A Brighton resident and talk radio host is in hot water, accused of bilking financially desperate customers out of money they could ill afford to lose. David Burke, 42, host of Westminster-based Real Talk Networks, is named in a court complaint filed by the Colorado Attorney General’s office claiming that Burke misrepresented himself as a top financial expert while taking up to $3500, and in some cases as much as $5000, from each client for questionable services, or no services at all. Also named in the complaint is Eric Sale, 36, of Vail, who was in charge of sales at Real Talk Network and conducted most of the company’s sales presentations, according to the lawsuit. Additional defendants were Colorado corporations Get Real With Dave and the Institute of Consumer Economic Education LLC.

    Attorney General John Suthers claimed in Adams County district court that Burke falsely stated credentials that he graduated from the University of Southern California, that he has a large ranch in Montana, that he recently came out of 10 years of retirement to “help save American families in this time of crisis,” and that he has coached the House of Representatives and “a bunch of media figures,” none of which are true, according to the complaint.

    Burke’s troubles spring from infomercials called “Get Real With Dave,” hosted by Burke himself. Real Talk Networks hosted the infomercials on radio stations 630 KHOW and 94.7 KRKS, and reportedly on additional stations in California. Promising a 100 percent success rate, the infomercials claimed the ability to pay off large consumer debt rapidly, while raising the client’s credit scores.

    The complaint alleges further misrepresentation during the broadcasts, stating “There is a brief disclosure at the beginning of each RTN broadcast stating that the show is a paid announcement, but the disclosure is not made at any other time during or after the program, such that a listener who tunes in after the start of the program does not know that the program is a paid announcement. Moreover, commercials are played during the RTN program, furthering the misrepresentation that the consumer is listening to a radio talk show rather than a paid announcement.”

     Based on the complaint, the state seeks disgorgement, fines and punitive damages for fraud and misrepresentation, among other charges. On July 7, the Adams County district court granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Real Talk Network, Burke and former company officer Erik Sale, effectively shutting down the operation.