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Jensine Andresen, PhD, is an expert in religious studies and anthropology. She is an independent scholar whose areas of interest include demilitarizing space and related issues of importance to planet and space. In her most recent book, Hyperconflation: Recommending a Relational Alternative to the Datacentric Approach to UAP, Dr. Andresen takes readers through her research and resulting concerns about the exploitation of the UFO narrative for reasons ranging from financial gain to religious fanaticism. Those implicated include start-up corporations, their board members & funding entities. This writer recently spoke with the author and you may view the discussion below. Andresen identified Kirsten Bartok Touw as previously listed as a source of pre-seed funding for Enigma Labs, Inc., a recently launched company outwardly dedicated to UAP investigation and transparency, yet seemingly much less forthcoming than their self-description suggests. As documented by Andresen, the role of Bartok Touw has since been removed from websites. Bartok Touw is a “Special Government Employee” at the Office of Strategic Capital (under the Office of the Secretary of Defense), as well as a managing partner at New Vista Capital and AirFinance, among other roles of potential significance. If designated a “Special Government Employee,” or SGE, one may simultaneously represent the interests of big tech companies, banks, venture capital funds, military contractors, intelligence agencies, defense tech start-ups and, pretty much, anybody with skin in the game. Ms. Bartok Touw did not immediately respond to a request for comment for potential inclusion in this article. Andresen documents in her new book how ethics experts are voicing concern about SGEs, even if capitalists, start-ups, and intelligence officers are more than pleased with the arrangements. Working for private and public sectors simultaneously carries inherent conflicts of interest, some argue. “Outsourcing defense to a corporate adviser doesn't seem like an ideal way to put the public's interest first,” ethics official Walter Shaub, formerly of the Obama administration, is quoted by Andresen. The circumstances evolved out of the activities of agencies such as the CIA, which utilized a venture capital fund, In-Q-Tel, to both develop tech products and apparently make money. In-Q-Tel provided the CIA with a means to invest in start-ups. In years past, such arrangements were typically limited to more discreet use of shell corporations and nonprofits, acting as covert funding arms of intelligence agencies. The CIA and other agencies are now, in a manner of speaking, outsourcing research and development while investing in futures, and a whole lot of people are recognizing the wide and profitable coattails created in the wake. In the UFO, or UAP, arena, however, it's not just about creating funding dollars for threat narratives or making cool apps to document UFO reports. It's about data collection. Decades of it. Then, Andresen suggests, artificial intelligence is subject to being used to conduct analysis and produce reports out of the mountains of data collected – and some of the data involves you and your phone. This, it is argued, gives rise to privacy concerns that result from less than transparent companies using anonymous and questionable characters to hoover up archives, obtain databases, and put software on your tech devices in the questionable name of UAP research. The activities may be circumventing legislation that limits law enforcement and intelligence agency domestic surveillance of American citizens. Moreover, there is little that restricts the start-ups, which purport to use AI and machine learning to generate reports on data collected, from marketing those reports to a wide variety of customers. It may simply depend on what various potential customers want gleaned and projected from the data, regardless of the pretenses under which it was initially obtained. Andresen presents herself as a humanitarian who is concerned about both the open, honest treatment of global citizens, as well as maximizing the functionality of opportunities to interact with potential extraterrestrials. She is clear in expressing her concerns that a data-driven approach to UAP investigation, conducted under layered veils of secrecy, is an ill-advised first step to embracing co-inhabitants of the universe. All the more so if the approach is a charade for other agendas. Edited for update, August 13: Dr. Andresen informed Expanding Frontiers Research via email of the following information concerning the funding of Enigma Labs and advised that the passage below has been added to her book, Hyperconflation. "Update of August 13, 2023 [to Hyperconflation]: This book was first published on July 25, 2023. At 4:09 AM EST today, Australian researcher Keith Basterfield emailed me to state that the financials tab was now appearing again on the Crunchbase site for Enigma Labs. I verified this at 5:43 AM. The site now appears precisely the way it did when I first viewed it in April 2023, with Kirsten Bartok Touw showing as one of the two investors for pre-seed funding on the Summary tab, and with the Financials tab restored, also showing her name. "Furthermore, her own Crunchbase site has been restored to how it looked in April 2023, with Enigma Labs listed as the Organization name under the April 21, 2022 date (where the name of the Organization had been replaced by a hyphen in July 2023, right before I published the book originally). While I am glad that whoever is making these changes decided to put things right, this mysterious website change forgot to go back and fix the January 20, 2023 version of the Enigma Labs page on the Wayback Machine. Although it has a Financials tab, it does not list Kirsten Bartok Touw. In addition, the Summary tab on the Wayback Machine version is still the same as what I saw on the main Crunchbase cite in July 2023, namely only one pre-seed funder is listed, FJ Labs, with no mention of Kirsten Bartok Touw. I will check periodically to see if the Wayback Machine version is 'fixed,' too, since on logical grounds, by January 20, 2023, it was already known that Kirsten Bartok Touw had provided pre-seed funding on April 21, 2022. "Furthermore, it strains credulity to suggest that the Wayback Machine version of January 20, 2023 simply was 'wrong' and now things have been fixed on the regular site for the company, given that in July 2023, right before I published this book, the regular site appeared the same way that the Wayback Machine version still appears this morning, August 13, 2023. Only the regular site has been rather 'magically' corrected, only two days since the blogpost on this book was published on the Expanding Frontiers Research site, and only five days since my YouTube interview on this book was posted. However, I do see that it would have been problematic to 'fix' the Wayback Machine version, since it would suggest an ability to manipulate websites that many people would like to think does not exist. "I close by commending whoever for listing Kirsten Bartok Touw again as an Enigma Labs pre-seed funder."

