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It took several records requests, multiple granted appeals, and an order issued by the Utah State Records Committee, but Uintah County was finally convinced to release its 2023 PhenomeCon contracts to Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR). Legal counsel for Uintah County argued the contracts, which the County calls “Talent Agreements,” were exempt from disclosure, right up to the point the State Records Committee unanimously ruled otherwise in March. Nonetheless, Uintah County then delayed providing EFR the records until three days past the end of the 30-day period allowed for compliance that began April 1, the date the order was formally issued. Access a folder containing the PhenomeCon contracts recently obtained as well as other documents referenced and linked in this blogpost. EFR first obtained heavily redacted versions of the contracts along with dozens of responsive emails through appeal in December. The contracts show names of PhenomeCon speakers and amounts they were to be paid in speaker fees. The more recently received unredacted documents verify how select speakers were in some instances paid five to six times more than their speaker fee. The additional compensation was based on revenue collected through “add on” events they attended, per diem allowances, and similar items. PhenomeCon attendees pay an initial price to get through the door and are then offered opportunities throughout the weekend to pay more money to gain further access to the speakers and participate in extra, or add on, activities. Select speakers receive up to half the net revenue generated during those activities. One of those speakers is Thomas Winterton. He is credited with suggesting the creation of the conference that began in 2021, is a member of a conference organizing committee, and is among the speakers who personally profit most from the county-sponsored event. The circumstances reflect noncompliance with what may be the most fundamental part of universally accepted ethics of managing public funds: no one influencing their allocation benefits personally from their disbursement. Winterton is a cast member of the cable television show The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and, as Uintah County counsel indicated to the State Records Committee, strongly objected to the release of the contracts sought by EFR. Winterton's speaker fee is listed as $1,000. The unredacted formula for establishing his total compensation may now be viewed and includes up to an additional 50% of revenue collected from certain add on events, namely, a behind the scenes dinner, VIP meals, and “Escorted Trips to the Perimeter of Skinwalker Ranch.” From Thomas Winterton's 2023 PhenomeCon contract: Cross-referencing payouts to Thomas Winterton from a file of PhenomeCon expenses obtained through a 2023 records request demonstrates there were $5,873 in payments actually reported to be issued to him for that year's conference. There were also $750 in payments issued to his wife, Melissa Winterton (a $300 speaker fee plus another $450 for add on activities). Some of those payouts are documented in the image below, page one of a three-page 2023 PhenomeCon expense file: That brings the total since 2021 in Uintah County payments issued to Thomas Winterton and his Dabato, LLC, for PhenomeCon, an annual three-day conference, to $16,368. That does not include additional compensation issued to his wife. Winterton's Intermountain Economic Consulting, a firm operated with Secret of Skinwalker Ranch fellow cast members Brandon Fugal and James Morse, was additionally issued a combined $175,500 from Uintah, Daggett and Duchesne Counties in 2021 for economic development services. It is unclear specifically what was provided in exchange for the funds or if the county commissioners were satisfied with the return on the public's investment. None of the several commissioners emailed and left telephone messages chose to respond to the requests for comment made in preparation for EFR's related 2022 blogpost, Skinwalker Cast Members Received $175k in County Economic Development Funds. Additional information revealed in the now unredacted 2023 PhenomeCon contracts includes a paragraph stipulating the “Talent... shall not make any disparaging or derogatory statement regarding the Event or any person or entity connected to the Event”. The contracts also require “exclusivity,” forbidding speakers from appearing at “any fan-related event” within 300 miles between July and October. There is a confidentiality clause, stating, "Talent shall not disclose the terms of this Agreement to any third-party, except Talent's attorney, agent or tax professional (on a need-to-know basis only), who shall agree to be bound by the foregoing confidentiality obligation." Additional contract stipulations include frequency of promotional social media posts and mandatory attendance at press and media events. Uintah County offers to provide the speaker with material for posting on social media as well as personnel for assistance in “dealing with the public” during photo and autograph sessions, ensuring the promotion of PhenomeCon in ways the County and event organizers find most advantageous. EFR contends that substantial conflicts of interest arise when individuals claiming to be