Gene Steinberg's Financial Shenanigans @ Paracast forums

[DavidVincent]

yes I realise now that this has been a many-headed monster in its time - with big money involved, but I think he's pretty much on his last legs now ... almost literally. The public is certainly much more forearmed now for sure

 

[The shadow]

yes I realise now that this has been a many-headed monster in its time - with big money involved, but I think he's pretty much on his last legs now ... almost literally. The public is certainly much more forearmed now for sure

David please check out the many UFO topics that we have! so many different things to discuss

 

[goblin]

well what's the worst that can happen? And at the end of the day as "Bogey" would say "it don't amount to a hill of beans"

I didn't realise that Gene was quite so old - he's really got himself into a pitiable state hasn't he? I think by now everyone is aware of the extent and history of his long standing "grifting" campaign and should anybody now consent or fall for it then more fool them. His past misdemeanors (which I don't really want to go in to) are obviously never going to be repaid and so are very much "sunk costs" for those affected. I do see much point in pursuing them much further really.

I think you guys have done sterling service in bringing these matters to light - but given the above - and especially his age maybe it might be best to ease up on him a little and let him alone to his Paracast hobby horse? Everyone needs some sense of purpose in life. Maybe just leave it to highlighting the ongoing grifting emails only, if that? It looks like the Paracast is pretty much a dead duck now in any event.

Now that Randle guy sure likes to pseudo-philosophise doesn't he? But again participation in the Paracast and his own site gives him some sense of purpose in life and he's essentially harmless. He seems a fairly kind well meaning sort of guy - even if he does try to defend the indefensible - but obviously he doesn't do it very well !

First I want to say I really appreciate your posts but here and at the Paracast. I feel you've hit the nail squarely on the head many times and expressed yourself admirably. I hope you continue to participate in this forum - not necessarily in this thread, but in the forum. There's more to this place than just the vortex of Gene madness I tend to inhabit.

I hear you on the age thing. In general I'd feel bad about 'picking on' a 73 year old. And damn I'm certain it's tough to get by at that age in the USA for many, many people.

What keeps me coming back to the Gene saga is, I think:

- Gene himself just doesn't stop and his emails are so 'cliffhangery' at times it feels like something is about to happen, something change, so I keep paying attention. Sad but true. And it's like some true crime mystery, the weirdness of it all. Is there any chance of ever learning more of the truth of the situation.

- Gene's dishonesty and behavior toward those who question him gets my goat. Big time. I'll admit I want to see some comeuppance.

- Honestly, I don't want the topic to get buried again and Gene to fleece a new set of listeners. I think keeping the topic alive and word out there reduces the chances he'll land another Torson (the fellow he bilked out of $44,000 a few years ago).

I've said before Gene's dedication to the Paracast, his hobby horse as you say, would seem to me admirable in a cockeyed way other than that I think it's become just a way to have an audience to beg from. I don't think he cares about the topic, he doesn't seem interested in the guests (hard to blame him after so many years), he seems to put the bare minimum of effort into episodes. I know Gene calls himself a legitimate journalist but I think that he has huge credibility problems, and I'd say at some point the begging became more important to him than the podcasting. But it has to be said, he does facilitate a new episode of the Paracast every week.

I dunno I need to give this stuff a rest but I keep looking at it.

 

[Standingstones]

yes I realise now that this has been a many-headed monster in its time - with big money involved, but I think he's pretty much on his last legs now ... almost literally. The public is certainly much more forearmed now for sure

The problem with what you say is that Steinberg has been on “his last legs” for the past 12-15 years. He is still going strong try to weasel money out of others. Just check out how many times he needs to pay his motel rent that day or he is out on the street. It hasn’t happened one time. He never once had to live in his car. It’s all bullshit and people need to hear this so they won’t get taken in.