Simone Mendez was a young Air Force airman in 1981. She was granted Top Secret clearance as a telecommunications specialist with the 2069th Communications Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base of Area 51 fame. As she explained by telephone while this writer was conducting research for the book The Greys Have Been Framed: Exploitation in the UFO Community, Mendez had an interest in UFOs before ever arriving at Nellis. She experienced a sighting years prior in her native Illinois. This resulted in forming relationships with members of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), who Mendez continued to interact with throughout her Air Force service. In October 1981, a male coworker, “Airman Green,” a pseudonym, approached Mendez at her off-base apartment. He had in his possession a multi-carbon copy of a purported classified transmission allegedly received at the message center where they worked. The document suggested the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracked a group of unknown objects originating from deep space. Some of the objects allegedly entered earth atmosphere, headed to Moscow, and hovered for over an hour. Mendez retained a copy of the form containing the message. What unfolded over the next few months was a complex series of events that, now some 40-plus years later, are still muddled and murky. Airman Green's former girlfriend – a civilian - showed up at the apartment of Mendez in January 1982, informing Simone the mysterious document was a fake and she was to immediately accompany her to the base. Mendez voluntarily did as requested and turned over her copy to the Air Force. She then underwent months of emotionally grueling interrogation from both the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), which included threats of long-term imprisonment. Her apartment was thoroughly searched and correspondence was confiscated. She was eventually cleared of all spying and espionage charges, but not before her security clearance was revoked. She was relegated to working in the laundry at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Interestingly, OSI continued to occasionally visit her and discuss her activities, such as attendance at a MUFON conference. It should not be difficult for most UFO enthusiasts to empathize with the precariousness of the unforeseen situation in which the 21 year-old Mendez abruptly found herself that October day in 1981. She more recently indicated she now suspects the document was, in fact, a forgery. That was the position of the Air Force as clarified and pointedly explained via FOIA documents eventually released. Researchers such as George Hansen (The Trickster and the Paranormal) and your author suspect Mendez may have gotten caught up in a counterintelligence operation, something potentially designed to track information lines through MUFON and the UFO community and, more specifically, identify bad actors within. Think throwing a dye pack in a sinkhole and seeing where it comes out. Hansen in particular suggested that Mendez's interest in UFOs and contacts in MUFON may have not been coincidental, but exploited. For more information on the Simone Mendez case, see Just Cause: Number 28, June, 1991: Airman Mendez vs the Bureaucracy: A Case of UFO “Espionage” and Just Cause: Number 29, September, 1991: Airman Mendez vs the Bureaucracy – Part Two. The two publications reflect the successful efforts of Mendez and researcher Barry Greenwood to obtain her service records and select material released through the FOIA, which validated her descriptions of the chain of events. See also a 2018 interview of Mendez conducted by Paul Carr of Aerial Phenomena Investigations. Richard Doty To better understand the context of the Mendez case, it is useful to consider the Wild West era of 1980s ufology and, particularly, events surrounding the Air Force's Richard Doty. It was during the same time Mendez was approached with bean-spilling records that Linda Moulton Howe, Bill Moore, and the ill-fated Paul Bennewitz do-si-doed with Doty around Kirtland Air Force Base. Not entirely unlike Mendez, Moulton Howe was shown records by Doty, purporting to represent paradigm-shifting official documentation of an extraterrestrial presence on a grand scale. Significantly, Bennewitz was also presented with documents co-conspirators Moore and Doty would later acknowledge were false, but not before furthering the man's descent into delusional fear the planet was under attack by aliens. Quite interestingly, Doty received no clear consequences or scrutiny for floating the fraudulent records around, and certainly not to the extent as experienced by Mendez, who was not even the creator of the document passed to her. Neither did Mendez circulate any such bogus records as was the case with Doty. Was OSI tilling the UFO community in an effort to uproot spies? George Hansen put forth in The Trickster and the Paranormal that individuals such as Doty might be recruited for OSI precisely because of their troubled UFO pasts, not in spite of them. By the time Doty was dancing with Moore and Moulton Howe, his dubious involvement with ufology was already known and, Hansen argued, may have been viewed as advantageous: He could be easily discredited if he was caught in something that embarrassed the Office. Moreover, it was possible OSI had similar plans for Mendez after she was cleared of charges, which might explain its continuing contact with her. For further information on the Doty entourage, see Mark Pilkington and company's Mirage Men, Greg Bishop's Project Beta, and Adam Gorightly's Saucers, Spooks and Kooks. Vincente DePaula Other 1980s news of note includes the case of Vincente “Vinnie” DePaula. He immigrated to the United States from Cuba as a child and grew up to work in the defense industry. According to a website maintained by Ron Regehr, DePaula worked on classified satellite systems. Regehr also worked in the defense industry, and that's how he apparently met and befriended Vinnie. In addition to career paths, the men also shared an interest in UFOs. Regehr was a longtime staple of MUFON and the UFO community. DePaula seems to have likewise become active in MUFON circles. Vinnie DePaula subsequently had reason to draw an alien head. Whatever those reasons may have been, they involved the identity of an individual DePaula preferred to keep secret. The drawing received a certain amount of notoriety around ufology, reportedly triggering a series of interrogations conducted by the Defense Intelligence Service, or DIS, later integrated into the Defense Security Service. The DIS seemingly wanted to know who described the alien to DePaula that was portrayed in the drawing. According to Regehr's website, four interrogations took place between April 18 and October 31, 1986, totaling 41 hours. A session initiated on August 22 reportedly went on for some 28 hours. Vinnie would later proclaim he “didn't tell them a damned thing.” Unfortunately, FOIA requests submitted in 2015 did not bear fruit. The Defense Security Service indicated it did not retain any such records that may have been compiled by its predecessor on DePaula in 1986. Those in MUFON circles and the surrounding community at large seemed to believe DePaula was harassed for reasons related to government investigation of extraterrestrials. This also seemed to be thought to involve his awareness of how satellite systems worked and the data that could be mined from them, presumably further informing DePaula's knowledge of alleged aliens and how their spacecraft maneuvered about the planet. Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt that the timeline of events is close enough to accurate, alternative theories might include intelligence services becoming concerned with activities of employees. That might be the case when those issued security clearance and charged with classified satellite operations develop contacts who erode loyalties and confidence in the employer. That might be of further concern when those contacts seemingly undermine employers through the use of stories about aliens to the extent the employees conceal the identities of the contacts. It might be considered that extraction of classified information was of substantially more likely concern to intelligence agencies than pursuit of ET. Boyd Bushman Such scenarios were by no means exclusively limited to distant yesteryear. In 2014 a video featuring an interview of scientist Boyd Bushman made a bit of a splash, at least around UFO circles, in which Bushman narrated sensational stories of the cover-up of alleged aliens. He even shared photos. Unfortunately for the late Mr. Bushman, the images of aliens were soon shown to bear striking resemblance to figurines sold at Walmart. Other images in his files were likewise adequately demonstrated to be out of context and misrepresented, or, simply put, fake. The then-aged Bushman explained how during his career at Lockheed Martin he developed a network of contacts who exchanged stories – and obviously photos – about alleged otherworldly activities at Area 51. Bushman also made remarks about Chinese and Russian scientists collaborating with Americans, and that their interests included anti-gravity technology. Some of those scientists and he believed, Bushman added, that a great deal of classified information concealed at Area 51 should be brought out of the shadows so people could see it. Suffice it to say that's a pretty bright red flag of a position expressed by someone issued security clearance. As a matter of fact, FOIA records released in 2016 show that in 1999, Lockheed Martin investigators became so concerned that Boyd Bushman was targeted for extraction of proprietary and/or classified government information that they notified the FBI. From the FBI records: Additional FBI records released demonstrate the suspicious activities and subsequent questionable motives of those in Bushman's “network” who were presumably encouraging the sharing of classified information under the premise of penetrating the UFO cover-up: In spite of what might seem to some as rather obvious instances of attempts to exploit one's interest in UFOs as a means to manipulate them, skeptics and believers alike often fail to grasp the implications. In some circumstances they no doubt simply do not understand the situations. After all, this is how people wake up to find themselves in the precarious and often legally perilous conditions in the first place: They were thinking about UFOs and didn't see it coming. Others may have emotional aversion – as much as intellectual blinders - to the topic of UFOs as espionage tools. It tends to take all the fun out of a good goosebump-inducing tale of alien abduction or simple dismissal out of hand when fake photos and documents are involved. As Hansen suggested, the very absurdity of the circumstances potentially serves the perpetrators. It also just doesn't fit the agenda of certain influencers or the UFO genre as a whole to drill down through the circumstances. It obviously is not in the interest of those who use the topic to exploit others to change streams and embark on increasing public awareness of the potential pitfalls of viewing the world exclusively through UFO glasses. It has now been 70 years since the CIA funded a UFO think tank commissioned to assess the situation. While the purposes and intentions of the 1953 Robertson Panel will continue to be debated – as everything always is – within segments of the UFO subculture, perhaps the most salient section of the resulting report continues to ring true. Although evidence of any direct threat from UFO sightings was deemed “wholly lacking,” Panel members and intelligence professionals were in agreement related dangers might well exist. That danger? Subjectivity of the public resulting in mass hysteria and greater vulnerability to possible enemy psychological warfare.

