Updates on Paracast Host Gene Steinberg 'Emergency' Cash Solicitations

[Last updated June 30, 2018]

This is a follow up to a Jan. 2, 2018, blog post, Gene Steinberg Personal 'Emergency' Cash Solicitations Span Years, Hundreds of Emails. See the original post for information on Steinberg's years of repetitive cash solicitations framed as emergencies. This post will serve as a place to publish ongoing updates and developments. Check back for periodic updates.

For more info on Steinberg's email cash solicitations, follow @SchemeGeneRC on Twitter. You may also choose to keep an eye on a UFO Trail Twitter thread tracking a year to date total of Steinberg's email solicitations. 


Steinberg 2018 email solicitations, last updated June 30, 2018:


June (17)

Here are my current obstacles!                            June 29

Stop the presses!                                                June 28

Still under attack!                                                June 27

The online stalkers are relentless!                         June 25

Update on the fight of my life!                              June 21

It's time for me to fight back!                               June 19

Online stalkers have attacked me again!                June 18

A close encounter with the constable!                    June 15

Barbara is trying to heal from major surgery!         June 14

Back to the cheap motel!                                      June 13

Once again my fate is in your hands!                     June 13

Update on Barbara!                                              June 12

I can't go through this anymore!                            June 11

Another weekend waiting for the end!                     June 10

My life has turned upside down!                             June 9

An early June update!                                            June 8

A brief look at the obstacles I'm facing!                   June 4

May (14)

A Q&A Update!                                                      May 30

Discouraging news!                                                May 29

Rush Update!                                                         May 25

An Urgent Request                                                 May 25

Under Siege Update!                                               May 25

Under Siege!                                                          May 22

The hate campaign intensifies!                                May 20

Going for broke!                                                     May 17

My situation so far!                                                 May 15

Weekend update on hacking!                                   May 11

It appears to be ID theft!                                         May 8

Update on bank hack!                                              May 7

Hacked again!                                                         May 5

May update!                                                            May 1


April (15)

I'm under attack!                                                     Apr 24

Some progress!                                                       Apr 19

The Wrap-Up!                                                          Apr 14

Weekend update!                                                     Apr 13

Closer to the end!                                                    Apr 11

Urgent Moving Update                                              Apr 11

Moving Day!                                                            Apr 11

The night before!                                                     Apr 10

The final stretch – I hope!                                         Apr 10

I'm trying to save my life!                                         Apr 9

An impossible situation!                                            Apr 7

I came real close!                                                     Apr 5

The house hunting continues!                                    Apr 4

An impossible juggling match!                                   Apr 3

Where it stands!                                                       Apr 2

March (32)

Nearly homeless!                                                     Mar 31

A critical progress report!                                         Mar 30

Trying to find a new home!                                       Mar 29

One day at a time!                                                   Mar 28

A Wednesday deadline!                                             Mar 27

A two-day reprieve from homelessness!                     Mar 26

Rush update!                                                           Mar 25

I'm hours from being homeless!                                Mar 25

I'm hours from being homeless!                                Mar 25
[same title, different email and e-list]

Last minute emergency!                                           Mar 23

I'm a day from being homeless!                                Mar 23

Wednesday update!                                                  Mar 22

Running out of motel money!                                    Mar 21

Memo from the cheap motel!                                    Mar 20

A Monday emergency!                                              Mar 18

I need a place to live!                                               Mar 17

We lost our home!                                                    Mar 16

I don't know if this is my last day!                             Mar 16

Update on the lock out threat!                                   Mar 15

I'll probably lose my apartment today!                       Mar 15

The final warning from the property manager!            Mar 14

I hope it's not too late!                                             Mar 13

Still waiting to be forced out!                                    Mar 12

Waiting to be locked out!                                          Mar 12

Second weekend update!                                          Mar 11

I'm out of answers!                                                  Mar 10

It's time for desperate measures!                              Mar 9

I don't think I have a solution this time!                     Mar 7

Waiting for the end!                                                 Mar 6

Bringing you up to date!                                           Mar 4

I'm desperate so I took a chance!                              Mar 1

I hope this isn't my last update!                                Mar 1


February (10)

