Contractor Says American Police Force Lifted Web Site Material

Another Blow To APPF’s Credibility: Contractor Says Web Site Material Was Lifted

TPM MUCKRAKER– Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 4:35PM

The head of a California defense contractor says that American Private Police Force brazenly copied information from its Web site and that it’s considering legal action against APPF.

CEO Edward Angelino of Allied Defense Systems told TPMmuckraker that APPF’s “Mike Hilton came to us for our help looking for supplies and equipment” for the mysterious project at an empty jail in Hardin, Montana.

After a bit of due diligence, Angelino deemed that Hilton and APPF were not fit to do business with — but not before referring APPF to Allied Defense Systems’ Web developer.

At that point, Hilton “copied a lot of our verbage into his web site, without our permission, without my consent,” Angelino says.

For example, check out this Allied Defense Systems page that advertises force protection equipment for “Nuclear/Biological/Chemical (WMD).” And then check out the wholesale duplicate of the Allied Defense Systems content on this APPF page (clumsily copied, it suggests that APPF is in fact selling weapons of mass destruction).

Hilton had claimed Allied Defense Systems was providing uniforms for APPF, the AP reported last week. As a result of that and the Web site plagiarism, an Allied lawyer sent APPF a cease and desist letter last week. And Angelino says there might be further legal action down the road.

He adds that Hilton described APPF’s parent company as a security firm operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, but couldn’t remember the name of the company. APPF’s ex-lawyer has said the parent company was founded in 1984.

APPF’s spokeswoman has not responded to requests for comment today.