 

[DavidVincent]

yes thanks to you all I will look at other threads in due course, although I don't imagine that be I'll taking much of an interest in ufology again after having given it up for Lent decades ago

certainly this Steinberg thing could all too easily become the royal route to madness - so I'm definitely given that up. although that Randle guy is complete hoot there's nothing more hilarious than an amateur pseudo-philosopher - the sort that's so tied up with definitions that they can never even get around to deciding whether they'll have egg or cornflakes for breakfast ..... on one hand.......

 

[The shadow]

some years ago I 1st heard Gene's plight. I sent him cash. My wife tapped her emergency fund thinking that he was about to be evicted. time passed Gene did not escape from the situation. I thought he was luckless. but.. who in the world was hacked twice?
now on to the claim that his property manager was stalked.
Gene as he was being evicted from the luxury Desert mirage posted the name email and phone number of his property manager! someone sent her flowers and an email telling her what he did with an apology . Gene claims he had a chance to stay until that happened. this is untrue.. they already filed to have him removed.

 

[GhostofBiedny]

The problem with what you say is that Steinberg has been on “his last legs” for the past 12-15 years. He is still going strong try to weasel money out of others. Just check out how many times he needs to pay his motel rent that day or he is out on the street. It hasn’t happened one time. He never once had to live in his car. It’s all bullshit and people need to hear this so they won’t get taken in.

It's clearly a lifelong pattern of behaviour. The more you look back into his history the more these emergencies stretch back. He seems to have used this model for getting money of people all his life and it will likely continue until he dies.

There is a reason his family cut him off. For those who aren't aware Gene's elder brother was an extremely wealthy VC who essentially cut off all ties from him - we don't know the exact details but it is possible he realised that there was no way to help him.

Similarly Gene's son has moved to Spain and seems unwilling to lend him a hand - this may have something to do with Gene renting out an apartment in his son's name and then doing his usual scam of not paying the rent, thereby permanently tarnishing the son's credit history.

 

[SilentRunning]

Funny thing -- I had never actually seen any of the emails myself, because when I signed up for the PC forums long years ago, I used an email that I very rarely use now. I take that back, I did get a couple back then -- that was when he was whining about his teeth, when both Jeremy Vaeni and Jeff Ritzmann also fell for it and they collected money for him as well. I contributed to that, I think. It wouldn't have been much, maybe ten bucks, but I'm sure I contributed to that.

Today, I logged into that email looking for something, and clicked into my spam folder. LO AND BEHOLD, there were literally dozens of emails from The Paracast Forum Team, all of which were, of course, the most recent begging emails. Christ on his cross, Gene-O, my husband hasn't been paid since December, and it's not looking good for him anytime soon -- he was told to expect this to go on at least into MARCH.

You're making an utter and absolute fool of yourself, and you're a travesty and a blight upon society, Gene-O. Either learn to live on what you've got, or get a friggin' job, son. Yeah, I know I'm casting pearls before swine, but I'm working my fingers to the bone and my KID had to pay for groceries this week, I'm a little irked.

 

[erickson]

I didn't realise that Gene was quite so old - he's really got himself into a pitiable state hasn't he? I think by now everyone is aware of the extent and history of his long standing "grifting" campaign and should anybody now consent or fall for it then more fool them. His past misdemeanors (which I don't really want to go in to) are obviously never going to be repaid and so are very much "sunk costs" for those affected. I do see much point in pursuing them much further really.

I agree that Gene's situation is sad. I just retired and would not want to be in his position. Still, he is facing old age with more resources than many - and many have had true emergencies to deal with. There is a problem that goes beyond Gene.

But I think the past is relevant. As of last year, Gene was citing the story about his brother in law on facebook appeals and in places like the UFO Trail, maintaining that Stephen had died before he received an expected settlement that would have allowed him to repay Gene. That made no sense to me, so out of curiosity I decided to find out if Stephen had brought a legal action. I learned that rather than being the victim of a vengeful woman (as Gene had written), Stephen had been convicted after facing numerous theft and fraud charges.

I wrote to Gene about this not because I expected him to repay the people who had given him money under false pretenses, but because I believed that it was important for him to be honest about his past. Gene replied he had nothing to apologize for.