conducting scientific research serve up and endorse sensational content and statements in exchange for financial compensation. The PhenomeCon and its relationship with cast members of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch provide textbook examples of such conflicts of interest. It is abundantly clear the cast members, who dubiously claim to be doing scientific investigation at the ranch, have financial incentives to promote sensational content, dismiss prosaic explanations, and obstruct the release of data and information that would jeopardize their personal financial interests. They're arguably contractually obligated. Moreover, Thomas Winterton's participation on the organizing committee creates deeper conflict, given the public funds used to underwrite the conference. In spite of multiple requests, no protocols have ever been provided about how Uintah County and its organizing committee arrive at decisions about who is invited to speak and how their speaker fee and compensation packages are established, circumstances considered to be at the heart of government transparency and ethical best practices. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been budgeted by Uintah County for PhenomeCon. Proponents, such as Uintah County Travel and Tourism Director Lesha Coltharp, argue the event sells tickets to offset expenses and brings substantial revenue to the area. “Coltharp contends the real value is in the money PhenomeCon makes for local businesses,” FOX 13 News Utah reported in February 2023. “She estimates it to be a million dollars.” By September, she apparently opted to substantially back off that claim, cutting the figure in half. “Coltharp estimates the economic benefit to the city and county to be about a half a million dollars,” FOX reported at that time. Winterton denies the inherent conflicts of interest while, similarly to Coltharp, arguing PhenomeCon is responsible for substantial local revenue. During a November 2022 interview with EFR he drew from the hip and fired the assertion that the economic benefits “this year are well north of $600,000 for one week”: The facts of the matter may be explored in records published by the Utah State Tax Commission. PhenomeCon is held in September in Vernal, Utah. Tax records repeatedly fail to show anything particularly significant about September. The two adjacent months were more prosperous four of six times between 2021 and 2023, the years the conference was held. Furthermore, the amounts of taxable sales and purchases in Vernal in September 2023 were actually down from the previous year, while PhenomeCon, according to records obtained from Uintah County, was provided a budget of $215,000 that year, its highest allocation of funds to date. That budget included over $54k for speakers, over $67k for per diem, lodging and travel, and some $48k for catering. The 2021-2023 Vernal taxable sales figures: As shown above, taxable sales and purchases in Vernal during the month of September 2022 totaled $58.1 million, a 30% increase over September of the previous year. However, Vernal taxable sales for the prior month, August 2022, were $55.5 million, a comparable 26% increase over 2021. Neither month came close to taxable sales for October 2022, which totaled $84 million, a steep 84% increase over 2021. For 2023, the most recent conference year, Vernal taxable sales in September were $57.9 million, actually dipping from 2022, while August nonetheless showed an 11% increase over 2022 with sales of $61.6 million and outperforming September 2023. October 2023 taxable sales were down 23% from the prosperous 2022, but at $64.6 million were still significantly higher than September 2023. Thomas Winterton was emailed and provided the records from the Utah State Tax Commission. He was offered an opportunity to comment on the figures and once again invited to provide verification of his assertion PhenomeCon generates in excess of $600k in local revenue the week it takes place. He was also offered an opportunity to explain why he objects to the publication of PhenomeCon contracts. As of this writing, no response was received. Travis Taylor, PhD, is a popular cable television personality, regularly appearing on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and Ancient Aliens. His speaker fee was listed as $3,500 while he was actually issued $9,174.02, according to Uintah County records obtained. Taylor's “add on” events apparently included a behind the scenes dinner and a “VIP Lunch/Dinner.” Additional Skinwalker Ranch associates compensated during Uintah County's 2023 PhenomeCon include Erik Bard (speaker fee, add ons, travel and per diem totaling $7,428.34), Dragon Security (5,638.35), Caleb Bench (4,488.35), George Knapp (3,283.52), and James Keenan (2061.28), among others. Vernal City Manager Quinn Bennion, another reported member of the organizing committee, was issued $279 as part of a “PhenomeCon VIP Dinner.” While PhenomeCon proponents may argue the 2023 budget of $215,000 reportedly raised more than was spent, as suggested by a revenue document obtained, that money cannot be demonstrated to be going back into the community, but into the pockets of the so-called talent and those who cater to them. Critics will continue to assert the funds of the public are being used for the financial enrichment of the few.

