I don't know how many times Gene Steinberg scammed people out of Torson level dollars but keep in mind we know he got more than $1,000 at a time from others who were moved by his please and wanted to help him.
And I'd argue depending on an individual's personal finances, giving ~$1,000 can be as or more impactful than loaning ~$40,000.
We and others can and do treat GS like a big joke, but he's done some real damage and has some serious problems.
I don't have the time or energy to go through the figures, but certainly if you look at the lawsuits that were brought against Gene from lending companies, car repossession debts, money owed landlords, and the like - many of which were discharged through the bankruptcy petition - there was substantial money apart from Torson.
We will never know how much money was given to Gene in response to his pleas over the years.
His abrupt silence was a little surprising. I had expected further solicitations to help cover the cost of moving, storage, cars, or other expenses, but perhaps Gene finally realized that a constant stream of solicitations was doing more harm than good.
He always appeared to have the resources to pay for housing, supplemental Medicare insurance, and to meet whatever deadlines he faced. And there were always resources available to him if he qualified as a low income senior. So I hope he truly has moved on, although it must be tempting to make one more pitch.
Gene never took personal responsibility for his situation or his false statements through the years. He has a long way to go before credibility can be restored. If he is counting on a new base of listeners, or those who have a short memory, to keep the his shows going or to buy things from his store, I don't see what either has to offer.
At least there are no current eviction actions against him.