Gene Steinberg's Financial Shenanigans @ Paracast forums

The shadow

The shadow knows!
The melodramatic exaggeration in the titles gets worse:
number 197..
you are homeless.
you wake up each day wondering?
I barely avoided losing my job!
I still don't know my duties or hours going forward.
join the crowd Gene. but no one here will beg
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
Is this my last day?
Your victims can only hope.

I pray that I can wake up in my own bed soon.
You don't have your own bed you pathetic loser. You live in rented accomodation or motels.

This means, I gather, that we are essentially homeless now and we’re just postponing the inevitable.
He must have read that on twitter and on here because unlike a normal person he seemed incapable of realising that himself.

But I won’t stop trying to get out of this mess.
No you keep putting yourself in the mess. You expect others to try to get you out. You make no effort at all. That is one of the most annoying things about your pathetic existence.

As it stands, I was able to cover the motel for another night yesterday with minutes to spare. That means they have to pay them today by 11 AM Mountain time.
Wow what a shock. How could we have foreseen that you would magically pay the motel when you said you only had pennies left after spending your last dollar at Burger King. How did this miracle occur? Is it possible that you are full of shit and everything you say is a lie?

The storage facility will dispose of our stuff soon if we don’t pay our past-due bill.
The storage facility where you keep your "meagre" furniture which you didn't need and was worth nothing and also lets you keep your stuff there for months while you pay late or don't pay at all? The same storage facility which you are keeping things in despite having 3 carloads of items in your motel room? The storage facility which would have auctioned your stuff off weeks ago if this story were true? Do you think we have pea sized brains?

You can see why I wake up each day wondering if I’ll survive that day.
No you don't wonder that. You just want other people to think you do so you can wring money out of them. You create these insane cliffhangers every day and somehow magically, every time for months (years even) you manage to get by without even once ending up on the street. That is just not possible even in your twisted mind.

Until my PayPal and bank accounts are no longer negative, here’s the best way for you to help me today
LOL. How did they get negative? Nothing to do with you?
 

Alien

Adept
'As it stands, I was able to cover the motel for another night yesterday with minutes to spare. That means they have to pay them today by 11 AM Mountain time.'

Who is they , Gene ?

The idiots who send you money?
 

Standingstones

Celestial
If I were being tossed out of the motel, the junk I had stored would not even register on my worry list. Again it is all nonsense what Steinberg rants about. Murphy on the other hand is transparent as they come. He knows full well what Steinberg is all about. For whatever reasons he chooses to ignore the truth. He is basically cut from the same cloth. I seem to recall him saying at one time that he is jobless as well. That is probably the reason he has an abundance of time to waste on the Paracast website.

Murphy is another person who should worry about getting a real job rather that being the hall monitor.
 

goblin

Noble
'As it stands, I was able to cover the motel for another night yesterday with minutes to spare. That means they have to pay them today by 11 AM Mountain time.'

Who is they , Gene ?

The idiots who send you money?

Wow I missed that 'they'. How telling.
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
Wow I missed that 'they'. How telling.

Agreed. I missed it too. A nice glimpse into the mind of an overentitled freeloading moron. He is offended that "he" had to pay yesterday, now "they" must pay today to make up for it. I think these little Freudian slips are the only truths that Gene can produce.
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
Another great comment on UFOtrail about yesterday's shenanigans:

Screenshot 2018-11-08 16.55.01.png

Funny how quickly that last dollar spent at Burger King storyline died. It's like it never happened. Gene had pennies yesterday and no food, yet somehow he paid his motel bill. Also I forgot about the free breakfast.
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
Here's another from today about the garbage that Gene has up on the TNOL website to diffuse the "wacky conspiracy theories" using his usual tool - lies:

Screenshot 2018-11-08 16.54.33.png
 

Standingstones

Celestial
One thing you can say about Steinberg’s begging posts, they aren’t very original. How many times do we have to hear about the hamburger? Again he is on his last gasp yet he just received his Social Security money. Does he think that no one knows this? What is puzzling if true, is that there are people out there still sending money to the Schemer? After awhile you would think these people would wise up. You can never satisfy Steinberg with just one donation. He will flood you forever with his begging.
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
One thing you can say about Steinberg’s begging posts, they aren’t very original. How many times do we have to hear about the hamburger? Again he is on his last gasp yet he just received his Social Security money. Does he think that no one knows this? What is puzzling if true, is that there are people out there still sending money to the Schemer? After awhile you would think these people would wise up. You can never satisfy Steinberg with just one donation. He will flood you forever with his begging.

That's part of what is so mystifying about this whole saga. How does he still expect people to believe his unending recycling of the same tired stories again and again? It makes no sense and neither does anyone sending him any money off the back of them. None of it adds up.
 

erickson

Honorable
This post is longer than I would want to write, but Gene wants to correct wacky conspiracy theories about how he first started to ask people to support him. The story has been told here, on the UFOTrail and other sites so most of us are familiar with the facts. Still, this is Gene's most thorough response. Let's break it down:

I’ve often written, originally I asked for help to assist a relative, Stephen, his wife, Helene, and their developmentally disabled son Jaret. When Stephen got into a legal jam, for reasons that’ll be explained shortly, I gave up my life savings to pay his rent, utilities, food and other living expenses.