Records responsive to Mithril Capital were recently provided to Expanding Frontiers Research by the FBI. The Peter Thiel venture capital fund became the subject of FBI and SEC investigations as explored in a previous EFR blogpost. SEC issued a letter of “no enforcement action” and the controversial Thiel reportedly became a Bureau informant, though the incidents are not necessarily directly related. FBI initially advised EFR of the existence of over 500 records responsive to its FOIA request. EFR substantially reduced the scope of the request to the first few dozen pages in the interest of conserving expenses while effectively obtaining a comparatively expedited preview. Hundreds more responsive pages apparently remain unprocessed. As explained by FBI in its response letter uploaded at the end of this post, 38 pages of records were reviewed and 28 were released. The released records include reference to potential "fraud against Mithril's investors," as well as email exchanges indicating efforts to find “someone who would be willing and able to help the FBI,” as shown in the following image: FBI apparently opened an investigation into Mithril in 2019, amid concerns of fraud. As described in the memo below, the firm had raised approximately $1.3 billion, the fate of which was in question due to allegations an upper management figure fired qualified personnel and allotted “millions in management fees for himself”: An email sent from an undisclosed party to the San Francisco FBI office outlines the activity of various personnel and describes the firm's “Operation Tempo” as “non-stop.” Following some redacted statements, the writer of the email observes that something, “Doesn't make sense, but whatever,” before adding, “I wish I could offer more information.” The email: Other pages of the records obtained indicate multiple interviews were conducted and substantial FBI resources were “expended to resolve the case.” The investigation was apparently closed in 2023, however the Bureau may have chosen to consider that resolution achieved. Correspondence and records received from FBI concerning Mithril Capital are uploaded below. The responsive records are contained in the files titled Mithril FBI 4 and Mithril FBI 5: ------------------------------------------------ Thank you for your interest in our work at Expanding Frontiers Research. Please consider joining the EFR Patreon or making a contribution via our secure “Donate” button located on our homepage. Your donations help fund fees associated with our FOIA and GRAMA work, the costs of producing our YouTube show, maintaining our website, and general operating expenses. As a Patreon subscriber, you are provided and kept updated on the records we obtain, offered instructional information about submitting records requests, and much more. Expanding Frontiers Research is a Utah nonprofit corporation, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. EIN: 88-3794616.

Expanding Frontiers Research is the winner of a 2023 Utah state-wide contest for the most effective use of public records requests during the year. The competition was sponsored by the Utah Investigative Journalism Project (UIJP), a nonprofit public service journalism and educational resource. EFR was recognized for its use of the Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA. The Utah Investigative Journalism Project, operated by Eric Peterson, generously provided EFR with a $100 cash donation, an article announcing the award in the 2024 Utah Reporters Almanac, and a hard copy of the almanac as rewards for the organization's GRAMA work. “We are honored to have our work recognized by the Utah Investigative Journalism Project,” EFR director Erica Lukes stated. “The importance of the GRAMA can be seen in its use as an effective means to facilitate government transparency and public accountability.” While EFR regularly submits records requests to many agencies on a wide variety of subjects, it was the work on PhenomeCon that stood out. UIJP noted how the annual paranormal-themed conference, which is held in Vernal and leans heavily on unverified claims perpetuated through Skinwalker Ranch, was reported by EFR in 2022 to be financed by the Uintah County government. This led to a series of GRAMA requests submitted by EFR, including one in which emails were sought pertaining to the requesters, Jack Brewer, Erica Lukes and Expanding Frontiers Research. Among other material, the request resulted in EFR obtaining an email showing how Uintah County personnel discussed composing GRAMA responses to EFR, including one in which an employee wrote, "He wants more!", and added they would “rather not” provide different records than their colleague. EFR then appealed the GRAMA response in question to the Uintah County Chief Administrative Officer, arguing the response was incomplete and inadequate. EFR asserted GRAMA responses are not subject to what agency representatives would or would not rather provide, but that personnel are obligated to simply identify responsive records and process them if subject to release under the GRAMA. The appeal resulted in dozens of previously withheld records, including over 90 pages of PhenomeCon “Talent Agreements,” which are contracts undertaken between Uintah County and conference speakers. However, the contracts were heavily redacted, almost completely blacked out, except for names and amounts paid. Uintah County asserted the terms and conditions of the contracts were exempt from release per agreements with the service providers. EFR then appealed the contract redactions to the Utah State Records Committee, arguing that Uintah County lacked the authority to withhold terms of contracts undertaken with service providers who are paid public funds in return for their work. In a hearing conducted March 21, 2024, the State Records Committee heard the case and unanimously agreed with EFR. Uintah County has until May 1 to provide the contracts or appeal the ruling in district court. The Utah Reporters Almanac has been produced annually by the Utah Investigative Journalism Project since 2022. Previous winners of the yearly GRAMA contest are Salt Lake Tribune reporter Courtney Tanner and environmental activist Raphael Cordray, respectively. “EFR is thrilled to join the winners,” Lukes said.