The final days!                                                         Feb 27

Troubles are piling up!                                              Feb 27

A setback!                                                               Feb 24

They keep finding more things!                                 Feb 22

Still living in suspense!                                             Feb 21

Update on Barbara's medical issues!                          Feb 16

No answers yet!                                                       Feb 13

Maybe a problem!                                                    Feb 8

I'm still fighting for my future!                                   Feb 7

Early February Update!                                             Feb 2


January (10)

There is still time!                                                    Jan 29

Waiting for the constable!                                         Jan 25

It's panic time!                                                        Jan 24

The Assistant Property Manager Sets a Date!             Jan 22

It's down to just a few days once again!                    Jan 22

I may need a place to live soon!                               Jan 18

Living under a new threat!                                       Jan 16

Not a happy Tuesday!                                              Jan 9

Seeking a final solution!                                           Jan 8

An Early January Update!                                         Jan 2

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

Updated May 31, 2018

Gene Steinberg, the longtime host of Paracast and Tech Night Owl, followed up his fever pitched, 32-email March eviction campaign by claiming his bank account was hacked and funds were drained. Steinberg later suggested there wasn't enough money in the account to pay his bills anyway, so he needed more donations, whatever all that's supposed to mean. His base was bombarded with another 29 emailed urgent solicitations for cash since the March blitz. Copies of the emails and claims contained therein may be viewed @SchemeGeneRC. 

The convoluted circumstances culminated into a dizzying mix of alleged hacks, players and sock puppets. Resulting story lines include the apparent departure of Paracast co-host Christopher O'Brien, a Paracast forum moderator jumping ship, a Steinberg-launched Facebook fundraising campaign titled, “Utterly Urgent! I Need Help Now!”, and what @SchemeGeneRC dubbed “The Ballad of Paranormal Davey,” just to name a few. The latter involved an interaction between Steinberg and a Paracast forum member claiming to have recently inherited a significant sum of money and leading Steinberg to believe a gift was imminent. Steinberg appears to have then informed the individual, “$15k will do wonders as a start.” 

The collective circumstances and ongoing antics inspired hundreds of comments on this blog alone. The topic of Steinberg's shenanigans sprung up on multiple fronts. They include Twitter, reddit, and a host of various websites, forums and blogs. Among them is a discussion forum, Alien Expanse, where former Paracast participants seem eager to discuss their concerns and disappointments. Another example is a blog site, mikefrancesca.com, which has an ongoing post by a tech blogger which offers updates on the Steinberg saga while advocating his associates be informed of the circumstances.

“The company that is the prime support for this grifter operation is GCN Live,” the blogger wrote, questioning if the company “is aware that Gene Steinberg uses his radio shows to gain a listener email list that he can continually beg for money to support his lifestyle...” 

Various comments at this blog and around e-town suggest Paracast forum members were banned and subscriptions were canceled, seemingly for inquiring about Steinberg's antics. A recurring theme is that such individuals prefer anonymity, for reasons including the fear of retribution for publicly questioning the circumstances. They also commonly suggest they are personally embarrassed for having ever contributed cash for reasons framed as temporary and urgent, only to later discover the solicitations are long term and never ending.

As one individual claimed at Alien Expanse, “I paid Gene Steinberg a LOT of money... Gene Steinberg phooled [sic] all of us. I feel ashamed.”

It appears Steinberg has no intention of ceasing his ongoing email solicitations for “emergency” cash. Neither are there any indications he is willing to take responsibility for his personal and financial circumstances. There simultaneously seems no end in sight to the consequences he repeatedly brings upon himself. It would be difficult to envision any credible reporting on paranormal topics could exist within the turmoil long inherent to the Paracast culture, if not seriously question if Steinberg ever valued credible reporting at all as compared to his email campaign.  

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

Updated April 1, 2018

When you bill yourself as " the gold standard" you have to expect being held accountable for your actions.

— Robert Godfrey (@volatileRoss) March 15, 2018

Gene Steinberg sent more email solicitations during March than days in the month. The at least 32 messages described housing crises, perpetual past due rent, and eventual hit and miss motel reservations. Each email contained a PayPal link and/or instructions for donating via other means, such as wiring money to the Paracast host.

