Anyway even if he did say that I would not believe it to be true any more than anything else Bezier said, firstly Gene has a history of bad credit going back to at least the 1990s so there is no way he could have had or obtained that amount of money. It is not a small loan - it's mortgage level borrowing. I also find it hard to believe he could have obtained such a huge sum from begging - the 44k sum was amazing enough.
Secondly if as Bezier was aware of Gene's begging on his behalf it is quite possible that he would have forged whatever documents he wanted to play in to whatever storyline he thought Gene was presenting - anyone can make a promissory note especially if they thought it would help there little scam gain more traction.
As I recall there were over $35,000 in judgments against Gene from 2006-2008. Gene told me that he obtained these loans to help Beizer and got stuck when the settlement never came through. You can believe this explanation or not, but it is consistent with what Stephen wrote to the court.
Gene's ability to obtain further loans even late into the game was amazing. The Torson loans, car loans, Mr Amazing, Speedy cash, Green Trust Cash . . . All the while begging his listeners for more. I don't think that the $44,000 received from Torson slowed him down.
Even if Gene started out as a victim, emptying his accounts for Stephen, he quickly moved on and learned how to seek money from his listeners.
If I wanted to engage in conspiracy speculation - and who doesn't? - I might think that Stephen and Gene planned out the Torson affair to make Gene judgment proof. Certainly it did not seem to interfere with their relationship.
By the time Stephen renounced repayment, I would have expected Gene to be screaming. Instead he continued to assert the settlement was real and that Stephen tragically died before it could be received.
I think - my supposition alone - that he continued to help Stephen with the Numis site, even as Stephen searched for new victims who could be lured into a proven financial opportunity. Gene denies this. Stephen's letter claiming lack of internet knowledge might make this more likely. In the end, who do you believe?
It may matter little if the letter represents a falling out or a new plan to get more money. Stephen and Helene did what they did. Gene continued to advance the settlement claim in dealing with Torson, long after he should have known it was not true. He still treats them as victims. He still begs for more.
It's too bad Torson got caught between the two.
