors never wanted to hear it, and weren’t ok with me speaking with other investors about it.
The threats continued over time, especially from Black Hops Director Tony Sutherland.
In May 2023 Judo Bank wanted a variation letter signed to offer the company interest free payments. I was extremely hesitant to sign anything, because it would be a sign to Judo that I was ok with the direction of the business (which I very much wasn’t).
I explained my position to Tony and offered for him to send me information that convinced me otherwise.
He responded with threats.
“I’m quite offended you keep asserting the new management are being secretive and trying to hide real fact. That is offensive and ultimately you will be made to regret those defamatory comments.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by ‘made to regret’. But it was vague enough that it could have either been legal or physical.
A few weeks ago in June 2025 I wrote a post about what happened with the Judo Bank deal. Namely, Tony agreed to take on a small liability for me to be let off the guarantee, and he never signed the final papers with Judo, leaving me in a position where Judo were forcing me to sell my house and coming after me for $2m.
Tony DM’d me, making it clear it was both legal and physical threats he had in mind. He took digs at me about the impending bankruptcy (that was caused by him not keeping up his end of the deal), and more.
“Hi Dan
I see you’re still spewing your delusional lies in whatever media you can hoping to pass blame for your business ineptitude onto others.
A few of us are discussing whether to sue you for defamation but maybe you have nothing left to take.
If not in Court I’m sure you and I will meet on the street somewhere one day.”
I’m not sure whether to call the cops or not, but if I end up in a ditch, at least it will be easy enough to figure out who was behind it.
These are the kind of people I’ve been dealing with over the last 3 years as a result of what happened at Black Hops.