Following his latest eviction, Steinberg explained to email recipients he needed cash for a motel room while also requiring donations for an “affordable” new home. It was unclear what he defined as affordable, and to whom, given his past emails indicate he, personally, has failed to be financially responsible for a residence for years. As one individual put it, the only person who doesn't seem to realize this doesn't work is Gene – which brings us to what many interpret to be two primary points:

First of all, those who choose to consider donating to Steinberg would be well advised to fully understand the history of the circumstances. Some ten-plus years of past emails and website posts give no indication whatsoever the situation will ever be resolved to Steinberg's satisfaction. It has gone on and on, there is no reason to suspect “emergency” solicitations to cease, and every reason to suspect they will continue, given the observable history and lack of viable plan for improvement. Donors should be advised their money is requested and apparently required on a monthly, if not daily, basis.

Secondly, we might collectively consider, as a community, the implications of the actions. We have both the right and responsibility to do so. The inherent contradictions are profound of an individual conducting their affairs in this manner who bills them self as a high quality standard of community reporting. It arguably epitomizes the challenges faced by ufology, and why the genre chronically remains relegated to the punch line of jokes. In summary, the actions of any given individual cannot logically suggest them completely incompetent at financial and personal responsibility, if not seemingly oblivious to the situation, yet simultaneously qualified in an expert capacity to analyze and sort out complex issues that are part and parcel of the ufology landscape. It is simply irrational.

In a March 25 email, Steinberg wrote, "I didn't think it would come to this after all these years."

We might, however, question how that could possibly be, given a sample of Steinberg quotes using the search term "homeless" and drawn from emails dated from 2014 to present:

It is difficult to accept these as the actions of a person we should either enable or rely upon for accurate information. 

Similarly, @SchemeGeneRC offered a sample of Steinberg quotes concerning his rent status and emailed between early February and mid-March:

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

Updated March 1, 2018

Gene Steinberg email blasts for cash continued to mount through February, including ten more with such subject lines as The final days!, Troubles are piling up!, and I'm fighting for my future!. The latest reports of poverty brought the 2018 total to 20 email solicitations distributed by the Paracast host. The circumstances, described by Steinberg as setbacks, chronically include costs of rent, utilities and groceries, as, according to the podcaster, he has been without for many years. His 2018 current average of ten per month put him on pace for a few less total email cash solicitations than the 139 sent in 2017. The emails consistently contain descriptions of situations framed as emergencies along with PayPal links for sending cash.

"I don't have enough cash for groceries and other needs, and the property manager needs the rent in full, through March, to allow us to live here," Steinberg wrote in his Feb. 24 email titled A setback!.

"Despite the setback," he continued, "I will get out of this nightmare - with your help."

The statements prompted one Twitter user to ponder the exact nature of the "setback." There's nothing to indicate any sort of setback, they observed, just that Steinberg is expected to pay his rent and bills like everybody else. 

"This truly has caught me off guard," another Twitter user responded sarcastically. "I sure hope rent won't be due next month or that we ever have to eat again."

The criticism results from Steinberg's very similar emails sent in January, at which time he was reportedly raising funds for rent and living expenses. The same was the case in December, as well as a seemingly never ending trail of cash requests before that: quite literally years of solicitations for rent, utilities, and miscellaneous bills. The theme is long recurring.

Meanwhile, Steinberg continued using his affiliation with the Paracast as a means to promote his personal fundraising activities, as pictured below.

The connection between the Paracast and Steinberg's cash requests became a bone of contention with current and former co-hosts. Steinberg claimed his soliciting is "not at all connected with the radio show, the Paracast newsletter or the forum," an assertion which proved patently false.

The longtime Paracast host has yet to describe how the e-list was otherwise compiled. Similarly, Steinberg's email solicitations continue to be noticeably absent specific details of his monthly living expenses, his monthly income, and explanations why potential donors should think it wise to contribute to what, by his own account, is perpetually a financial failure.