A consumer who owns stock in To The Stars sought advice from the Securities and Exchange Commission on how to recover their “investment,” Expanding Frontiers Research learned Friday through a Freedom of Information Act request. It was not entirely clear how much money the individual gave Tom DeLonge and his UFO-promoting corporation, but they indicated to the SEC they owned 200 shares. For some context, a 2022 To The Stars Class A Common Stock offering stated a minimum investment of $750 yielded 150 shares. “I own 200 shares of 'To the stars academy' [sic],” the consumer wrote the SEC in 2020. “I have never seen anything telling me how to sell the stock to return my investment. Can you advise me as to the options in selling my stock?” The SEC explained there is no guarantee Class A stock will ever develop an actual value. The Commission replied in part: The FOIA final determination letter and responsive records received by EFR from the SEC: A visit to the To The Stars investor resources page provided in the SEC response revealed transcripts from annual meetings. In both 2022 and 2023, Jim Semivan is quoted as speaking favorably about a 5-year Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army. “The goal of this CRADA,” Semivan is quoted in 2023, “is to advance developments in material science, space-time metric engineering, quantum physics, beamed energy propulsion and active camouflage.” To the uninitiated, that means something or other about alleged crashed flying saucer debris. Some readers will recall this involved acquiring extremely dubious material with a $35,000 price tag from longtime UFO personality Linda Moulton Howe. To The Stars likewise reported to the SEC in 2019 it entered into a purchase agreement with DeLonge for 35 grand “to purchase a set of metamaterials.” It is entirely unclear how UFO Disclosure advocates can simultaneously claim to be both in possession of and feverishly searching for the evidence they purport to so desperately want published, all while themselves obstructing its transparency. To wit, researcher D. Dean Johnson reports that part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Intelligence Authorization Act contains language paving a path for individuals in possession of materials or information derived from unidentified anomalous phenomena to cough it up already. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) wants to hear from them. In related news, experienced FOIA man John Greenewald, Jr. recently obtained documents from the Department of Defense that indicate it established as early as 2017 the grandiose claims of Luis Elizondo were not credible. The former DOD man left the Department to launch To The Stars with Tom DeLonge and was widely reported to have run a UFO program - mostly because he said so. Select reporters such as Keith Kloor tapped the brakes on the runaway story, pointing out not only was there a lack of evidence supporting Elizondo's claims, but a Pentagon spokesperson directly contradicted the narrative. Greenewald has now shared DOD records indicating numerous concerns that seemingly arose over Elizondo's departure and actions, ultimately including a dismissal of his complaints of unfair treatment and alleged retaliation for his interest in UFOs.

The FBI provided 33 pages of records on the late convicted murderer Ira Einhorn stemming from a 2022 Freedom of Information Act Request. The Bureau previously provided some 356 pages of responsive records. A follow-up request was submitted, seeking all documents not included in the initial release, resulting in Thursday's FOIA response from the FBI. The Bureau explained 47 additional pages were reviewed and 33 of those pages were released. Expanding Frontiers Research is appealing the withheld 14 pages. The 33 recently received pages: Download the 356 pages previously released on Ira Einhorn: Einhorn, dubbed the Unicorn Killer due to “Unicorn” being the translation from his German sir name, was convicted in 2002 of the brutal murder of his former girlfriend. Holly Maddux disappeared in 1977. Her remains were found during a police search a year and a half later, located in a trunk in a closet of Einhorn's Philadelphia apartment. He would take flight in 1981 and not be found until 1997 in France. Einhorn fought extradition for some four years before finally being returned to the United States to stand trial. The controversial environmental activist, counterculture figure, and UFO World personality took the witness stand on his own behalf, claiming the CIA killed Maddux. Einhorn asserted this was related to him knowing too much about the Agency's military paranormal research. The latest documents received from the FBI include memos exchanged between Bureau Field Offices and partnering agencies, alerting law enforcement personnel to the fact Einhorn failed to appear for a 1981 court date. It was then that he became a fugitive and fled to Europe. The records reflect instances of monitoring Einhorn's associates in attempts to learn the whereabouts of the man considered armed and dangerous. Writer, researcher, and podcaster Greg Bishop interviewed Einhorn in approximately 2001 on Bishop's Radio Misterioso. Einhorn was apparently residing in France and fighting extradition at the time. The writings of longtime ufology staple Jacques Vallee contain several references to Einhorn, as documented by @seriations on Twitter. The French scientist was well acquainted with Einhorn and expressed in his writing a willingness to entertain the idea Einhorn was unjustly accused. The FBI, Philadelphia law enforcement agencies, and a jury disagreed. Einhorn died of natural causes in 2020 in a Pennsylvania prison. He had served about 18 years of a life sentence.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final response earlier this month to a FOIA request seeking records responsive to SafeMoon, a cryptocurrency surrounded by management controversy. The request was submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) as part of its coverage of high profile UFO personalities and conferences that incorporated promotion of investing in cryptocurrency into their usual assortment of unverified stories of otherworldly visitors (see Following the Money: Cryptocurrency and UFO Culture). Several pages of records were obtained from multiple agencies during the course of the investigation. The records released by the CFPB, which document consumer complaints and allegations of SafeMoon fraud, are available for download at the end of this article. The author of a particular email provided by the CFPB questioned how a “totally unregulated investment product,” referencing SafeMoon, was being sold by an unlicensed broker and framed in such capacities as “a crypto IRA” and “cryptocurrency banking.” The email author went on to cite another example of what was termed “the SafeMoon card,” and asked, “[T]his is a bank, how is it just being allowed to operate completely freely?” A potentially larger takeaway than what was released by the CFPB may be what was withheld. While granting EFR its request for media status and a subsequent fee waiver, the agency explained in its final response of May 2 it was providing just one page in full and one page in part of a total 58 pages of documents identified as responsive to the request. Seven FOIA exemptions were cited as justification for the withheld 56 pages. A CFPB FOIA manager further wrote, “Additionally, I have determined that response letters that have been issued to individual complainants as well as response letters from financial institutions would also be responsive to your request. I have determined that these letters should be withheld in their entirety under FOIA Exemptions 4 and 6.” EFR is appealing the withholding of records, asserting that personal information may be properly redacted while the documents and letters should still be released in partial form. The public should be granted access to the salient content in the withheld documents and letters. The struggling Utah-based SafeMoon was repeatedly given Twitter shoutouts from Brandon Fugal, a cast member of the cable television show Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and participant on the Utah Blockchain Advisory Board. A high profile crypto-related YouTube channel explored the controversial Fugal's apparent fondness of SafeMoon, documenting how Fugal asserted he owned more of the coin “than most [people].” Fugal ironically defended his investment expertise when challenged about his assessment of the integrity of SafeMoon and his subsequent confidence. He would later tell EFR he lost over 90 percent of his investment. ---------------------------------------------- Correspondence and records obtained from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau pertaining to SafeMoon:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently released additional records responsive to “ManyOne” and pertaining to interviews conducted during the course of its 2016-17 investigation of the corporation operated by Joseph Firmage. The material was released in the wake of a successful FOIA appeal submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) and includes records of the existence of two more planned interviews, in addition to the one previously reported. In the most recently revealed interview, a witness who described them self as an investor and advisor repeatedly told the SEC of some $59 million reportedly gone through by ManyOne. The witness indicated he interpreted the company had interests in internet services and “focusing on a spaceship.” In the second of the newly discovered interviews that were scheduled, SEC documented how a witness, whose name is redacted, failed to show up to a 2016 interview. When SEC promptly contacted them by phone, the person claimed they had just experienced a massive sewer line break and “everything” was flooded in their house, adding that the mishap was reported and a work crew was on its way. However, SEC investigation revealed no such situations were detected or reported to local authorities as described by the witness, either at the address in question or elsewhere in the water