A legal jam. For years Gene portrayed Stephen as a victim. A 2003 update attributed to Grayson Steinberg stated: "Their problems have been greatly increased over the past five years, as an elderly woman with millions of dollars in the bank and time on her hands has been harassing them relentlessly because of a failed financial deal. Her actions are completely unjustified. The matter has gone through several federal and state court actions, and my family has won every time. Yet this woman won't give up, and her actions have deprived my cousin of his disability insurance, and left his parents destitute. Creditors are constantly hounding them and they are on the verge of becoming homeless."

Gene also maintained that Stephen was to receive a settlement that would make everything right - in 2011 he defended himself against David Biedny's warning about a nonexistent settlement by stating categorically that it was real.

Gene has stated that tens of thousands in judgments against him from that time were from loans that he took out to help Stephen, that he could not repay when things did not work out. After emptying his savings - and Grayson's college fund - Gene was left destitute. Perhaps. But for someone who once was registered as the president of a consulting firm that gave investment advice, he might have been more careful.

So they got the “bright idea” to do some research of court records and they soon came to realize that what I wrote all along was true. As you might expect, they did everything possible to put a bad spin on the situation. Correcting the misstatements isn’t possible because they won’t allow me to post responses.

Gene has posted responses at the UFO Trail, JayVay, other sites. Indeed, on the UFO Trail (May 18, 2018) he wrote, "My brother-in-law died of pancreatic cancer before he could settle his case, leaving his wife and handicapped son paupers." This response made no sense since a case could be settled or prosecuted after Stephen's death on behalf of his estate. Gene's response is what led me to search for any legal action brought by Stephen - when that search turned up nothing, I found the record of Stephen's crimes instead.

I contacted Gene about the information I found because I did not want to post any comments about Stephen without giving Gene a chance to clear things up. Jack Brewer also contacted Gene before posting his thorough article on Stephen at the UFO Trail. I assume Gene would be welcome to post a response here.

There was no need to put a bad spin on the facts. Gene's own writings did it himself.

But due to the complexities of the case, he declined the offer of a public defender. On the recommendation of another relative, he hired a private attorney with experience in handling financial cases.

First, I have been a public defender and we can handle complex cases. I have been involved with more complex cases than this. Alternative counsel might have been appointed for special reasons. So that was a mistake. If he qualified for a public defender, it was because he did not have full financial resources of his own. Hiring a private attorney when your own businesses are failing (according to court records) is not a good idea.

Facing a possible prison sentence, Stephen asked for my financial assistance to help his family survive, and he offered to pay me back with interest when he received the proceeds of a stock sale that he said wasn’t part of the charges he faced from the Arizona authorities.

. . .

Unfortunately, Stephen didn’t have the resources to mount a full defense to a complicated case. Faced with the threat of spending years in prison, he pled guilty to several lesser charges. The most serious charges were dropped.

Let's be clear about this. Stephen faced 14 charges relating to theft and fraud. The primary victim was a 76 year old woman. Stephen defrauded the victim. Among the most morally egregious actions was taking over $40,000 from the victim for Stephen's father-in law's (Phillip Kaplan) care, which he used instead for himself. At that time the Phoenix police department was looking for Stephen because he had abandoned his father-in-law and depleted Kaplan's account. Apparently this did not bother either Gene or Barbara as they went on to allegedly deplete their own accounts.

There were several charges related to fraudulent financial dealings, but I would not call it a complicated case - it was pretty open and shut. Stephen admitted that his primary business (Numis Gems / sports memorabilia) was not doing well. He stated that he took money from he victims to pay for a lifestyle he could not afford - over $168,000 was still owed his primary victim and another victim was owed over $18,500.

Stephen had been through bankruptcy before. His primary business was failing. He faced massive restitution fines and jail time. Yet Gene seemingly asked no questions. Gene instead painted the victim as a vengeful woman who had harassed Stephen after losing in court. Gene described a "settlement" rather than a supposed stock sale.

He described Stephen as a victim. He continues to do this here, someone who had to accept a plea agreement rather than mount a full defense.

So while the stalkers are making a huge deal of the original complaint, they forget that one is innocent until proven guilty in the United States of America.

I find this personally offensive because I treasure the presumption of innocence. This is not what that presumption is about.

I am looking at what Stephen admitted in the pre-sentence investigation by court officers and the records of his sentencing including the massive restitution fine ordered by the court. The presumption does not apply to a guilt plea.

Stephen’s lawyer negotiated a deal that mostly involved taking money from two women under false pretenses and selling unregistered securities. Stephen would have to serve 11 months in prison, plus five years probation, and agree to restitution to his alleged victims. The fine for the securities count was already paid.

This is accurate enough - although it left out that the restitution fines totaled $186,000. Gene never acknowledged Stephen's actual status as a felon while he continued to vaguely refer to Stephen's legal problems and a supposed settlement.

After he was released from prison, Stephen was limited in the kind of jobs he could accept. He was also prohibited from owning a business while on probation.

At first, he worked at several low-end jobs, and also managed a stint as a salesperson at a car dealership. None of it produced a living wage, and I continued to supplement his income to help cover his living expenses.

By early 2010, I stopped. I couldn’t afford it anymore. I needed financial help myself.

But what about that “mysterious” Numis Gems, and what was my connection to that company?

The answer is simple enough. Stephen operated under that name for number of years, dating back to the early 1970s. He traded in gold and silver and sold collectibles.