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently provided a 2020 "no enforcement action" letter issued to the Peter Thiel-operated start-up investment firm Mithril Capital in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research. The 2023 request stemmed from a 2019 Business Insider story indicating the corporation was under investigation by the FBI for financial misconduct, followed by a 2023 story in which the media outlet reported Thiel became an FBI informant in 2021. The 2020 SEC letter sent to Mithril Capital legal counsel, indicating no enforcement action would be recommended: The SEC advised EFR in September 2023 it identified approximately four gigabytes of records potentially responsive to the FOIA request. For the sake of time and expense, EFR narrowed the scope of the request to interview transcripts compiled from investigations conducted, final reports composed, and documents issued that clarify the conclusions, recommendations and/or consequences resulting from investigations. The SEC subsequently provided the letter in a recent email. It was explained a six-page case closing recommendation was being withheld in full under FOIA Exemption (b)(5). The Commission asserted the withheld records are exempt due to their potential involvement in future litigation. EFR is appealing the ruling. In June 2023, when EFR originally submitted the Mithril Capital FOIA request to the SEC, a similar request was simultaneously sent to the FBI. The Bureau advised in September it identified 533 pages of potentially responsive records. EFR then narrowed the scope of the request to the first 48 pages in an effort to more efficiently get a look at some of the material and gauge the potential value of the remaining records. As of this writing, a final response has not been issued by the FBI. The controversial Peter Thiel became a topic in the UFO subculture due to his alleged interest in the merging of venture capitalists, intelligence agencies and UAP start-ups. Eric Weinstein, a previously reported hedge fund manager of Thiel Capital, publicly expresses interest in UFO subject matter, including participating in a joint appearance with Harvard Prof. Avi Loeb at Bitcoin 2022. Weinstein and Loeb reportedly “postulated about other cultures living in the stars,” and “focused on the cultural implications of using Bitcoin, specifically as a means to diversify the human race across the cosmos.” EFR reported in February 2023 on the activities of people and organizations simultaneously promoting questionable investment advice and dubious beliefs about extraterrestrial beings. Loeb is controversial in his own right, garnering both support and criticism for his Galileo Project, an initiative claiming to be seeking evidence of extraterrestrial technological signatures. As reported by EFR, the FBI provided four heavily redacted of 28 total pages responsive to a FOIA request submitted on the Galileo Project. EFR's appeal of the withheld material and 24 pages was denied by the Department of Justice. As reported in the July 26, 2021, edition of the International Business Times, the Galileo Project received $1.7 million from private donors to look for possible evidence of artifacts or equipment made by defunct or active extraterrestrial technological civilizations, the FBI noted in records it released to EFR.

The FBI recently notified Expanding Frontiers Research of the existence of 56,463 pages of records potentially responsive to Theodore John Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber. The law enforcement agency also has potentially responsive digital media files in its custody, the FBI added. The notification was in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by EFR. Records on the convicted domestic terrorist were first requested in 2023. In June of that year, over 140 pages of previously released material was provided in response. The records are available for viewing, along with ongoing correspondence received from the FBI. EFR immediately followed up with a request for all records not included in the initial June 2023 response. In a letter dated March 28, 2024, FBI responded, advising of the existence of the tens of thousands of potentially responsive records, adding the material could be processed for release at an estimated cost of $1,720. The records could be provided in 113 monthly releases, consisting of about 500 pages each. Digital media files could be contained and provided on an estimated two compact discs. A number of options are available for ways to proceed. First of all, in a second letter dated March 28, 2024, FBI advised it denied an EFR request for a fee waiver which was part of the original request. So our first strategy included appealing the fee waiver. The appeal was submitted and remains pending as of this writing. In the event the Department of Justice upholds the Bureau's fee waiver denial, we could always simply withdraw the request. It's an option. Other options include reducing the scope of the request, as EFR successfully executed in other FOIA cases in which we were notified of massive amounts of responsive records. Those cases include working with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when we were notified our request for records responsive to the Joseph Firmage-controlled ManyOne corporation involved some 138 boxes of hard copy and electronically maintained records. The SEC estimated 1,500 hours might be required to process and research the material. EFR subsequently reduced the scope of the request to transcripts of interviews conducted during the course of SEC investigation and any resulting reports compiled. The negotiation ultimately led to records obtained and shared in a February 2023 blogpost, and another in April 2023. The second post resulted from records withheld during the initial release yet successfully obtained on appeal, leading to more information to report in April. While we are pleased with such results, and feel it head and shoulders above what often masquerades as research and reporting in fringe genres, the saga demonstrates how a great deal of responsive records, covering a gamut of issues, never see the light of day. Resources such as labor, time, and money factor into untold numbers of records sitting unread in classified archives - which leads us to yet another