district. Joseph Firmage did not respond to multiple attempts to discuss the records obtained and provide him opportunities to comment for potential inclusion in this series of blogposts. As previously reported, records obtained thus far from the SEC include a 2017 interview conducted with a former employee of ManyOne, a company known in the UFO subculture as having solicited investors to purportedly create an anti-gravity device. A relatively well-known cast of characters including Ron Pandolfi, Brandon Fugal and Hal Puthoff are associated with the saga. The witness interviewed by the SEC described over-committing on investment returns, quoting figures off the cuff, and failing to pay bills and investors as ManyOne standard operations. The elusive anti-gravity device was never produced. EFR submitted a FOIA appeal after receiving records from the SEC. The appeal sought further release of redacted information along with previously withheld records. Some examples of material further released is shown below, before appeal on the left, after appeal on the right: Records newly obtained include dozens of pages of another 2017 interview with a redacted witness who told the SEC they first heard about ManyOne from the owner of a gym. The gym owner told them they invested in the venture, hoped the witness would look into it for them, and suggested they might choose to invest as well. The witness proceeded to invest in ManyOne but explained they became increasingly reluctant to release additional funding due to concern about the company's failure to produce financial records as requested. “They were trying to get me more involved,” the witness told the SEC, “and I said – I can't get involved or recommend this to anybody unless I complete due diligence.” What was it the witness wanted? “I wanted to see all the financial information in the past. I wanted to see the debt – all the debt that was – because it was very nebulous who invested what, who owned what, and what they were told when they bought the investment.” “That's what I want to know,” the SEC interviewer interjected. “I know you do,” the witness replied. “I wanted to know it [too].” Circumstances described by the witness include testimony of sympathy felt for ManyOne personnel, unaccounted for tens of thousands of dollars, and investors believed to have gone to prison for how they originally obtained funds they gave ManyOne. The witness ultimately grew intolerant that ManyOne personnel could not – or would not – account for expenses. He made it clear they were to only allocate funds to items he approved, under certain conditions as agreed. His expectations were not met. The witness described one individual who he believed invested and lost a million dollars in Firmage's corporation. “[He] spent his entire estate putting money into ManyOne.” The witness indicated he believed some $20 million was invested in ManyOne, Inc. before it filed bankruptcy and reformed as Many One, LLC. At one point thereafter, he reportedly could account for $59 million that had gone out the door. The witness told the interviewer he never recovered his investment. To the best of his knowledge, the gym owner lost his money as well. -------------------------------- The records most recently obtained from the SEC:

FBI records obtained this week by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) describe an alleged 1962 plot to kill Sen. Barry Goldwater, later labeled a hoax. The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) alerted the Bureau it was informed by an enlisted Marine of a conversation in which another soldier purportedly offered to pay him to shoot the Senator during a scheduled trip to Los Angeles. The Bureau proceeded to use its resources to take action, including alerting Goldwater's staff and tapping well-positioned confidential informants to assess the threat level. This included obtaining status updates on the American Nazi Party of Chicago, a group allegedly involved in the assassination plot. Within a few months, however, ONI advised FBI it completed an investigation and concluded the whole matter was a hoax, calling the Marine's narrative a “cock and bull story,” according to FBI memos obtained. The records were among 23 pages of material recently released to EFR as the result of a successful FOIA appeal stemming from a 2022 request on Barry Goldwater. The Bureau initially provided some 430 pages of previously released records, while acknowledging existence of additional material withheld in full under certain cited exemptions. EFR subsequently appealed the withholding of the records to the Department of Justice, ultimately leading to a March 31 FBI letter stating 23 pages were reviewed and released. All of the records obtained, salient response letters, and the EFR appeal may be downloaded below. Other material in the recently released 23 pages includes a 1964 FBI memo, Subject: Edward Ellis Smith, Research-Satellite Matter. The memo reflects Bureau interest in Smith, described as campaigning for Goldwater and the former subject of a 1950 investigation as an applicant for CIA employment. He is further described as having served in Moscow as an Assistant Military Attache from 1948 to 1950, and later as a Department of State Security Officer from 1954 to 1956. Smith was compromised as the result of his relationship with a Russian woman, but the Bureau memo indicates it believes no loss of sensitive information occurred and refers to Smith as cooperative during interviews. The late Barry M. Goldwater was an Air Force major general and five-time Arizona Senator (1953-1965, 1969-1987). He was the Republican nominee for president of the United States in the 1964 election. Goldwater numbered among the high profile supporters of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), taking a position on the board of the UFO organization in the 1970s. “I and my colleagues on the Board of NICAP think it is high time more independent research on UFO's was undertaken,” the Senator wrote in a published letter of support (see pp4-8). Goldwater went on to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee in the early 1980s. Goldwater staffer Charles Lombard, heavily implicated as a CIA asset, joined Goldwater on the NICAP Board of Governors, as covered in this writer's book, Wayward Sons: NICAP and the IC. Lombard helped facilitate the acquisition of NICAP into the Center for UFO Studies, assisting in negotiations that took place from approximately 1978 to 1982. The FBI advised EFR of more responsive records in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). EFR requested the records, leading NARA to reply that about 90 pages pertaining to election law investigations will be processed and released. The processing is projected to be completed in approximately February 2026 at an estimated cost of $72 for a reproduction. --------------------------------------------------- FBI records on Barry Goldwater previously withheld and obtained this week by EFR: The EFR appeal, resulting affirmative response, and eventual FBI release letter: Previously released FBI records responsive to Barry Goldwater:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled in favor this week of a FOIA appeal submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR). The February appeal sought further release of records obtained from the SEC on ManyOne, LLC, a company operated by controversial Utah entrepreneur Joseph Firmage. The colorful Firmage, who more recently announced his candidacy for president of the United States, used ManyOne to attract investors for a number of loosely defined technology ventures, as explored in a recent EFR article. Records obtained by EFR were part of an SEC investigation of ManyOne, ultimately resulting in no recommended enforcement action in 2018. Material released to EFR through the FOIA thus far includes a 29-page pdf containing an interview conducted by the SEC of a former ManyOne employee. The testimony describes a corporation in which over-promising and under-delivering on both financial commitments and products were standard operating procedures. The 29-page pdf had a number of redactions and some eleven pages withheld in full. The SEC cited FOIA Exemptions b6 and b7c for the withheld material, each of which address privacy issues. Specifically mentioned by the SEC was the withholding of third-party and staff names and telephone numbers. However, the redacted material clearly included instances unrelated to such personally identifiable information. EFR subsequently appealed the response and select redactions, clarifying we had no objections to the withholding of staff names and similar material exempt from the FOIA, but sought release of other information, including the eleven pages withheld in full. The SEC explained in its March 20 response to the appeal that it remanded the matter for further review. “I have reviewed the transcript released to you in part and find that an adequate review was not performed, including the determination to withhold pages 18-29 of the PDF in their entirety as non-responsive,” the SEC wrote. View the appeal submitted by EFR and the favorable response received from the SEC: From the March 20 SEC response: EFR will publish and report on further records obtained from the SEC as applicable. To learn more about the FOIA process, view our video, FOIA Basics. Be sure and check out our Video page to browse our growing collection of exclusive interviews and informational clips. Questions or comments? Post them below or follow us and reach out on Twitter or Mastodon, among other ways to connect with us. If you enjoy and value our work, please consider joining the financial supporters of Expanding Frontiers Research. Your contributions help with our FOIA work, website maintenance, video production, and other activities. Contribute through the secure “donate” button located at the top of the Blog page and on our home page. EFR is a Utah nonprofit corporation, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, dedicated to sharing resources that most effectively embody best research practices. Thank you for your consideration and interest.