He decided to use the name again, so he asked if he could put by name on the business paperwork so he wouldn’t run afoul of his probation. I also gave him some free radio ads, and a free web site.

Gene acknowledges that he helped Stephen evade the terms of his probation, but he is vague on the dates and perhaps implies that it occurred after 2010.

Gene became president of Numis Gems in 2004. The website was copyrighted to Gene's "Making the Impossible" during this time. Gene told me that he only helped with the web site, but the sole reason for transferring the corporate ownership was to make Gene have legal control. During various proceedings, Stephen referred to Gene as the owner of the business and sought to modify probation so that he could be employed by Gene.

Once again, until he received help from several friends and former business partners, I helped pay his family’s living expenses, such as rent, utilities, food, insurance and so forth. Although it seems to be an important issue to the stalkers, the issue of restitution to his alleged victims was never raised in my dealings with Stephen.

Why wasn't restitution discussed? Stephen was under a court judgment that entailed $186,000. Gene states that he had given Stephen around 200,000 and Gene owed tens of thousands of dollars in judgments related to this. Perhaps Gene should have discussed restitution - if they did not mention it, it says a lot about both Stephen and Gene.

But what about the proceeds of that stock sale?

Gene consistently referred to this as a settlement rather than a stock sale be when he sent out solicitations or posted on various sites. There is a difference.

Over the years Stephen described in detail the interactions between the attorneys that he hired for a percentage of the proceeds and the opposition. Whenever he was victorious and ready to distribute the money to me and several former business partners, the opposition filed yet another complaint on a different aspect of the original deal. Stephen said this was done to sidestep the statute of limitations.

I began my search to find records of a court action that Stephen had brought that could account for an outstanding case at the time of Stephen's death. I did not find anything in Arizona or federal courts. Since Gene refers to out of state attorneys in his article, I might have not have seen it if it was in a different jurisdiction - I'll look further as time permits.

However, until Gene provides specific information - and I trust that he can do so here - I attribute this to the same kind of allegation that described how a vengeful woman harassed Stephen even though he was consistently victorious in court.

Stephen died of pancreatic cancer in 2014, but he never resolved his case. He maintained until the end of his days that it was genuine. Indeed, after his death, one of the lawyers Stephen consulted left a message of sympathy on his telephone (I heard it). Helene assured me that she expected a quick settlement, a settlement that never came.

At the time of Stephen's death he was trying to find new victims to invest in a proven financial opportunity that would change their bottom line. So I do not put much trust in what Stephen maintained or a message left on a telephone.

We return to the idea of a settlement. If Stephen died in the middle of a legal action, that could be carried on by his estate. Any attorney who filed a case on Stephen's behalf would be obligated to pursue it and would be speaking to Helene about that.

In 2014 it would hardly be a quick settlement since it had allegedly been expected for ten years. That Gene had been counting on it to repay the money he gave to Stephen might have led him to look over the paperwork, particularly after Stephen's death.

An assurance by Helene without asking to look at anything more? It defies rationality, which might be a mitigating factor for Gene if we take him at his word (cough).

I have since tried to locate more information about Stephen’s case, but ran into roadblocks

All of the above, but the only roadblock would be from Helene. Certainly she would know about the status of a court case. Gene has stated that Barbara and Helene want to go into business together when things settle down. Maybe it's time for a heart to heart discussion.

Stephen’s widow was left penniless. She spends her days caring for Jaret and struggling to pay bills. She has more or less given up on the possibility that Stephen’s case, if it was real, will ever be resolved.

That’s where it stands. Maybe I was just another of Stephen’s victims all along. Regardless of the truth, there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. I have my own problems.

I have stated that Gene may have been one of Stephen's victim - his greatest con may have convinced Gene to shield his business and give him money that Gene did not have.

The latest statement, however, demonstrates that Gene clearly knew more about Stephen's affairs than he has admitted in the past. It raises the possibility that Gene may have expected something out of it - beyond repayment - but perhaps this is a wacky conspiracy theory.

But regardless, Gene appears to invoke one of his favorite sayings, "Let's move on."

No Gene, you can do something about it. You asked for money under what is now shown to be false pretenses. To put it charitably, you told less than the full truth even about that which you now acknowledge you knew. You slandered Stephen's victims.

Just saying you have your own problems is not enough. Don't continue to treat Stephen as a victim. At least apologize to Stephen's victims and to those who gave you money based upon your representations. When I contacted Gene, he asked why I cared and said he had nothing to apologize for - it was the other way around. Gene's sense of morality failed.

The Beizer saga has long been used to justify Genes solicitations - from 2003 to his 2018 Facebook appeal. What Gene now writes only confirms how little truth means to him.


We have not stalked Gene. He stalks us for donations, it seems like almost a daily basis even after people try to remove themselves from his list. (I asked him to do this, my wife used the unsubscribe links recommended in his emails).

It was his Gene's words that led us to Stephen's true history and to look at his bankruptcy filings. Gene would not be "stalked" if he had acted with honesty or took responsibility for his actions - if he made some attempt to change his financial situation or sought help from resources other than his mailing list.

Really, Gene you spent you last $1.08 on a cheeseburger rather than to go to the food bank, enjoy a free nutritious meal at your local senior center, and register for low income senior housing?
 