option for dealing with the Kaczynski files at the FBI: pay for the records in the event our fee waiver appeal is denied. After explaining the Unabomber records situation in a public post at our Patreon and initiating a poll on X/Twitter, the option to request all of the responsive records from FBI is currently leading in the poll. By a wide margin, actually, but there are indeed some circumstances to consider. There is a lot of time involved. At 500 pages released per month for 113 months, that's over nine years, even if it stays on schedule, and it likely would not be up in the queue for a long time, which is to say it could take quite a while to even get started. That's not to say requesting all the records is out of the realm of possibility, but it should be clarified and understood the situation amounts to more than paying the fee and receiving the records. That stated, there are indeed principles of open records access involved, and Expanding Frontiers Research is indeed an advocate of such access and government transparency. Some of our core work involves fighting for it. An argument can be made the very existence of the records begs their processing and release. In the event EFR current board members passed their responsibilities on at some future point during the records release to successor directors, a legacy of such activism and organizational purpose could be considered worthwhile and of value. Another consideration is of course the money. Funds would have to be raised. EFR asked the FBI for further explanations of potential terms and conditions and has not received a response as of this post. At the risk of sounding negative, our past experience has indicated complex and large records requests can have years of waiting just to get started processing. It is therefore important to get as much clarification as possible from the Bureau before arriving at a decision. Other considerations involve storing large amounts of files for public access on a website. Lots to think about, and we'd like to hear from you: our supporters and those who value our work. Let us know your thoughts and ideas. We are committed to weighing them quite heavily. Reducing the scope of the request also needs consideration, as there are many ways it could be done. Also, there's no rule that says someone can't request different parts of the 56,000+ pages and digital media files repeatedly; just because we reduce the scope now doesn't mean we can't request more later. Thank you for your interest and support. We look forward to hearing from you!

Records responsive to Joseph Paramore Firmage were obtained Sunday from the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD). The law enforcement reports reflect circumstances and charges surrounding his 2023 arrest for financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. As reported by KSL, Firmage was accused of neglecting an 80-year-old woman, including leaving her without utilities while trying to take charge of her finances and assets which included her home. The police records obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) indicate Firmage was arrested at another point in 2023 with “at least” ten empty bottles of vodka and one full bottle in his car, along with multiple pieces of mail and financial items not belonging to him. According to information documented by Salt Lake police, Firmage was residing in the basement of the home of the victim of his alleged financial exploitation. The SLCPD records on Joseph Firmage were electronically received Sunday, March 24, in response to a February request submitted under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA. The recently obtained records: Joseph Firmage rose to popularity in the UFO subculture when he claimed to experience an otherworldly encounter. He and partners subsequently constructed an investment scheme to manufacture an anti-gravity device. One lawsuit related to the failed venture remains open, Marmer v. Firmage. The suit echoes previous allegations that Firmage and associates ran a Ponzi scheme while falsely claiming to be awaiting government grant awards for the purported development of futuristic technology. Records obtained by EFR from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission contain testimony of an associate and investor who told the SEC some $59 million was raised from investors for the Firmage-operated ManyOne and related ventures in the years surrounding 2012. The SEC material contains interviews conducted in 2016 and 2017 that paint a picture of corporate associates characterized by unreliability and ambiguity, ultimately failing to deliver on either the products promoted or an ever-promised imminent financial windfall for investors. SLCPD files obtained Sunday indicate multiple legal challenges for Firmage, including failing to appear for a court hearing. This and other circumstances, such as violating court orders while continuing to try to influence and indirectly communicate with the victim of the alleged financial exploitation, resulted in additional charges sought against the man who described himself as a candidate for president of the United States. A recent inmate search for "Joseph Firmage" conducted at the website of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office included the following result: A Nov. 20, 2023, report composed by an SLCPD detective explained how the reported victim of Firmage was “continually receiving phone calls without stop” after Firmage's related arrest. While the detective was with the victim to help them set up a new phone, the officer documented one specific number kept calling the old phone. This prompted the detective to answer one of the incoming calls. The detective quickly surmised the caller - that identified himself as John Tulip - was acting on behalf of Firmage and in violation of protective orders. SLCPD documented in a transcript of the call that Tulip stated he was trying to check on the victim and see if he could get some phone numbers for Firmage. “I'll pass on the information to him that he caught a charge,” the detective told the caller. “Another charge because of your call.” “Please don't call again,” the detective reiterated, “'cause every time you call her it's gonna catch him another charge.” The detective documented