FBI records obtained Wednesday from the National Archives on Frederick Durant III provide glimpses into the career of the guided missile expert who served alongside Dr. J. Allen Hynek as an associate member of the Robertson Panel. The Panel was a 1953 CIA-funded UFO think tank of which Durant authored the resulting document, sometimes referred to as the Durant Report. The 67-page FBI file, compiled from July 1952 to December 1953, reflects Bureau investigations undertaken to apparently allow Durant security clearance to participate on the Robertson Panel in his capacity as a CIA officer. The file is also indicative of Cold War concerns Russian spies and Communist sympathizers were infiltrating U.S. intelligence agencies and accessing sensitive national security information. The FOIA request was originally submitted to the FBI while this writer was composing Wayward Sons: NICAP and the IC. The Bureau advised in a 2020 FOIA response of the existence of the file maintained at the National Archives and Records Administration. A request subsequently submitted to NARA resulted in the eventual processing and release of the file, available below: Frederick Clark Durant III was born in Pennsylvania in 1916. He attended Lehigh University from 1934 to 1939, at which time he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. Durant entered the Navy in 1941 and went on to work as the head of the engineering department at storied Wright Patterson Air Force Base in 1951, according to FBI records obtained. He also became a CIA officer in 1951. The career path of the Cold War aerospace expert: Reports compiled on Durant by FBI Special Agents in 1952 consistently indicate his good community standing and lack of derogatory information to be found among law enforcement and credit agencies. Likewise, former employers and professional contacts repeatedly told the Bureau they would recommend him for a position of trust. The findings and significance of the Robertson Panel, headed by physicist Dr. Harold P. Robertson, continue to be argued among UFO enthusiasts. The Panel, after hearing testimony from a variety of informed presenters, including representatives from intelligence agencies, advised the CIA it found no indication the reported phenomena constituted a direct physical threat to national security. It further advised that propaganda and resulting hysteria surrounding the topic posed a much greater risk and warranted attention. Secrecy surrounding the Robertson Panel and its CIA funding fueled largely unfounded speculation among UFO proponents. The Panel's lack of concern about literal mysterious flying objects certainly contributed to criticism from the UFO subculture. Frederick Durant himself became the subject of conspiracies and accusations that he was employed by the Agency to undermine UFO research and extract information for CIA benefit from the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, as explained in Wayward Sons. Although Durant passed FBI investigations with flying colors, even the seemingly all-American rocket expert was not entirely without an episode of temporary and urgent concern from the Bureau. In late 1953, months after the conclusion of the Robertson Panel proceedings, the FBI discovered Frederick to be the nephew of one Kenneth Durant, the subject of investigations undertaken by its Albany office. Kenneth had been identified as a “manager of the Tass News Agency 1920-1944” and “closely affiliated with Communist Party members.” FBI Director Hoover quickly called for investigations on Frederick Durant to be reopened and supplemental reports to be “submitted within five days without fail.” Others within the Bureau wanted explanations of the security lapse, asking, “How did we miss this?”: The answers to that question involved cross-referenced material that apparently escaped notice, and, somewhat curiously, a woman no longer employed with the Bureau. She was given blame for failing to thoroughly search files she reportedly marked as “NR,” meaning “no records” of relevance to the investigation were found within them. The info pertaining to Kenneth Durant was later, in fact, located in the files. Special Agents rapidly re-scoured the countryside searching for evidence of Frederick Durant interacting with and being influenced by his uncle. Interestingly, confidential informants included a telephone operator, a postmaster, and employees of the Kenneth Durant home, but much to (no doubt) the relief of the FBI, Frederick seemed to have little to no interactions with Kenneth. The FBI file received from NARA has select redactions. FOIA exemptions provided in justification of withholding the 70-year-old material include b3, “Intelligence Sources and Methods.” Those familiar with this writer's previous work and blogposts offered at Expanding Frontiers Research should not be entirely surprised to find a lack of UFO-related references in such records as compared to a relative abundance of espionage and counterintelligence implications, as suggested in the above screenshot. Such redactions will be appealed. In 2020 this writer submitted a FOIA request to the CIA, seeking records on Frederick C. Durant III. In an October 2022 response, CIA advised it located responsive material yet determined it must be denied in its entirety on the basis of FOIA exemptions b1 and b3. An administrative appeal was submitted and remains pending as of this writing.

By Jack Brewer and Erica Lukes A 2017 transcript of an interview with a former employee of the Joseph Firmage-operated ManyOne corporation, conducted as part of an investigation launched by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), tells a story of perpetual financial deficiency, questionable methods of managing capital, and off-the-cuff figures given to prospective investors. The transcript was obtained as part of a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed with the SEC and FBI by Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR). Records were sought pertaining to corporations maintained by Firmage, known for his longtime antics within the UFO subculture and more recent announcement as a candidate for president of the United States. The name of the former ManyOne employee, who was accompanied by legal counsel during the interview, was withheld as exempt from disclosure under the FOIA. The witness indicated they worked for ManyOne approximately 18 months beginning in June 2012. The interviewer, whose name was also redacted, conducted the examination on behalf of the SEC Salt Lake Regional Office. A March 2018 post made at the apparent LinkedIn account of Joseph Firmage indicated the SEC informed him an investigation into ManyOne, LLC was completed and no enforcement action would be recommended. A subsequent FOIA request obtained the January 2018 “no enforcement action” letter and confirmed the LinkedIn post to be correct. The 2017 SEC interview and 2018 "no enforcement action" letter obtained through the FOIA: EFR reached out to Joseph Firmage and offered him an opportunity to comment for potential inclusion in this blogpost. He did not immediately respond. The July 2022 SEC initial FOIA response advised of the existence of a voluminous amount of records potentially responsive to an investigation of ManyOne, LLC. The SEC notified EFR of the equivalent of some 138 boxes of hard copy and electronically maintained records. It was estimated up to 1500 hours might be required to search and process the material. EFR subsequently reduced the scope of the request to transcripts of interviews conducted during the course of the investigation and any resulting reports. The scope reduction led to obtaining the interview transcript, released in an SEC January 30, 2023, interim response, which stated it was “still consulting with other SEC staff regarding additional information that may be responsive to your request.” Firmage Corporations ManyOne was an LLC incorporated in 2011 and operated by Joseph Firmage. It was often thought to be working to develop internet technology in some capacity. A more accurate description, however, might point out ManyOne was part of a complex network of corporations, the purposes of which were often somewhat ambiguous. Among the numerous companies was ManyOne Networks, Inc., incorporated in Delaware in January 2002. Another entity by the name of ManyOne Foundation was launched with Corporations Canada in August 2002. Directors included Joseph Firmage. ManyOne, LLC was incorporated in Utah in 2011. It reportedly conducted business and sought investors out of Salt Lake City. Circular jargon was employed to not-so-clearly explain what kind of work was done at the many different companies, ultimately producing little that could be discerned about practical products or services. As one journalist put it in 1999, “To listen to Firmage is to hear of the Casimir effect and zero-point energy and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and quantum foam and the Roswell incident and the MJ-12 documents. Science, pseudo-science, truth and fiction, God and electromagnetism: It's all there, a thick and pungent stew.” The 1999 observation refers to tendencies Firmage had to discuss his Mormon upbringing and belief in UFO-friendly narratives. He claimed openly to believe he encountered what might be described as a nonhuman intelligence. A book Firmage wrote titled The Truth informs readers of his related philosophies and an awe-inspiring future in which humankind knows a cosmic intelligence - a future he declared was upon us over 20 years ago. While Joseph Firmage often uses words to invoke Arthur C. Clarke-like imagery among those who will listen, the FOIA process reflects much less mystical chains of events. Records obtained from the FBI demonstrate its San Jose office interviewed at least one, possibly two, ManyOne Networks employees in December 2008 and January 2009. The heavily redacted records, provided below, withhold the name(s) of the individual(s) interviewed and do not clarify the nature of the FBI inquiries. The Bureau advised some 18 additional responsive pages were withheld in full. EFR appealed the redactions and withheld pages but the initial ruling was upheld. Firmage had his sights set on a number of rather sensational projects – or at least purported to repeatedly believe grandiose outcomes were obtainable – and bounced from one company and idea to another. What moving parts could be identified often overlapped from one instance to the next. This is further reflected in the statements of the interviewee examined by the SEC, who referenced Firmage concerns such as “Academy