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Wade

Stare..... They are always staring
It's come to my attention that the lame-ass guy currently doing the show with conman has name-dropped me on the Paracast forums, trying to claim he has some sort of insider knowledge partially via his communications with me. Back in 2012, there was a brief email exchange with this nimrod, and I'd like to share it here, so it's in the public record.

-----------------------------------

Hi there,

Assuming I’ve got the right David Biedny, I’m preparing a brief article on the Paracast for my website. The Paracast site itself cites your reason for leaving as career related. Other stuff floating around on the net says it was a rift between you and Gene. Which would you say is more accurate? We’ve all heard about how a belief in the paranormal can lead to ridicule and career issues ... if you experienced this personally would you be willing to elaborate on how it applied to your situation? What did these people ( whoever they are ) do that messed things up for you on the Paracast back then?


J. Randall Murphy

USI Calgary ( www.ufopages.com )
BTW: Interesting sighting you had.

-----------------------------

Indeed, you have the right David Biedny.

I left the Paracast because of the increasing problems that Gene was creating behind the scenes, my frustration with his begging guests and the audience for loans and financial contributions, all the while spending money in a completely irresponsible fashion,and withholding the true financial situation of the show from me. I came to understand that Gene is staying alive by playing games with money - he was evicted from one apartment after not paying rent for an entire year. He cried poverty while leasing a BMW, and has now exchanged that car for a brand new Honda lease. He is engaged in all sorts of shady financial dealings.

While there were indeed situations which indicated to me that my access to freelance work had become restricted due to my public visibility dealing with fringe topics, Steinberg proved to be a duplicitous, dishonest sleaze, and I felt that any further association with him would further damage my personal and professional reputation.

Looking at your website and the entry you currently have up for the show, I will say this - the Paracast name was something I came up, Gene & Steiger had zero involvement, and it stands for Paranormal podcast - Paracast World is something that never came up, I have no idea where you got that from, but it's fabricated. Further, the idea that you would award Gene any kind of award besides Scammer of the Year, is personally offensive to me, as anyone who takes the time to listen to all the shows can get a pretty clear idea of who actually read guests' books and actually conducted the major, significant portions of the interviews. The tagline of the show, "separating the signal from the noise", was also my creation, as was the original opening music.

dB

---------------------------

Hi David,

Thank you for your response. I very much appreciate that you've taken the time to add your input. I recently purchased a small ad space on the Paracast and during the process experienced Gene's salesmanship, which as a sales person myself is a style I would never employ. However that aside, I still ended up with a fair deal. The part in the USI piece about one of the show's sponsors ( Brad ) suggesting the name refinement came from an online interview of Gene I found someplace ... I'd have to review my notes on it, but it sounded like a plausible enough conversation and I don't think it marginalizes your involvement in the creation of the show. However to be fair, if you are interested, I'll post a page for you on our our site as well and link it to the Paracast article. That way we can balance out the issues and you can get a link to your show as well. In the meantime, I take it that it wasn't being involved in the paranormal that was hurting your career, but rather being involved with Gene and what you perceived to be irresponsible behavior on the business side of the show.

On the issue of Gene's award. It was awarded for the positive contributions he has made and his long time interest in ufology, not for his salesmanship or these other issues that have gone on behind the scenes. It may also be of some comfort that in my correspondence with Gene, he has not disparaged you in any way. BTW, I find your personal UFO account to be very interesting. I too am a UFO witness, and I believe that those who have seen them for themselves come to possess a different worldview, one that is substantially different than those who don't believe in them. I am one of those who feel we are all connected by the experience... part of a family so to speak. So please consider getting your own USI membership. It is free for life. Looking forward to your reply.
J. Randall Murphy

---------------------------

"You will take"?

I already answered your question - it was a combination of factors. Gene was a major part of the equation, but not the whole thing.

Your "interpretation" is a useful insight into your objectivity and deductive reasoning skills. And whatever "deal" you think you got from Gene, you're getting the small end of the stick. He's a profuse liar, and whatever he fed you regarding audience size and numbers, I promise you he can't prove with any sort of documentation.

Best of luck to you.

dB

-------------------------------

Hi David,

Thanks again. Please allow me to clarify. The combination of factors you gave didn't include any mention of the cause being associated with you being involved with the paranormal, and that is the spin I'm getting from the Paracast. To quote Gene: "I understand where David is coming from. The paranormal field can be toxic to one's peace of mind. I have taken extensive leaves of absence myself over the years for similar reasons." So if your decision actually had nothing to do with being involved with paranormal research, then we're seeing the field and and it's politics being wrongly blamed, adding to the already unfortunate impression that people are socially and professionally persecuted for their participation. Now in your last response to me you say, "Gene was a major part of the equation, but not the whole thing." Are you implying there is still some truth to the paranormal facet? And if so, can you elaborate?

Regarding me getting the "short end of the stick" from Gene. Like any other business person, he isn't obligated to give free advertising space to me or anyone else. On that level I paid less than some other places and more than others. I don't charge people to be included in the USI Compendium project so that isn't relevant to the equation.

You obviously have some insider knowledge and experience that has left you pretty bitter about your work with Gene, and that is a shame. As an outsider however I think you made a good team, and without some further evidence of his "shady financial dealings" like a conviction for fraud, or proof of deception where his claims of medical burdens are concerned, I have no reason to believe his financial dealings are any more shady than most of the irresponsible consumers in the USA who have become overextended on credit and living beyond their means ... and if that is the case those issues aren't my concern. I just want accurate information on the USI website.