in a subsequent Dec. 6, 2023, report they checked jail phone records and examined calls taking place with Firmage, who was observed encouraging people he spoke with to advise the victim that law enforcement was trying to make her a ward of the state and declare her mentally incompetent. The circumstances were identified as being in violation of the protective order. As shown below, Tulip numbered among those talking by phone to Firmage while incarcerated. In a report dated Nov. 16, 2023, the detective documented an arrest of Firmage stemming from failing to appear in court, triggering a new warrant for exploitation of a vulnerable adult. In an ensuing conversation with Firmage, the detective addressed accusations he controlled the victim's finances while neglecting to pay her utilities. Firmage stated he got the water turned back on, the detective wrote, noting it was paid by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that he said he paid the gas bill that day. "You paid the gas bill today?" the detective documented asking Firmage to reiterate, adding they would have someone confirm it. "Joseph then stated he is having someone pay it," the detective noted, apparently documenting Firmage walking back his statement. ------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your interest in our work here at Expanding Frontiers Research. Please consider joining the EFR Patreon. Your donations help fund fees associated with our FOIA and GRAMA work, the costs of producing our YouTube show, maintaining our website, and general operating expenses. As a patron, you are provided and kept updated on the records we obtain, receive instructional information about submitting records requests, and much more. Expanding Frontiers Research is a Utah nonprofit corporation, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

The Utah State Records Committee voted unanimously Thursday that Uintah County must release PhenomeCon contracts sought through a public records request by Expanding Frontiers Research. The records must be produced, excluding select personal information, as requested by EFR. Audio of the March 21 hearing is posted on a public notice website and the case involving EFR begins shortly after the 31-minute mark. The Committee ruling is about 52 minutes into the recording. "It's a win for Expanding Frontiers Research and for transparency in Utah," executive director of EFR, Erica Lukes, posted on social media following the ruling. The original Oct. 20, 2023, request sought records from the Uintah County Office of Travel and Tourism pertaining to 2023 PhenomeCon, a paranormal-themed conference sponsored by the county. The Tourism Office responded with three pages, prompting an appeal from EFR, which argued the response was incomplete. In a December 2023 response to the appeal, the Uintah County Chief Administrative Officer provided an additional 92 pages. The records, termed "Talent Agreements," are contracts undertaken between Uintah County and PhenomeCon speakers and service providers. The 92 pages of contracts were heavily redacted, almost completely blacked out, as shown below. In the response to the appeal, the Uintah County Chief Administrative Officer wrote, “The redactions to the contracts are being made as per the agreement in the contracts that the terms would remain confidential.” In what became Jack Brewer v. Uintah County, the county counsel further suggested in Thursday's hearing the decision to withhold the redacted terms of the contracts was to honor a confidentiality clause within them. Keeping those terms confidential was necessary, it was argued, as not to impair any individual’s competitive business strategies if all of these terms were to be disclosed. The service providers were notably compared to magicians with trade secrets to protect. EFR argued Uintah County and its service providers lack the authority to enter into contracts that effectively block the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA. County governments do not have the authority to facilitate agreements that block public access to terms and conditions in which public funds are disbursed in exchange for services provided, EFR contended. It was suggested the records should be released in full, minus such information as phone numbers and addresses. After an "in camera" review of the contracts without redactions, the State Records Committee unanimously agreed. Expanding Frontiers Research is encouraged with the prioritizing of government transparency and open records access. This GRAMA case is about much more than dubious paranormal conferences. It is about all records are public unless expressly protected by statute, and that municipalities lack the authority to preemptively classify contracts as exempt from disclosure from their very creation.

Expanding Frontiers Research is pleased to announce the launch of the EFR Patreon page, a place where subscribers can view documents obtained through public records requests, discuss and share opinions on the material, and much more, all while helping us with the costs of funding the ongoing work. Patrons will gain access to records as they are obtained, viewing the process all the way from submitting requests to appealing select responses and ultimately publishing what we learn from the material released. Patrons are encouraged to submit their questions, in addition to participate in discussions. EFR aims to continue its practice of assisting researchers with composing and submitting public records requests to applicable agencies, municipal governments, and institutions that advance research and public understanding of salient issues. Learn more about the Freedom of Information Act, the EFR Archive, how we formulate our records requests, and how we interpret archived material and the records we receive. EFR will continue to provide newsworthy blogposts and informative YouTube content while offering increased service and benefits to patrons who help us fund the website, FOIA fees, and related expenses. We hope you will choose to join us and our financial supporters in continuing to build a dependable research community. We are committed to obtaining and publishing reliable information with demonstrated chains of custody, pertaining to the topics about which you care most. Join us today!

