Former type Private Defunct 2009 Number of employees 100 | Founded 2003 Ceased operations 2009 | |
 | ||
Key people Dave Rushton (Founder, President) Products See complete products listing Headquarters Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | ||
Sensory sweep studios owner jailed nerdy news
Sensory Sweep Studios was an American developer of computer and video games. The studio was located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Contents
Founded in 2003 by Dave Rushton, Sensory Sweep was initially a handheld studio, developing games for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PSP. Later, Sensory Sweep added console titles to their résumé, releasing games for the PC, Wii, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.
Sensory Sweep released many games from notable franchises, including Justice League Heroes, Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005, as well as the up-and-coming Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Jackass: The Game. Additionally, Sensory Sweep's release of Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting was, at the time of its release, the fastest selling Xbox Live Arcade title to date.
Legal issues
On January 14, 2009, Sensory Sweep and Dave Rushton (founder and president of Sensory Sweep) were named as co-defendants in a wage claim lawsuit filed in Utah District Court by the United States Department of Labor. The filing claimed employees are owed over $2 million in wages in a violation against the Fair Labor Standards Act. The lawsuit was resolved in October 2012 when Rushton was jailed for 12 months and ordered to pay $1.2 million. It was the first criminal prosecution for non-payment of wages in Utah.
On December 15, 2010 Rushton pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony count of failing to pay taxes and one second-degree felony count of engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity. He was sentenced to six months in jail for tax fraud and racketeering, and ordered to pay $516,816 in restitution. He also received 72 months probation during which he is forbidden from handling money for other people.