Lastly, a reminder that at some point I will be adding your name to the USI website, and the opportunity remains open for you to provide some counterpoint. I would also be happy to include your bio, a picture and a link to your current project. Just send it here as an attachment. Again, this is free of charge for you. If you get a USI membership ( also free ) then you also get priority and we can get it posted within a few days. I don't know if you offer any exchange links on your website, but such would be appreciated. However, if like Gene, you only charge for advertising please send me your rates and I'll let you know how you compare ;-)

Sincerely


J. Randall Murphy
USI Calgary


--------------------

After that, there was no further communication with this yutz.

He's little more than another parasitic sleaze, a boring addition to a sewer already overflowing with turds.

Looks to me like this dishonest shmuck and Steinberg deserve each other, they are both entirely useless collections of molecules, offering nothing of value to understanding the UFO phenomenon.

dB




A more beautiful snub there never was.
 

goblin

Noble
That's part of what is so mystifying about this whole saga. How does he still expect people to believe his unending recycling of the same tired stories again and again? It makes no sense and neither does anyone sending him any money off the back of them. None of it adds up.

He may be counting on people like J. Randall Murphy who've already made up their minds about him (Gene's a good guy, just down on his luck and prone to begging), and people who are not real familiar with him.

I would think his begging method worked better when he had more listeners and was sending these emails less frequently. As we've said before he doesn't like to change, so as his situation has allegedly become more precarious (at minimum we do know he was evicted from the Desert Mirage... whether he is still in a motel now though...?), he's just ramped up the frequency of requests, sometimes sending more than one a day.

And too as I think you and others have pointed out, he perceives there being no cost to him to do this. And if he gets lucky and someone who is not paying much attention sends him some cash, he's better off than he was.

I wonder too at the idea that he's gotten worse about the begging since Chris O'Brien departed. Whether O'Brien actually had any kind of influence or just the fear of driving him off gave Gene pause, I don't know, I kind of doubt. I think as the podcast has declined the donations have probably declined and the only solution as Gene himself has said more than once is send the emails more often.
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
This post is longer than I would want to write, but Gene wants to correct wacky conspiracy theories about how he first started to ask people to support him. The story has been told here, on the UFOTrail and other sites so most of us are familiar with the facts. Still, this is Gene's most thorough response. Let's break it down:



A legal jam. For years Gene portrayed Stephen as a victim. A 2003 update attributed to Grayson Steinberg stated: "Their problems have been greatly increased over the past five years, as an elderly woman with millions of dollars in the bank and time on her hands has been harassing them relentlessly because of a failed financial deal. Her actions are completely unjustified. The matter has gone through several federal and state court actions, and my family has won every time. Yet this woman won't give up, and her actions have deprived my cousin of his disability insurance, and left his parents destitute. Creditors are constantly hounding them and they are on the verge of becoming homeless."

Gene also maintained that Stephen was to receive a settlement that would make everything right - in 2011 he defended himself against David Biedny's warning about a nonexistent settlement by stating categorically that it was real.

Gene has stated that tens of thousands in judgments against him from that time were from loans that he took out to help Stephen, that he could not repay when things did not work out. After emptying his savings - and Grayson's college fund - Gene was left destitute. Perhaps. But for someone who once was registered as the president of a consulting firm that gave investment advice, he might have been more careful.



Gene has posted responses at the UFO Trail, JayVay, other sites. Indeed, on the UFO Trail (May 18, 2018) he wrote, "My brother-in-law died of pancreatic cancer before he could settle his case, leaving his wife and handicapped son paupers." This response made no sense since a case could be settled or prosecuted after Stephen's death on behalf of his estate. Gene's response is what led me to search for any legal action brought by Stephen - when that search turned up nothing, I found the record of Stephen's crimes instead.

I contacted Gene about the information I found because I did not want to post any comments about Stephen without giving Gene a chance to clear things up. Jack Brewer also contacted Gene before posting his thorough article on Stephen at the UFO Trail. I assume Gene would be welcome to post a response here.

There was no need to put a bad spin on the facts. Gene's own writings did it himself.



First, I have been a public defender and we can handle complex cases. I have been involved with more complex cases than this. Alternative counsel might have been appointed for special reasons. So that was a mistake. If he qualified for a public defender, it was because he did not have full financial resources of his own. Hiring a private attorney when your own businesses are failing (according to court records) is not a good idea.



Let's be clear about this. Stephen faced 14 charges relating to theft and fraud. The primary victim was a 76 year old woman. Stephen defrauded the victim. Among the most morally egregious actions was taking over $40,000 from the victim for Stephen's father-in law's (Phillip Kaplan) care, which he used instead for himself. At that time the Phoenix police department was looking for Stephen because he had abandoned his father-in-law and depleted Kaplan's account. Apparently this did not bother either Gene or Barbara as they went on to allegedly deplete their own accounts.

There were several charges related to fraudulent financial dealings, but I would not call it a complicated case - it was pretty open and shut. Stephen admitted that his primary business (Numis Gems / sports memorabilia) was not doing well. He stated that he took money from he victims to pay for a lifestyle he could not afford - over $168,000 was still owed his primary victim and another victim was owed over $18,500.