By Jack Brewer and Erica Lukes The body of a deceased individual was recovered on or about Feb. 29 in the vicinity of Skinwalker Ranch, according to the Uintah County Sheriff's Office. "Our agency did locate a deceased individual south of Fort Duchesne, however the circumstances are not suspicious and no further information will be released out of respect for the family," Chief Deputy Brian Fletcher told Expanding Frontiers Research in a March 4 email. EFR learned a body may have been recovered near 4500 East and 2800 South after an abandoned motorcycle was discovered nearby and reported to police months earlier. The motorcycle was reportedly called in to the sheriff's office on November 24, 2023. A source familiar with the incident told EFR the deceased individual may have been in the area at the time of their death because of an interest in paranormal phenomena purported to occur at Skinwalker Ranch. Urged to address whether that was the case, Chief Deputy Fletcher responded there would be no further comment. A request was submitted Friday to the Uintah County Sheriff's Office under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act for all incident reports and related documentation of the scenes and circumstances. This is a developing story.

There is a section of the Expanding Frontiers Archive titled the Barry Greenwood Special Collection. It hosts records brought to us by the longtime archivist and researcher. Within the section is a pdf titled AAWSAP-BAASS-MUFON Document Collection, 2008-2009, a compilation of information received by researchers Curt Collins and Roger Glassel to support their co-authored blogpost, The Pentagon UFO Program’s Secret Partner, as explained per Glassel. The 70-page document collection contains two contract agreements (see page 3 and page 33) apparently drawn up between Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies, a now disbanded government contractor, and the Mutual UFO Network, a 501(c)(3) public charity ostensibly dedicated to the scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity. Much evidence exists to challenge the effectiveness of that mission statement. A precarious BAASS-MUFON collaboration was undertaken during the Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Application Program, or AAWSAP. Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, the project is now conclusively known to have been a Pentagon-funded initiative under the direction of the Defense Intelligence Agency, but that information was not always public knowledge (Learn more about the AAWSAP in the FOIA Documents section of our archive). BAASS acted as a funding conduit for the DIA and, arguably more importantly, did not disclose the source of the funds to the vast majority of people involved either directly or indirectly. This fact is omitted from the narratives sown by many latter day historians for what are probably a number of reasons. Moreover, many of the people who voiced concerns MUFON was under the influence of the intelligence community, even including then-director James Carrion, were shunned and criticized. This writer knows that to be the case not only as a researcher, but as someone who was regularly interacting at the time with members of MUFON and its rapid response team organized to investigate reported UFO sightings. There was much talk of issues ranging from discrepancies with chain of command to disappearing case files. To know people in MUFON circles was to know the organization was strongly suspected of being an intelligence asset. Carrion resigned as International Director and went on to write that John Schuessler was aware of the source of the funds negotiated from BAASS to MUFON but would not disclose that source to Carrion or the rest of the governing board, only describe it as a “sponsor.” That means the MUFON investigators leveraged by BAASS and the AAWSAP were unaware the collection of reports they were compiling was under the auspices of the DIA. Witnesses who were interviewed would never have been informed the information was being collected for Uncle Sam. Furthermore, it appears at least some writers of research papers done at the time were not informed they were submitting work to the DIA. This becomes interesting in light of the fact a great deal of speculation contained in those papers would eventually be propped up as AAWSAP research interests and deliverables, leaving many reasonable questions about where the $22 million project budget went. Answers to such questions are not apparent in the FOIA releases provided by the DIA in 2022. From the BAASS-MUFON agreement pertaining to research papers: The second agreement includes the acquisition of the existing MUFON CMS (Case Management System), the organization's tool for collectively tracking and managing UFO reports and related research. The agreement also stipulated field investigation services would be provided by MUFON, along with all information and material derived from those services: For whatever reasons, authors who describe themselves as AAWSAP project personnel and journalists typically fail to address the above considerations while purporting to inform the public about the program. They tend to offer personal narratives in lieu of documents and contracts that give us tangible, verifiable circumstances to contemplate. Salient questions present themselves in the wake of such tactics and omission of information.

