Brian McMullen has sued his former business partner, Hassan Mahmoud, accusing him of siphoning funds and resources from their joint venture, Iqonic, to establish a competing company called Noa. The lawsuit, filed by McMullen through their shared company Icon Academy LLC, alleges Mahmoud orchestrated a plan to raid Iqonic's business operations as early as January 2025. This occurred despite Iqonic's website domain only being registered in March 2025, with the company officially launching on April 1st.

McMullen's legal filing also sheds light on Iqonic's formation. While marketing materials consistently identified Hassan Mahmoud as the founder and CEO, Brian McMullen's name was conspicuously absent from the company's public-facing website. This lack of disclosure, according to the suit, represents a significant failure on Iqonic's part, potentially violating FTC Act provisions. McMullen himself has a background as a promoter for Modere, a company that reportedly collapsed in August 2025. Following the publication of an initial review of Iqonic in April 2025, McMullen surfaced as the founder of Nueva, another entity that also obscures its ownership and executive structure.

The lawsuit names both Mahmoud and Noa Techs – FZCO as defendants. Noa Techs is a company registered in Dubai, a jurisdiction that the lawsuit notes raises immediate red flags for multi-level marketing operations due to a lack of transparent ownership. McMullen further alleges that Mahmoud maintained multiple affiliate accounts within Iqonic, positioning them at the top of the promoter structure. He claims Mahmoud used at least one of these accounts to embezzle substantial funds from Iqonic. The suit implies that public issues within Iqonic began to surface around July 2025, coinciding with Mahmoud's alleged secret communications with affiliates to undermine McMullen's authority and secure their loyalty.

McMullen asserts that while serving as Iqonic's President and Chief Executive Officer, Mahmoud concurrently began developing plans to dismantle the company and launch a competing direct sales venture. This alleged scheme involved Mahmoud making numerous false claims and fabricating excuses for his failure to uphold his commitments to Iqonic. The lawsuit details a pattern of deceptive behavior, including Mahmoud's alleged attempts to sow discord among affiliates and divert company assets for his new enterprise.