Stephen had been through bankruptcy before. His primary business was failing. He faced massive restitution fines and jail time. Yet Gene seemingly asked no questions. Gene instead painted the victim as a vengeful woman who had harassed Stephen after losing in court. Gene described a "settlement" rather than a supposed stock sale.

He described Stephen as a victim. He continues to do this here, someone who had to accept a plea agreement rather than mount a full defense.



I find this personally offensive because I treasure the presumption of innocence. This is not what that presumption is about.

I am looking at what Stephen admitted in the pre-sentence investigation by court officers and the records of his sentencing including the massive restitution fine ordered by the court. The presumption does not apply to a guilt plea.



This is accurate enough - although it left out that the restitution fines totaled $186,000. Gene never acknowledged Stephen's actual status as a felon while he continued to vaguely refer to Stephen's legal problems and a supposed settlement.



Gene acknowledges that he helped Stephen evade the terms of his probation, but he is vague on the dates and perhaps implies that it occurred after 2010.

Gene became president of Numis Gems in 2004. The website was copyrighted to Gene's "Making the Impossible" during this time. Gene told me that he only helped with the web site, but the sole reason for transferring the corporate ownership was to make Gene have legal control. During various proceedings, Stephen referred to Gene as the owner of the business and sought to modify probation so that he could be employed by Gene.



Why wasn't restitution discussed? Stephen was under a court judgment that entailed $186,000. Gene states that he had given Stephen around 200,000 and Gene owed tens of thousands of dollars in judgments related to this. Perhaps Gene should have discussed restitution - if they did not mention it, it says a lot about both Stephen and Gene.



Gene consistently referred to this as a settlement rather than a stock sale be when he sent out solicitations or posted on various sites. There is a difference.



I began my search to find records of a court action that Stephen had brought that could account for an outstanding case at the time of Stephen's death. I did not find anything in Arizona or federal courts. Since Gene refers to out of state attorneys in his article, I might have not have seen it if it was in a different jurisdiction - I'll look further as time permits.

However, until Gene provides specific information - and I trust that he can do so here - I attribute this to the same kind of allegation that described how a vengeful woman harassed Stephen even though he was consistently victorious in court.



At the time of Stephen's death he was trying to find new victims to invest in a proven financial opportunity that would change their bottom line. So I do not put much trust in what Stephen maintained or a message left on a telephone.

We return to the idea of a settlement. If Stephen died in the middle of a legal action, that could be carried on by his estate. Any attorney who filed a case on Stephen's behalf would be obligated to pursue it and would be speaking to Helene about that.

In 2014 it would hardly be a quick settlement since it had allegedly been expected for ten years. That Gene had been counting on it to repay the money he gave to Stephen might have led him to look over the paperwork, particularly after Stephen's death.

An assurance by Helene without asking to look at anything more? It defies rationality, which might be a mitigating factor for Gene if we take him at his word (cough).



All of the above, but the only roadblock would be from Helene. Certainly she would know about the status of a court case. Gene has stated that Barbara and Helene want to go into business together when things settle down. Maybe it's time for a heart to heart discussion.



I have stated that Gene may have been one of Stephen's victim - his greatest con may have convinced Gene to shield his business and give him money that Gene did not have.

The latest statement, however, demonstrates that Gene clearly knew more about Stephen's affairs than he has admitted in the past. It raises the possibility that Gene may have expected something out of it - beyond repayment - but perhaps this is a wacky conspiracy theory.

But regardless, Gene appears to invoke one of his favorite sayings, "Let's move on."

No Gene, you can do something about it. You asked for money under what is now shown to be false pretenses. To put it charitably, you told less than the full truth even about that which you now acknowledge you knew. You slandered Stephen's victims.

Just saying you have your own problems is not enough. Don't continue to treat Stephen as a victim. At least apologize to Stephen's victims and to those who gave you money based upon your representations. When I contacted Gene, he asked why I cared and said he had nothing to apologize for - it was the other way around. Gene's sense of morality failed.

The Beizer saga has long been used to justify Genes solicitations - from 2003 to his 2018 Facebook appeal. What Gene now writes only confirms how little truth means to him.



We have not stalked Gene. He stalks us for donations, it seems like almost a daily basis even after people try to remove themselves from his list. (I asked him to do this, my wife used the unsubscribe links recommended in his emails).

It was his Gene's words that led us to Stephen's true history and to look at his bankruptcy filings. Gene would not be "stalked" if he had acted with honesty or took responsibility for his actions - if he made some attempt to change his financial situation or sought help from resources other than his mailing list.

Really, Gene you spent you last $1.08 on a cheeseburger rather than to go to the food bank, enjoy a free nutritious meal at your local senior center, and register for low income senior housing?

Thank you. This is an outstanding breakdown. Nobody else could do it this well. If you have a chance I would suggest posting this on SchemGeneRC twitter page as a screenshot as well. I think the people there would appreciate it.
 

erickson

Honorable
I think as the podcast has declined the donations have probably declined and the only solution as Gene himself has said more than once is send the emails more often.

A poor tactic since the more emails he sends drives people away.

At one point, I thought he could have improved the Paracast Plus. I know about successful Patreon podcasters who offer their supporters things like group phone calls or chats, special forums, or events such as live broadcasts to encourage community. They also do not take that support for granted.