By Jack Brewer and Erica Lukes The Utah Office of the Attorney General withheld seven pages of records responsive to a public information request that sought emails exchanged between AG Sean Reyes and Brandon Fugal, who is a cast member of the cable television show The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and the reported owner of the ranch. The response contended that releasing the records would jeopardize the life or safety of an individual. The AG Office issued the response in an email Monday that stemmed from a December request submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). “After a reasonable search,” the Attorney General's Office wrote, “we have identified 7 pages of records responsive to your request. However, these records have been classified as protected under Utah Code § 63G-2-305(11) because their release would jeopardize the life or safety of an individual. Due to their protected classification, the records cannot be released to you.” The request for the responsive records was subsequently denied and they were withheld in their entirety. The GRAMA response is available below: Substantial controversy surrounds AG Reyes and his relationship with Tim Ballard, embroiled founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad, a purported anti-human trafficking group. Criminal investigations, civil lawsuits and sexual assault complaints followed the spinning of bizarre stories about conducting international undercover operations. Sean Reyes, who was also prone to suggesting the FBI abused its power in retrieving Top Secret documents from former President Donald Trump and fanned the flames of the stolen election "Big Lie" fire, has since withdrawn his candidacy for re-election. He is the third consecutive Utah Attorney General who will leave office amid criminal investigations and tarnished by scandal. In 2015, the Attorney General's Office was found to lack organization and be ineffective in filling records requests, among other managerial problems. Reyes vowed to improve the situation, but a 2023 ruling issued by Judge Randall Scanchy said he had "no expectation that a 'reasonable search' could even be conducted" for public records within the office. Other questionable activities undertaken by Reyes include lending his name and the prestige of his office to dubious Skinwalker Ranch tales. Reyes appeared multiple times on the related cable television show, as well as at the FanX Salt Lake event with Brandon Fugal in 2022, as depicted below. The Attorney General's Office emphasized in the past that Reyes's activities with Fugal were outside the Attorney General's official duties. EFR reached out and inquired if the Office might have any revisions to its previous stance, given the recently issued GRAMA response. The Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond to the request for comment. Brandon Fugal was emailed and offered an opportunity to comment on the circumstances for potential inclusion in this article. He did not immediately respond. Expanding Frontiers Research will appeal the denial of the request for the responsive records.

Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) submitted public records requests to Uintah County in 2023 for material responsive to the county's latest PhenomeCon. The seemingly straightforward request led to more requests, two appeals, a scheduled mediation meeting - and it's far from finished. The requests were submitted under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA. PhenomeCon is a paranormal-themed conference held annually since 2021 in Vernal, Utah. As previously reported by EFR, hundreds of thousands of dollars - in tax money - have been allocated to the event that is sponsored by Uintah County, a community that was reeling from the sticker shock of a proposed 73% property tax increase. The County Commission recommended the tax increase to deal with deficits, inflation and to pay for ongoing government services like policing, snowplows, fuel, and employees. Commissioners said funding was simply no longer available to cover the necessary expenses. Following significant public backlash, the tax increase was shelved. Uintah County nonetheless pays cast members of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and other speakers tens of thousands of dollars to appear at the event out of those hundreds of thousands spent on PhenomeCon. About half the budget has gone to various appearances made during the event, along with stipends, lodging, and similar expenses. Proponents argue the conference increases tourism, even if many of its speakers traffic in dubious tales. Others are skeptical of those claims of local prosperity, however, and the county's lack of eager willingness to open its books and provide documentation of purported public financial benefit does not seem to help build its case. In the latest GRAMA requests to Uintah County, the Travel and Tourism Office responded with 14 pages, but only three of those pages directly pertained to PhenomeCon financial records. EFR appealed to the Uintah County Chief Administrative Officer on the grounds of an inadequate search and an incomplete response. The appeal resulted in obtaining an additional 140 pages of responsive records, 92 of which consist of heavily redacted contracts drawn up by the county with speakers and vendors. “The redactions to the contracts are being made as per the agreement in the contracts that the terms would remain confidential,” the Chief Administrative Officer wrote in a Dec. 1 response to the GRAMA request. A three-page Uintah County PhenomeCon contract entered into with UFO and Skinwalker Ranch personality Travis Taylor, indicating at least $3,500 in compensation was to be issued, and highly similar in appearance to the 90-plus pages of other agreements released in heavily redacted form to EFR: EFR again appealed the GRAMA response, this time to the State Records Committee, arguing Uintah County lacked the authority to undertake a confidentiality agreement with service providers that effectively obstructs the GRAMA. The very purpose of the state records act, EFR contends, is to ensure transparency and allow the public to know how the government conducts its business. Mediation is scheduled for early February and a hearing will be conducted in March with the Records Committee if a solution is not reached. EFR will publish and thoroughly report on 2023 PhenomeCon records obtained after its GRAMA cases are followed through to completion.