We later learned that Gene used the "settlement" to obtain $44,000 from James Torson, long after Biedny had written that it was nonexistent.

And now we continue to hear from Randall that Gene has never scammed anyone.

The past is relevant. It is not about repaying the victims, but about credibility. As a starting point, Gene should apologize even if he had somehow believed that the story he had written about Stephen was true.

By looking at court records, I also learned that Gene was soliciting for money while trying to maintain a luxury apartment and car payments - after putting almost $14,000 down on the car. Again, the past is relevant not because Gene will repay me and others who gave him money during this time, but because credibility is important.

Again, we hear from Randall that Gene has never scammed anyone.

It's not that I would deny Gene his "hobby horse" (as you call it) And I am not a hater and stalker (as Gene writes). Far from it, I have urged Gene to take steps that could get him out of his present cycle and lessen any emergency he feels - he could get immediate help and eventually be in a situation to make at least small repayments to a Torson even though his debt is legally discharged through bankruptcy.

Gene has refused to do so and instead we get regular appeals for more help - although both my wife and I have attempted to get off his emails.

It is a sad situation.

 

[The shadow]

From SGRC.. this is the email where Gene printed his property manager name email and phone all hidden by SGRC.

 

[The shadow]

here he recounts the episode also from SGRC

 

[GhostofBiedny]

 

[nivek]

although that Randle guy is complete hoot there's nothing more hilarious than an amateur pseudo-philosopher - the sort that's so tied up with definitions that they can never even get around to deciding whether they'll have egg or cornflakes for breakfast ..... on one hand.......

I noticed that too, his head was so tied up in that mental dictionary of his, at times it seemed he was playing the revisionist with the dictionary with a couple posts digging into the thesaurus lol, cherry picking words from other replies like yours, imagine him driving up to a roundabout...

...

 

[goblin]

yes thanks to you all I will look at other threads in due course, although I don't imagine that be I'll taking much of an interest in ufology again after having given it up for Lent decades ago

certainly this Steinberg thing could all too easily become the royal route to madness - so I'm definitely given that up. although that Randle guy is complete hoot there's nothing more hilarious than an amateur pseudo-philosopher - the sort that's so tied up with definitions that they can never even get around to deciding whether they'll have egg or cornflakes for breakfast ..... on one hand.......

I don't know how you managed to keep going with J. Randall Murphy. I gave up. There is no communicating with him. More and more I think Gene likes to get sauced, be a prick online, watch TV shows and get money for nothing. Done.

But J. Randall Murphy? I don't even know what's up with that guy. He seems perversely committed to minimizing and dismissing all concerns about Gene's behavior. Because we should be so grateful to Gene for continuing to crank out a podcast that's well past its 'best by' date? In his mind if I follow Gene's just poor and there's nothing wrong with how (and how often) he asks for donations, and it hasn't wrecked the Steinberg's lives at all. Never mind the lenders or landlords it's hurt.

Yes, USI Calgary, we must disagree; but your stance feels like performance art to me at this point. Time will tell.

 

[GiantsBain]

Steinberg, to the satisfaction of many observers--including me--of public facts, has made false statements about his status, and then solicited money behind those statements. That disgusts people. In fact, that understandably disgusts people. Reasonable people have common sense and know how life works.

It is only possible to accept the Randallbot's "logic" about the ethics behind this if his entire logical framework is allowed to rest on the same logical foundation as "Caveat Emptor." Like a used car salesman, see? He pretty much uses pure reductionist logic every time. So go ahead and reduce it all the way. It's all about his ethically antiseptic kind of "foolish consistency [being] the hobgoblin of [his] small mind." Pay him no heed. Logically speaking, he's kind of a dingleberry.

 

[GhostofBiedny]

 

[GhostofBiedny]

 

[nivek]

 

[GhostofBiedny]

Sorry for posting lots of these from UFOtrail but there are some really great responses there today and the comments section there isn't really ideal for discussion:

 

[GhostofBiedny]