Perhaps Gene could have used the IUFOC to have a live broadcast nearby, with audience questions. It might have generated a larger sense of the program. What could Gene hehave done so that the Paracast Plus offered more than himself?

But even as people have left the forums, that route becomes harder. Dreams of a thousand new members or a paracast shop seem like a fantasy. Once Gene chose to go down his path and solicit every day, what options remain?

Although there are senior services and other resources that could provide assistance, he does not appear to take advantage of that kind of help. Full steam ahead - even in the face of icebergs.
 

goblin

Noble
A poor tactic since the more emails he sends drives people away.

At one point, I thought he could have improved the Paracast Plus. I know about successful Patreon podcasters who offer their supporters things like group phone calls or chats, special forums, or events such as live broadcasts to encourage community. They also do not take that support for granted.

Perhaps Gene could have used the IUFOC to have a live broadcast nearby, with audience questions. It might have generated a larger sense of the program. What could Gene hehave done so that the Paracast Plus offered more than himself?

But even as people have left the forums, that route becomes harder. Dreams of a thousand new members or a paracast shop seem like a fantasy. Once Gene chose to go down his path and solicit every day, what options remain?

Although there are senior services and other resources that could provide assistance, he does not appear to take advantage of that kind of help. Full steam ahead - even in the face of icebergs.

I believe that he had options to make more of the Paracast in the past. He was out there early, and had this 'serious UFO inquiry' thrust that appeared to have an audience. Even now I imagine he still has some audience, just no longer has a co-host people enjoy (I disliked Chris O'Brien before he ever became the co-host but clearly some people listened for him).

It seems he has been consumed by his own worst impulses.
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
I believe that he had options to make more of the Paracast in the past. He was out there early, and had this 'serious UFO inquiry' thrust that appeared to have an audience. Even now I imagine he still has some audience, just no longer has a co-host people enjoy (I disliked Chris O'Brien before he ever became the co-host but clearly some people listened for him).

It seems he has been consumed by his own worst impulses.

I honestly think that Steinberg himself could never make the show better. The serious UFO enquiry bit was all from David Biedny. Steinberg himself has never cared about anything of the sort. He just loves talking about himself - reminiscing about people he knew 50 years ago and whatever TV show he is currently watching - no other subjects seem to interest him. Even when David was on the show that was the sum total of his contribution.

When David left, Gene got the show on GCN and filled it with the aforementioned ads which in my opinion was truly the downfall. Though Chris O'Brien is not a patch on Biedny (IMO), not even David himself could have saved the show after that. Too many interruptions will wreck anything. Now put that together with inadequate co-hosts and the end result is not worth listening to even if it were not for Gene's constant financial/begging shenanigans.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
This post is longer than I would want to write, but Gene wants to correct wacky conspiracy theories about how he first started to ask people to support him. The story has been told here, on the UFOTrail and other sites so most of us are familiar with the facts. Still, this is Gene's most thorough response. Let's break it down:



A legal jam. For years Gene portrayed Stephen as a victim. A 2003 update attributed to Grayson Steinberg stated: "Their problems have been greatly increased over the past five years, as an elderly woman with millions of dollars in the bank and time on her hands has been harassing them relentlessly because of a failed financial deal. Her actions are completely unjustified. The matter has gone through several federal and state court actions, and my family has won every time. Yet this woman won't give up, and her actions have deprived my cousin of his disability insurance, and left his parents destitute. Creditors are constantly hounding them and they are on the verge of becoming homeless."

Gene also maintained that Stephen was to receive a settlement that would make everything right - in 2011 he defended himself against David Biedny's warning about a nonexistent settlement by stating categorically that it was real.

Gene has stated that tens of thousands in judgments against him from that time were from loans that he took out to help Stephen, that he could not repay when things did not work out. After emptying his savings - and Grayson's college fund - Gene was left destitute. Perhaps. But for someone who once was registered as the president of a consulting firm that gave investment advice, he might have been more careful.



Gene has posted responses at the UFO Trail, JayVay, other sites. Indeed, on the UFO Trail (May 18, 2018) he wrote, "My brother-in-law died of pancreatic cancer before he could settle his case, leaving his wife and handicapped son paupers." This response made no sense since a case could be settled or prosecuted after Stephen's death on behalf of his estate. Gene's response is what led me to search for any legal action brought by Stephen - when that search turned up nothing, I found the record of Stephen's crimes instead.

I contacted Gene about the information I found because I did not want to post any comments about Stephen without giving Gene a chance to clear things up. Jack Brewer also contacted Gene before posting his thorough article on Stephen at the UFO Trail. I assume Gene would be welcome to post a response here.

There was no need to put a bad spin on the facts. Gene's own writings did it himself.



First, I have been a public defender and we can handle complex cases. I have been involved with more complex cases than this. Alternative counsel might have been appointed for special reasons. So that was a mistake. If he qualified for a public defender, it was because he did not have full financial resources of his own. Hiring a private attorney when your own businesses are failing (according to court records) is not a good idea.



Let's be clear about this. Stephen faced 14 charges relating to theft and fraud. The primary victim was a 76 year old woman. Stephen defrauded the victim. Among the most morally egregious actions was taking over $40,000 from the victim for Stephen's father-in law's (Phillip Kaplan) care, which he used instead for himself. At that time the Phoenix police department was looking for Stephen because he had abandoned his father-in-law and depleted Kaplan's account. Apparently this did not bother either Gene or Barbara as they went on to allegedly deplete their own accounts.