of Science and Arts” and Motion Sciences. Those ventures are typically perceived to have been busts pertaining to anti-gravity research and related subject matter. Nonetheless, Firmage numbers among those in UFO circles who boastfully cite decades of work on projects framed as impressive, though little can be found of anything particularly relevant actually achieved. A Firmage-connected company called InterNASA was launched in 2016 and bore intriguing resemblances to the questionable To The Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences. The latter was an entertainment-slash-science-slash-spook hangout popularized by Tom DeLonge and an effective public relations campaign. Firmage's version was actually incorporated as the National Academy of Science and Arts, LLC, doing business as InterNASA. As with To The Stars, Firmage likewise had intelligence officer connections and “scientists” making careers out of what might generously be termed maverick science. Some of the same players were involved at To The Stars. InterNASA had not yet been formally created at the time the witness was employed from 2012-13, though they testified investments were sought for such sci-fi-like ventures. In 2019, former InterNASA employee Robert Kiviat filed a lawsuit against Joseph P. Firmage, InterNASA, Ronald Pandolfi, David Daniel Marriott, and others. The suit alleged a variety of circumstances were misrepresented to Kiviat, ranging from the amount of funds secured to the purported interest of the intelligence community in developing an alleged anti-gravity device. Kiviat claimed he was promised compensation never received, among other grievances. The suit was ultimately dismissed. Kiviat's allegations may be reviewed in detail in the document below, obtained from Superior Court of California. From the complaint filed by Kiviat: SEC Interview As people would be brought in for employment, the witness explained to the SEC, “[redacted] would often offer huge salaries of over $100,000 for tasks or skills that traditionally paid much less than that...” Did those people get paid? “No, not consistently.” The witness described a plan undertaken to sell domain names which would be elevated to the first three pages of any internet search engine. This was reportedly linked to a “huge computer program,” presumably related to one of Firmage's web ventures, and involving the ongoing purchase of a rather enormous number of domains. “Yeah, [redacted] did not sell the domain names,” the witness explained. “He bought them. And he bought them throughout his lifetime, from the time that he left U.S. Web, he had been purchasing these internet domain names... I think it was probably close to in the tens of thousands of internet domain names.” A client would purchase a package that would have their business connected into the network of domain names. The service somewhat worked for a while, the witness added, but was very difficult to sustain. “You'd purchase them for a year at a time, so those were always coming due in big blocks of domain names. And the funding for those, at a minimum, was $10 per domain name. “And so we would limp along and be okay, and then it would require a huge amount of funds to re-register or to keep the ownership of those domain names.” The interviewer asked if the “zero gravity device” worked. “No. It never worked while I was there.” Consistent results were never produced. Was the witness there when they tried to run it? “Yes, I was.” And they didn't see it working consistently? “Not consistently, ever.” The witness told the SEC they personally kept notes on investors, as well as composed what were termed intelligence summaries, which were described as background checks on persons or entities that might involve surveillance in addition to general research. They specifically mentioned Motion Sciences in this capacity, adding that “partners of Motion Sciences in Provo”, Utah, tried to take over the company. Notes were kept by the witness on who invested funds in Academy of Science and Arts, but not the amounts, and even though the witness was not employed with them, but a different corporation, ManyOne – at least in theory. In actuality, they were rarely paid, and this was described as the norm, even though Firmage reportedly made big promises in order to get people on board. Afterward, the witness indicated, an “employee” might be assigned more of a title to impress potential investors than fill any prestigious executive position. They might also be urged to sell products that were not yet functionally complete, something the witness claimed they personally refused to do. The witness further described questionable management tactics, such as promising equity in the corporations or institutes, yet averting from putting the commitments in writing. The attorney for the witness asked, of all of the institutes, did any of them actually function? “No. So they were great ideas, a lot of great ideas.” It was further stated there were some five “institutes” in all. Investors were remarkably promised 40 times the amount of funding in return. To the best of the witness's knowledge, those returns were never paid. When new investors were secured, minimal payments would be made to the squeakiest wheels, so to speak, chronically creating more wheels in need of oil. “I did find out that [redacted] was using those funds to repay people who had previously loaned him money, and that became another very sore spot between [redacted] and I, because I would be told, for operational purposes, that we had funding coming, and a certain amount of funding. And I was told to let everybody know that funding was coming.” The witness would then get on the phone and say funding was on the way, only for it to eventually be significantly less than promised. There was never enough money to pay employees and support personnel what was committed to them. A couple of specific redacted and prioritized investors were believed to have made millions, or at the least hundreds of thousands of dollars, over the years. The two were reportedly referred to as loan sharks, but ManyOne leadership expressed it “went to where they needed to get the funding.” Sometimes investments would be in “small increments,” such as $10,000 or $20,000. “People involved” would then receive $500 or $1,000 apiece, usually less. When larger amounts were obtained, say $30,000, about half would be gone right off the top, presumably to former investors and bills deemed mandatory. Payments to those owed funds were often made in cash. Explaining why that was the case, the witness indicated the investments arrived in cash. Also, people who were owed money refused to accept checks. Certain payments made by check, such as a property lease, would frequently bounce. The witness indicated prospects were pitched ideas for investments, often along with creative urgency that suggested ManyOne either needed to get over the next hurdle or it was at a particularly critical point in its research. “I do know that [redacted] often discussed the amount of money that would be made and provided facts and figures off [the top] of his head,” it was stated. A lot of potential investors walked away because there was nothing committed in writing. Asked in closing if there was anything the witness wanted to add that they were not asked about, they explained they had knowledge of people who were going to align their business with Academy of Arts and Science and suffered tremendous financial losses because of it. Due to one particular company out of Denmark, the witness “could never look at [redacted] the same way because of the things he promised them.” “These were just people who believed in what [redacted] promised. He promised to buy their company at a huge profit. And I think he made – might have made one payment towards that, and the agreed-to funds never came. And they had banked everything on that...”

By Jack Brewer and Erica Lukes Expanding Frontiers Research obtained numerous records pertaining to SafeMoon from the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The records, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, include dozens of complaints filed on the volatile cryptocurrency. Ironically named for its purported safe financial ride to the moon, the current value of the token is a mere fraction of its all time high in 2021, a quick climb that preceded a spiral in which investors lost the bulk of their money in most cases. The complaints leveled accusations ranging from deception and misrepresentation to outright scamming for the purpose of decreasing the account values of those holding the tokens. One complaint logged by the FTC on May 24, 2022, alleged that the account holder's $183,000 in tokens was converted to $201 after they used the SafeMoon app as instructed “to convert from V1 to V2.” The complainant further alleged, “[T]hey will not respond other than to send me the V2 guidelines.” Other reports include allegations SafeMoon skimmed funds from a liquidity pool. One complaint described the actions as stealing from hardworking investors. SafeMoon CEO John Karony was sent a link to the records obtained and requested to clarify his position on the integrity of the cryptocurrency. He did not immediately respond. Following reported allegations and denials of the launching of an FBI investigation into SafeMoon, Expanding Frontiers Research submitted a FOIA request to the Bureau in June 2022 for records pertaining to the cryptocurrency. Recent correspondence with the FBI indicates responsive records are currently under review by a disclosure analyst to determine if any redactions are required. The estimated completion date of the request is March 2023. Additional records are also anticipated from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, based on correspondence provided in response to a FOIA request submitted by EFR. The Dec. 1 final response from the SEC cited privacy exemptions in the withholding of certain records, as well as FOIA Exemption 7a, which protects records from release which were compiled for law enforcement purposes. The use of the exemption does not necessarily indicate a violation of law is reflected in reports withheld. The FTC advised in its Jan. 25 response that, in addition to the 143 responsive complaints released, two additional complaints were withheld under FOIA Exemption 3. FTC stated it “may not disclose any material reflecting a consumer complaint obtained from a foreign source if that foreign source has requested confidential treatment.” View the response letters and records obtained from the SEC and FTC below: SafeMoon operations gained interest to EFR as circumstances of crypto promotion became increasingly apparent in UFO and adjacent circles. Multiple personalities featured at a May 2022 “UFO Mega Conference,” also billed as the “UFO Disclosure Symposium” and conducted in Vernal, Utah, allocated portions of their presentations to promoting cryptocurrencies. Similarly, reported Skinwalker Ranch owner Brandon Fugal emphasized his confidence in what has become known as decentralized finance, while repeatedly referencing SafeMoon and using its hashtags from his Twitter account of over 60,000 followers. The UFO-crypto overlap is also evident on YouTube. It is not necessary to fully identify the motives behind such actions in order to see why consumers who wade into fringe culture should be concerned about financial exploitation or, at best, poorly conceived investment advice. We will explore such circumstances below. UFO = Unlimited Financial Opportunity Flying saucer enthusiasts - or perhaps more aptly stated, the cash and assets of flying saucer enthusiasts - have been targeted since the outset of the modern UFO phenomenon. Harold Berney was arrested in 1957 for what FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others called the “Trip to Venus” swindle (see pp184-185). Berney used a story about collaborating with beings from Venus as a means to separate a trusting woman from $38,000. With inflation, that's about 400 grand. Such sagas were unfortunately not uncommon, with opportunists sometimes employing spiritualism and patriotism as tools to invoke favorable emotional responses from their targeted audiences. Investigative journalist and author David Troy noted to EFR in a Feb. 3 email how the Ballards' “I AM” cult and William Dudley Pelley's Silver Shirts shared interests in the gold standard and anti-New Deal sentiments. “These ideas found a seamless transition into ufology networks in the post-war space age after 1945,” Troy continued. “Pelley transitioned straight into ufology in the 1950s.” In more recent times, self-described psychic and ufologist Sean David Morton and his wife were convicted in 2017 of conspiracy to defraud the United States, among other charges. They advocated the “sovereign citizen” conspiracy and subsequently filed tax returns for millions of dollars to which the federal government ruled they were not entitled. The winding saga additionally involved their attempts to obstruct Uncle Sam from recovering money already erroneously refunded to them, as well as their efforts to pay the IRS with bogus documents. According to the Department of Justice, the Mortons also received thousands of dollars from clients to teach them the scheme and prepare and file fraudulent documents on their behalf. The couple was arrested on the charges in 2016 as they rather fittingly disembarked from a “Conspira-Sea Cruise.” They were previously accused of using such venues to prospect for people who could be convinced Morton, who called himself “America's Prophet,” could use time travel and psychic powers to predict the stock market. In 2010 he was reported to have received some $6 million from investors who wanted in on the purported financial opportunity. Conspiracy culture's dance with dubious financial transactions does not always so clearly rise to the level of illegal activity. Sometimes it may be more matters of breaches of reasonable ethics and eroding public trust that, while involving sky high tales, does not result in criminal charges. Such examples include George Filer, who sold “flu lights” through a variety of UFO websites and e-lists, and Steven Greer's repeated crowd-funding of supposed tell-all UFO documentaries that were long on sensation and short on fact. Greer's ventures, which include workshops of close encounter protocols that purportedly teach participants how to interact with a non-human intelligence at thousands of dollars per seat, generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue for years. It only seems natural that people discussing cryptocurrency and related products, and apparently representing those products as compensated consultants in at least some instances, would make their ways into UFO subculture. By nature, UFO speakers often express a stance of distrust for government and authority figures. The above mentioned Steven Greer, for instance, long told audiences an extraterrestrial presence among us meant us only good will, but the powers that be spin it as nonexistent or malevolent. This, he suggested, obstructs the unsuspecting public from knowing the beings could teach humanity how to generate free energy, circumstances the government wants to keep deeply hidden for supposed economic reasons. Such themes are common. The benefits of cryptocurrency, likewise, are often built around ideas of decentralization and escaping a ruling class. The lack of regulation, or taking the funds and banking procedures out of the restrictive hands of the feds, is often described as a benefit, not something to be concerned about. Stories of insider knowledge passed along to visionaries who get in on ground floors are popular. It stands to reason crypto entrepreneurs who share such common premises with various fringe speakers would want the audiences of those speakers to be made aware of their financial products and services. And scams. In 2022 a fraudulent portfolio of cryptocurrency was used to extract some $2 million from investors sympathetic to QAnon. EFR spoke with reporter Ernie Piper whose team broke the story, and the interview may be viewed on the Feb. 3 edition of Expanding Frontiers. The saga included high profile QAnon influencers telling their thousands of followers they had access to secret military intelligence information. This, they claimed, revealed the types of cryptocurrencies that were going to explode in value. Reality subsequently proved to be much different, resulting in lost savings and at least one related suicide. “Crypto, like gold before it, is attractive to people who are skeptical of government and fiat money,” David Troy explained to EFR. “There are few people more skeptical of governments than people who are convinced that they are withholding information about extraterrestrial contact. Therefore it is natural that gold, crypto, and UFO audiences have long overlapped.” All of which brings us to the 2022 UFO Disclosure Symposium in Utah. UFO Mega Con It wasn't the usual dubious pre-conference hype, credulous narratives, or over-promising and under-delivering of supposed groundbreaking evidence that attracted the attention of EFR to the 2022 UFO Mega Con, aka UFO Disclosure Symposium. The event conducted in May in Vernal, Utah, indeed had those characteristics, but that did not particularly differentiate it from most any other gathering on the UFO circuit where buyers should beware. What became of interest to EFR was the sowing of cryptocurrency promotion into the usual banter. This was not only an emerging theme at the conference but proved to be identifiable across multiple platforms. Professor Avi Loeb was billed as an expert, presumably of UAP-related subject matter, for the 2022 UFO Disclosure Symposium. The celebrated Harvard Professor of Science made news since 2021 with the launching of his ambitious Galileo Project, goals of which include getting a lock on extraterrestrial technological signatures. That loosely includes identifying an ET that might be buzzing our neighborhood. Loeb showed a tendency to give the media fantastic statements, resulting in stirring up attention well beyond the UFO bubble. The Galileo story dovetailed rather conveniently for writers with the Pentagon UFO story, personalities of which included Dr. Travis Taylor, who also appeared at the Disclosure Symposium and is a popular cast member of the show The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. Whatever Loeb's motives for arguably courting the credulous, which of course might include building funding channels, the professor could objectively be described as UFO-friendly. He has been a rather frequent guest at various UFO shows and events. In April, the Professor of Science was rather remarkably a speaker at Bitcoin 2022. This occurred in conjunction with Eric Weinstein, who was previously reported to be managing the hedge fund Thiel Capital. 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 reached out to Professor Loeb and asked if he cared to clarify how Bitcoin will diversify humanity across the cosmos. He was also offered an opportunity to comment on his involvement with events and individuals promoting cryptocurrency. Loeb was particularly encouraged to clarify his relationship with Bitcoin and how the token is relevant to his work. Avi Loeb did not immediately respond to the request for comment. Paul Hynek Also appearing at the 2022 UFO Disclosure Symposium was Paul Hynek, son of famed scientist and pioneering ufologist Dr. J. Allen Hynek. He is reportedly “active in cryptocurrency and Blockchain, advising several companies in the space,” and his interests have not been omitted from his involvement in the UFO genre. Hynek offered high praise to Bitcoin during a YouTube appearance titled Bitcoin, UFOs and You. Asked about his “research on Bitcoin,” Hynek proceeded to make parallels between the token and UFOs, stating the origin of neither is conclusively known: “Bitcoin and UFOs, together at last,” Hynek remarked. The video goes on to include discussion of the use of Bitcoin as a “celestial exchange system.” Hynek further expressed his assessment to viewers of benefits of Bitcoin, such as paper currency keeps getting printed, while the cryptocurrency has a contracted finite number. This would guarantee at least a certain degree of value, it was questionably suggested. Paul Hynek did not immediately respond to a request to ask a few questions about the overlapping of cryptocurrency and the UFO community. He was advised EFR was seeking clarification on his position on the use of Bitcoin as a “celestial exchange system.” No responses were received as of this writing. Nouriel Roubini is much less convinced than Hynek, Loeb, Fugal and others purport to be of the promising future of cryptocurrency. As a matter of fact, Roubini told Yahoo Finance in January that belly-up crypto ventures are not the exception but the rule, and that “99% of crypto is a scam.” Serving as a senior economic advisor in the Clinton and Obama administrations, the holder of a BA in political economics and a doctorate in international economics has a CV from here to there. Let's just say Roubini has a qualified opinion. The vast majority who invested