Gene Steinberg's Financial Shenanigans @ Paracast forums

It is also darkly humorous to think he has been Paranormal Davied at least twice in the past several weeks. Took the bait hook, line, and sinker both times and "asked" for an absurd amount. Yer true colors are shining through, Gene.
 

Black Angus

Honorable
Yeah its one of those cards that just keeps coming up in the shuffle

DeaUYttVAAAK2F2.jpg
 

Black Angus

Honorable
Its interesting that Gene is claiming Davey's IP was coming out of the IRS.
I doubt spoofing an IRS addy is easy, its seems more logical that this might have been an actual IRS sting.
Get his details and see what hes been getting and declaring.

If they catch him they will put a roof over his head for years...................
 

goblin

Noble
Its interesting that Gene is claiming Davey's IP was coming out of the IRS.
I doubt spoofing an IRS addy is easy, its seems more logical that this might have been an actual IRS sting.
Get his details and see what hes been getting and declaring.

If they catch him they will put a roof over his head for years...................

It would not surprise me if he is being investigated. His lifestyle (reported income compared to rent credit amount claimed perhaps) likely raise red flags.
 

erickson

Honorable
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.
 
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erickson

Honorable
The only thing I would add to this discussion is how Gene always leaves us at the point of emergency.

I received an email on 6/28 (sent to past donors?) stating that he needed $400. By July 5, Gene wrote he was making progress but needed $800-1000.

Then on July 6, there were two general emails stating that it was 102 degrees, the movers were there, it was going to cost more than anticipated and he was still hundreds of dollars short.

We were left with that drama. No follow up thanked those who helped or stated that he barely squeaked by thanks to those who were able to help. No follow up asked for help in finding work, to avoid future problems. Or for that matter, no follow up stated that he was unsuccessful.

So we are left with the drama hanging in the air until the next emergency, which is sure to come.
 
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The only thing I would add to this discussion is how Gene always leaves us at the point of emergency.

I received an email on 6/28 (sent to past donors?) stating that he needed $400. By July 5, Gene wrote he was making progress but needed $800-1000.

Then on July 6, there were two general emails stating that it was 102 degrees, the movers were there, it was going to cost more than anticipated and he was still hundreds of dollars short.

We were left with that drama. No follow up thanked those who helped or stated that he barely squeaked by thanks to those who were able to help. No follow up asked for help in finding work, to avoid future problems. Or for that matter, no follow up stated that he was unsuccessful.

So we are left with the drama hanging in the air until the next emergency, which is sure to come.

It's just the typical weekend cliffhanger. Some of us have been seeing this behavior for ten years or more. Yes, it gets old very quickly.

I doubt we'd all be here following the every move of some ordinary sleazeball, at least not for long. Gene has done some interesting things, and his Paracast used to be pretty darn good a lot of the time. The forum was excellent in many ways for quite a while. He's managed to chase off an impressive list of intelligent and interesting participants over the years, though. I've not been there for close to a year, but reports are it is all but dead.
 

goblin

Noble
Wow, thank you Erickson. That fills in some details.

I'm impressed you maintain some compassion for Gene; he's come across too ugly too many times for me. But I can wish he would at least realize what he has been doing isn't working, and doubling down (e.g. his jaw droppingly entitled "go for broke" appeal emails in May - "Hey what if everyone just gives me as much as they possibly can RIGHT NOW?") is more likely to make things worse rather than better. His short term solution is spent, but he keeps attempting to use it solve the long term problems he has created. He seems too arrogant to accept this. That or compulsive behavior is driving this.

I too have thought Patreon could work for him; I certainly see other podcasts using it, and to all appearances with great success. I give $10 a month to a particular podcast, and $5 apiece to a pair of artists whose work I enjoy. Frankly I'd like to give more but that is my 'Patreon budget' for the time being. This is filtered through my poor opinion of him but I've suspected Gene stays away from Patreon as it involves a certain amount of transparency and accountability. Plus Patreon takes some of the money. He'd much sooner keep appealing for donations, and reminding people to make sure Paypal does not claim the least little crumb.
 

UAPwatchdog

Honorable
The only thing I would add to this discussion is how Gene always leaves us at the point of emergency.