There were several charges related to fraudulent financial dealings, but I would not call it a complicated case - it was pretty open and shut. Stephen admitted that his primary business (Numis Gems / sports memorabilia) was not doing well. He stated that he took money from he victims to pay for a lifestyle he could not afford - over $168,000 was still owed his primary victim and another victim was owed over $18,500.

Stephen had been through bankruptcy before. His primary business was failing. He faced massive restitution fines and jail time. Yet Gene seemingly asked no questions. Gene instead painted the victim as a vengeful woman who had harassed Stephen after losing in court. Gene described a "settlement" rather than a supposed stock sale.

He described Stephen as a victim. He continues to do this here, someone who had to accept a plea agreement rather than mount a full defense.



I find this personally offensive because I treasure the presumption of innocence. This is not what that presumption is about.

I am looking at what Stephen admitted in the pre-sentence investigation by court officers and the records of his sentencing including the massive restitution fine ordered by the court. The presumption does not apply to a guilt plea.



This is accurate enough - although it left out that the restitution fines totaled $186,000. Gene never acknowledged Stephen's actual status as a felon while he continued to vaguely refer to Stephen's legal problems and a supposed settlement.



Gene acknowledges that he helped Stephen evade the terms of his probation, but he is vague on the dates and perhaps implies that it occurred after 2010.

Gene became president of Numis Gems in 2004. The website was copyrighted to Gene's "Making the Impossible" during this time. Gene told me that he only helped with the web site, but the sole reason for transferring the corporate ownership was to make Gene have legal control. During various proceedings, Stephen referred to Gene as the owner of the business and sought to modify probation so that he could be employed by Gene.



Why wasn't restitution discussed? Stephen was under a court judgment that entailed $186,000. Gene states that he had given Stephen around 200,000 and Gene owed tens of thousands of dollars in judgments related to this. Perhaps Gene should have discussed restitution - if they did not mention it, it says a lot about both Stephen and Gene.



Gene consistently referred to this as a settlement rather than a stock sale be when he sent out solicitations or posted on various sites. There is a difference.



I began my search to find records of a court action that Stephen had brought that could account for an outstanding case at the time of Stephen's death. I did not find anything in Arizona or federal courts. Since Gene refers to out of state attorneys in his article, I might have not have seen it if it was in a different jurisdiction - I'll look further as time permits.

However, until Gene provides specific information - and I trust that he can do so here - I attribute this to the same kind of allegation that described how a vengeful woman harassed Stephen even though he was consistently victorious in court.



At the time of Stephen's death he was trying to find new victims to invest in a proven financial opportunity that would change their bottom line. So I do not put much trust in what Stephen maintained or a message left on a telephone.

We return to the idea of a settlement. If Stephen died in the middle of a legal action, that could be carried on by his estate. Any attorney who filed a case on Stephen's behalf would be obligated to pursue it and would be speaking to Helene about that.

In 2014 it would hardly be a quick settlement since it had allegedly been expected for ten years. That Gene had been counting on it to repay the money he gave to Stephen might have led him to look over the paperwork, particularly after Stephen's death.

An assurance by Helene without asking to look at anything more? It defies rationality, which might be a mitigating factor for Gene if we take him at his word (cough).



All of the above, but the only roadblock would be from Helene. Certainly she would know about the status of a court case. Gene has stated that Barbara and Helene want to go into business together when things settle down. Maybe it's time for a heart to heart discussion.



I have stated that Gene may have been one of Stephen's victim - his greatest con may have convinced Gene to shield his business and give him money that Gene did not have.

The latest statement, however, demonstrates that Gene clearly knew more about Stephen's affairs than he has admitted in the past. It raises the possibility that Gene may have expected something out of it - beyond repayment - but perhaps this is a wacky conspiracy theory.

But regardless, Gene appears to invoke one of his favorite sayings, "Let's move on."

No Gene, you can do something about it. You asked for money under what is now shown to be false pretenses. To put it charitably, you told less than the full truth even about that which you now acknowledge you knew. You slandered Stephen's victims.

Just saying you have your own problems is not enough. Don't continue to treat Stephen as a victim. At least apologize to Stephen's victims and to those who gave you money based upon your representations. When I contacted Gene, he asked why I cared and said he had nothing to apologize for - it was the other way around. Gene's sense of morality failed.

The Beizer saga has long been used to justify Genes solicitations - from 2003 to his 2018 Facebook appeal. What Gene now writes only confirms how little truth means to him.



We have not stalked Gene. He stalks us for donations, it seems like almost a daily basis even after people try to remove themselves from his list. (I asked him to do this, my wife used the unsubscribe links recommended in his emails).

It was his Gene's words that led us to Stephen's true history and to look at his bankruptcy filings. Gene would not be "stalked" if he had acted with honesty or took responsibility for his actions - if he made some attempt to change his financial situation or sought help from resources other than his mailing list.

Really, Gene you spent you last $1.08 on a cheeseburger rather than to go to the food bank, enjoy a free nutritious meal at your local senior center, and register for low income senior housing?

Well said, I still sometimes question whether he is really staying in a motel or if he's somewhere else, staying with someone or has another apartment and just using the motel bit to drum up some fast cash...All the bs and lies from him makes me question everything and he says in order to beg for money...

...
 
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