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


Posted Feb. 1, 2018

Following the initial UFO Trail blog post on Steinberg's email campaign, his Paracast co-host Christopher O'Brien weighed in. O'Brien expressed concerns surrounding the chronic cash requests and subsequent integrity of the show. Following up on his concerns, O'Brien stated in a Feb. 1 email, quoted with his permission:

I'm looking to shake some things up in my life, Jack. I've grown tired of being taken for granted by some folks in this field and I'm tired of being ignored by others in these so-called fields of "research." I'm leaving Arizona and am returning to the East Coast (where I lived for 16 years) for a few months to finish up several projects and to help out a longtime friend. I am also planning changes in my broadcasting pursuits and am considering some exciting potential opportunities. Also, very soon there will be an important announcement about the San Luis Valley Camera/Monitoring Project. 

Steinberg's stance, as demonstrated in public comments, was that his solicitations have nothing to do with Paracast, specifically stating his cash requests are "not at all connected with the radio show, the Paracast newsletter or the forum." No explanation was offered, however, of how the e-list used for solicitations was compiled if not from the Paracast following and the interest generated by its co-hosts and guests. Moreover, a review of facts directly and firmly contradicts Steinberg's assertion.

The cash requests, which number well into the hundreds, have been broadcast for several years from a paracast.com email address. That continues to be the case in 2018. Steinberg emailed ten such solicitations during January, 2018, originating from a paracast.com address. 

A Twitter account operated by Steinberg, titled @theparacast and displaying a Paracast logo, is commonly used to promote Steinberg's purported plight and subsequent cash requests. A couple 2018 tweets, dated Jan. 25 and Jan. 24:

Examples of Steinberg's similar use of the social media site and his Paracast affiliation from 2017:

The initial UFO Trail blog post, the very article where Steinberg left comments asserting his personal cash solicitations are "not at all connected with the radio show," contained a link to a Paracast web page on which Steinberg wrote about his purported plight at length. Descriptions of his financial challenges, rent, food costs and several more such items were outlined. Steinberg did not acknowledge in his comments the contradiction between the link contained in the post and his claim the Paracast is in no way connected to his ongoing cash requests. 

There are many such examples. At this writing, a Paracast web page contains a typical Steinberg email solicitation, this one titled, Here We Go Again!. In the Nov. 28, 2017, message Steinberg tells readers how a housing move decimated his finances. Cash donations were therefore needed for rent, as well as utilities, internet, "and other important bills" for which he "received shutoff notices," he wrote. No information was included on why such reported decimation remains a constant state. 

A thread currently exists on the Paracast forum titled, LET'S HELP GENE!. Readers are encouraged to donate cash to Steinberg for situations he describes as "complicated." The thread, started Dec. 26, 2015, includes a post by Steinberg in which he references the long recurring theme of rent problems.

"Still fighting the good fight," Steinberg informs Paracast forum members in a Feb. 28, 2016, post in the thread. "The creditor/landlord threats are still there, but I won't give up."

Comments submitted at The UFO Trail and emails received from a variety of individuals repeatedly further contradicted Steinberg's claim the Paracast is off limits to his solicitations. One comment explained how during the first ever email exchange between the person and who they termed the host of the Paracast, Steinberg asked for cash because "his wife had screwed up their checkbook for the weekend, there was no food in the house, and they had no access to money." Another comment indicated it was after signing up for the Paracast forum that the individual "started receiving the constant begging emails." 

The above narratives and examples are common. Further citations are available with a frequency making them repetitive. The claimed separation of Paracast and Steinberg's continuous calls for emergency funding is markedly inaccurate.

Steinberg's email solicitations so far in 2018 focus primarily upon his latest reported eviction, which is no less than the third time he has used an eviction to fuel a series of email solicitations since the 2016-17 turn of the year. It was also a common theme long before that. He sent 139 total email cash solicitations in 2017 (See the previously referenced post for more info). 

As suggested by the email subject lines, Steinberg tends to write of a "faceless corporation" attempting to collect rent he admittedly owes yet does not pay, all allegedly under the looming threat of a constable. His fate is in our hands, he often writes, adding, "The best way to help me keep a roof over my head is to send a PayPal donation." A PayPal link and related instructions are included in each email.