I received an email on 6/28 (sent to past donors?) stating that he needed $400. By July 5, Gene wrote he was making progress but needed $800-1000.

Then on July 6, there were two general emails stating that it was 102 degrees, the movers were there, it was going to cost more than anticipated and he was still hundreds of dollars short.

We were left with that drama. No follow up thanked those who helped or stated that he barely squeaked by thanks to those who were able to help. No follow up asked for help in finding work, to avoid future problems. Or for that matter, no follow up stated that he was unsuccessful.

So we are left with the drama hanging in the air until the next emergency, which is sure to come.

I've observed this too, as I pointed out a few posts back, it's like he moves onto the next emergency as soon as one deadline passes and doesn't mention anything else. It's how a scam artist works - make things the least amount of transparent as possible so he doesn't have to watch for inconsistencies or point out criticisms of his logic. It's only when public records come up of things like eviction does it come to light that he's spending 1100-1200 dollars in a gated apartment complex he cannot afford.

It doesn't make sense with why things like car registration are going unpaid, allegedly preventing him from earning money with his ride sharing 'job'- but at the same time he's setting aside money to pay for other things like storage and movers. Like he's looking for an excuse to not have to do anything, even if he has to create the excuse situation to begin with.

The fact is, the more he says and the more than comes to light, shows more and more how he doesn't act in good faith and is deceitful. This is why he moves from one thing to another, just like the last place he was evicted from - once he got into his $1200 a month apartment, he was asking for things like server cost and car insurance to replace a broken windshield

He never thanks anyone, never is transparent about his actual income, never is transparent about his budget - what he pays for rent, food, etc. He knows he's not acting in good faith and is just taking advantage of others for his own gain, and just wants to take unsuspecting people's money and not hear the criticisms about his lifestyle that have been repeated over and over by his co-hosts, guests, and other people who have encountered him.
 

UAPwatchdog

Honorable
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.

I don't know how I missed this, but this is impressive research, well done! And it's pretty damning, listing he gets at least $33,000 a year in income doing nothing, just from SS and The Paracast! And another poster mentioned his Paracast check is equal to combined social security, so it sounds like he low-balled his bankruptcy income (of course.)

I mean that's not a humongous amount, but for essentially doing nothing, that is something plenty of people could live off of if they used SNAP (food stamps) as well as lived in a reasonable situation.

And here's more for thought: Wal-Mart minimum wage is $11 an hour, but most areas likely pay more. If Gene went and worked as a greeter or as a whatever for just six hours a day (30 hours a week) - he would be somewhere around $17000 a year. Add that to existing revenue, doing a bare minimum job, based on his own bankruptcy reporting he would be making $50,000 a year.

It is insane to me he doesn't understand what is wrong with begging so much. Is there any way you can post the bankruptcy record on here? It is public record, so it's not like its protected or anything, and would show exactly how much income he is bringing in.
 

humanoidlord

ce3 researcher
Don't worry, looks like Gene is alright. No update today, but with his life on the line and well being under massive threat, he was able to pop in his forums to post scans of a homemade magazine he did in 1971 with his ex-wife, where you can ask him any questions, and his ex-wife may be available for questions!

Gene Steinberg's Caveat Emptor

I'm glad to see priorities are straight here. No word on what happened with being hundreds short on car registration, paying movers, paying storage, paying the hotel, and finding a permanent place to live. But hey, if you wanted some info on a fringe typewritten magazine from 47 years ago that he created, he's got you covered!
annnd its a new age magazine
you can add turning paranormal phenomena into a joke in his list of crimes angaist humanity
 

humanoidlord

ce3 researcher
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:



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.
hey
 

UAPwatchdog

Honorable
of course not, though he is obviously reading this thread

Of course, how else is he going to get new material for his persecution complex begging email? Quick, someone make a comment in jest about his dog, so he can play the victim again in his next update. "My stalkers even said they would steal my poor dog's heartworm medication! Give me money."
 

3FEL9

Islander
of course not, though he is obviously reading this thread

Thats really sick-ening.. IMHO

Besides - How do you know ?

Who are upset ? Those who paid him or those who didnt ? Or me reading this thread , lol
Can I block it ? Just for me ?
 
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