There is a lot to unpack here, in part because the cycle of solicitations has gone on for so long.
Gene consistently begins with the money he gave his brother in law (Stephen) - his Facebook appeal states he lost his retirement because of that. One of his posts on UFOTrail claimed that he provided money to Stephen in anticipation of a legal settlement that was not resolved before Stephen's death. Now we learn:
You told me you are very rich, so this shouldn’t be much of a deal. The $200,000 I gave Stephen through 2004 is, today, worth $267,524.69. If you send me that amount, I’ll be able to supplement my income and have a life for a number of years for myself and Barbara. We won’t have to ask for donations, and I’ll have the resources to deal with the stalkers who are left.
Gene told me that the civil judgments against him (around $35,000) from 2006-2008 were because he took out loans to help Stephen. His 2016 bankruptcy listed an outstanding $44,000 personal loan as one of his debts - I'll assume that went to Stephen as well. But when I looked for a case involving Stephen that might have led to a settlement (which his estate could still pursue) all I found were the fraud charges and restitution proceedings following his plea. All I found were continued attempts by Stephen before his death to convince others to take advantage of a proven opportunity to improve their bottom line (based on Stephen's own success). There was a bit of irony to it.
It would have been a dilemma. Would I have wanted to help Stephen's family if he were my brother in law? Yes. Would I have emptied my accounts, with his son doing the same, and taken out loans on top of that in light of the fraud charges? No. Gene told me he did not question Stephen beyond what he was told. Perhaps Gene was a victim here. But as Gene has stated, does it matter at this point (except to the extent that Gene cites this as a reason for his troubles and the story he has given about a settlement is not supported)?
So I looked further. Bankruptcy records can be obtained by anyone through PACER. His 2016 bankruptcy stated that he and Barbara received around $1750 a month from social security. He averaged just over $1000 a month in profit from "The Paracast LLC." I don't see any records showing the Paracast is an LLC, but regardless I am not sure if this figure was limited to advertising or included donations.
As an aside, in response to criticism that he posted on a Kia Optima forum at the same time he was begging for money, Gene points out that he stopped driving that car and switched to a modest VW. The 2016 petition conforms that the Optima had been repossessed the year before (with a $12,000 debt), but he was driving a 2015 Passant with only 8500 miles on it (a total claim value of over $28,000, with over $14,000 unsecured).
Since then he has added Uber and Lyft. Perhaps social security has increased. But there is not much there. Still, as a beginning point, Gene needs to figure out how he can live within his means or increase his income short of begging since a perpetual emergency does not seem like a long term tactic - although it took several years to run it to the ground.
There has been some talk about a nursing home. He does not need that. Where I live there is low income senior housing - it is what he needs, but these have long waiting lists. Perhaps if he had applied five years ago, he would be in better housing than a motel. It's not too late to start, or even move from Arizona if there is more support for seniors elsewhere . But Gene seems to create emergencies.
I sincerely wish that I could foresee a better outcome. It is sad. Senior homelessness is a growing problem. Many people are facing old age without adequate resources. I have older family members who are in difficult situations. Although Gene has some resources that others do not have (radio shows and a mailing list), I would not want to have his problems or his options at his age.
I used to feel it would have been better to use a patreon model rather than asking for temporary help in one emergency after another. I thought there were other projects he could pusue. I might even be tempted to help again if he had an exit plan. But Gene has burned through his credibility.
Gene states he has three jobs, but he has said this for the past ten years. Three jobs (plus begging) only means that there are three jobs that are not working out. It's time for him to make some hard choices, to stop portraying himself as a victim in need of legal help, to figure out why he is in this situation and to take personal responsibility. Then let's talk.