in Bitcoin, Roubini went on, did not get onboard early, but purchased after the price was high. They bought well above current market value, “so they lost their shirts.” “Out of 20,000 [Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs] officially 80% were a scam and another 17% have gone to zero. You have to stay away,” Roubini warned. “And most of these people belong literally in jail.” Nouriel Roubini's statements to Yahoo Finance: Chris Lehto Chris Lehto appeared at the 2022 UFO Disclosure Symposium. He is apparently a former F-16 pilot who makes his home in Portugal, where he contributes UFO-related articles to local media. He is also the founder of the UAP Society, whose website proclaims, “The DeSci NFT funded UAP research revolution has begun.” That means something to the effect decentralized science is funded through the sale of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, which is ultimately supposed to reveal answers about unidentified aerial phenomena. Chris Lehto sells NFTs, which are unique digital images that some seem to believe are - or will be - of value. You have probably seen some “bored ape” NFT images around, for instance. Lehto's hundreds of NFTs were created on the Ethereum Blockchain. The digital images are offered for purchase in ETH, or Ethereum cryptocurrency. They have alien and UFO themes, and start in price around 100 bucks or so and go up from there. Most are under $1,000 with a couple of offerings at substantial 5-digit prices, or at least that was the case with the “Alien Dreams Genesis Collection” posted on a page at a site called OpenSea. There's a lot to unpack. The page says, for instance, sales of the NFTs fund UAP detectors on land and in space. Part of royalties fund science initiatives, it is further stated, and the UAP Society is propelling the world's transition to a deeper awareness and understanding of the phenomenon using disruptive Web3 initiatives. “The key technology that I believe makes WEB3 and digital collectibles especially exciting is they are fully decentralized,” Chris Lehto wrote to EFR in a Feb. 3 email. “This means no government, bank, or company approves the transaction of UAP Society digital collectibles. This means anyone in the world with an internet connection can take part in UAP Society’s exciting projects. You don’t have to be on an approved stock exchange and you aren’t just giving a donation. Of course you can donate but we want invested people. We want an unstoppable decentralized digital behemoth. You build that with exciting, desirable products that last. We want a product that will increase in value in the future.” But will it increase in value? “We will increase the value of our digital collectibles by giving the people (us!) what we want. We (at least me personally) want actual movement and progress on anomalous phenomena investigation. We want open source ambitious investigation projects that aim directly at the heart of the mystery. We want projects that are not afraid of the woo and will ask difficult questions that mainstream science and academic institutions are scared to ask. And, if it produces results, we want our investment to reward us with a share of the winnings. If we pool our resources together, then we should all reap from the benefits.” As stated, there's a lot to unpack. Lehto was encouraged to describe what kind of science projects he's undertaking. “We are in the final stages of our next product launch, the CryptoUAPeez digital collectible. We will launch the white paper shortly but the outline is UAP Society’s mission is to propel the world to a deeper awareness and understanding of the phenomena through disruptive WEB3 initiatives. Our next product, CrytpoUAPeez, will at a minimum fund Sky360 camera placement and management at Mount Wilson Ranch.” “We are working hard in the background during the bear market so we are ready,” Lehto concluded. By the way, Lehto says Paul Hynek is on board. This time they're making a visible college, Lehto asserted, by leveraging Web3 technology and using NFTs to fund science pointed at UAP: SafeMoon SafeMoon LLC was created in March 2021. In April its currency reached its all time high market cap of $17 billion. As of this writing, it is valued at $295 million, a decrease of over 98% from April 2021. The CEO of the Pleasant Grove, Utah-based company, John Karony, is a reported former Department of Defense analyst (2015-2021). He's had his share of challenges with SafeMoon, to put it mildly. Internet searches quickly turn up everything from allegations of Ponzi schemes and fraud to a lawsuit between the CEO and his mother. The SafeMoon saga is complex and muddy. Vice reported a 23,225% increase in SafeMoon value between March and April of 2021. This, the outlet noted, was despite the coin having no clear use. It was also noted in the May 2021 article that celebrity endorsements and social media hype aided in the price explosion. By February 2022 it was reported those celebrities were being named in a class action lawsuit. The suit accused Karony and company of misleadingly inflating the value of SafeMoon in order to sell their personal holdings at maximum profits, or what is known as a “pump and dump” scheme. The celebrities, which included popular musical performers, reportedly received compensation in the form of payment and/or cryptocurrency for their involvement. The lawsuit alleged the scheme was to trigger the initial price boost that subsequently plummeted over 80% by the end of 2021. Notably, television star Kim Kardashian agreed to pay a $1.26 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle civil charges resulting from an Instagram post she made endorsing crypto asset EthereumMax. Kardashian was charged by the SEC for failing to disclose she was paid a quarter of a million dollars to publish the post. SEC Chair Gary Gensler emphasized the case was a reminder that when celebrities and influencers endorse investment choices and cryptocurrencies, it doesn't mean the investment products are right for all investors. The Wall Street of Crypto In May 2022, KUTV in Salt Lake City reported on Utah's bid to become “the Wall Street of crypto.” Utah State Representative Jordan Teuscher and Senator Kirk Cullimore sponsored digital currency and blockchain technology bills to encourage the use of crypto and allow the state to accept it as payment. It was suggested Utah wanted to signal that it is a state welcoming to virtual currency. Proponents suggested that many people, like refugees, were left out of the traditional banking structure. Companies turning to crypto were supposedly helping provide them with banking services. In June, “mixed emotions” were expressed about Utah's blockchain bills. Some had concerns about technological details of putting a crypto state economy into actual practice. While Rep. Teuscher wrote on Facebook the bills would be “HUGE for our state in attracting web3 companies and further enable Utah to lead the nation in digital innovation,” others shared concerns about the state's ability to control the types of entities that would be structured in Utah. Expressing this concern was Attorney Sam Mehr of the Utah Blockchain Coalition Advisory Board. By September, the Department of Justice accused the New Jersey-based BitClub Network of conducting a $722 million investment scam which ensnared several Utah properties. Court documents reportedly traced a path of how investments received by Utah companies were sent through BitClub and its affiliates. While all of the circumstances had not developed in the time since Utah began more aggressively courting the crypto scene, the story nonetheless served as a potential foreboding omen. David Troy considered in his writings how crypto gained interest in the political sector during 2021. Leaders of New York and Miami expressed commitments to make their cities “crypto capitals.” While such movements attract players like Peter Thiel, Troy warned that new kinds of cryptocurrencies can undermine the dollar and even other forms of crypto. Troy further suggested such undermining is attractive and opportunistic to foreign adversaries. “The attack on government control over the dollar and the idea that money, like gold, should be private and out of the hands of government officials is fundamentally a fascist idea,” Troy further explained, “more aligned with the vision of Mussolini than of Roosevelt. The gold standard has always been brittle and required departures when crisis finally came; likewise, cryptocurrencies, which are expensive, difficult to use, environmentally hazardous, and lacking in legal frameworks for dealing with errors or crime, are ill suited to the complex, highly evolved world of modern banking. It is neither practical nor reasonable to expect the entire world to shift to 'hard money' banking, not least because so many would be harmed in the process and others, who had done little besides get in on the Ponzi scheme early, would be unfairly enriched.” Brandon Fugal In spite of such circumstances as SafeMoon crashing 80% by December 2021, news surfacing of a class action lawsuit no later than early 2022, and Brandon Fugal's participation on the above referenced Utah Blockchain Coalition Advisory Board, the cast member of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch repeatedly tweeted favorably about the failing cryptocurrency company in 2022. Moreover, the “SafeMoon Army,” as it was known, showed enthusiasm for Fugal's support and popular crypto analysts considered it newsworthy when Fugal confirmed he owned SafeMoon tokens. During a March 8, 2022, YouTube video, the creator of which has over 20,000 subscribers, Fugal's tweets were explored in which he defended his knowledge of crypto and qualified he owned SafeMoon cryptocurrency, "More than most.": Records obtained by EFR and posted above indicate complaints were submitted to the Federal Trade Commission on SafeMoon starting in April 2021, throughout 2022, and into 2023. A July 24, 2021, complaint, pictured below, indirectly references SafeMoon strategies such as building a group liquidity pool and charging token holders 10% fees for withdrawals in order to retain funds and investors. Other complaints, such as this one from May 7, 2021, alleged that investors were unable to withdraw funds: Brandon Fugal was provided a link to the FOIA records obtained and offered an opportunity to express his position on the integrity of SafeMoon. Fugal initially suggested, obtusely or otherwise, he did not understand why EFR would seek his comment. Fugal went on to acknowledge his support for digital currency and decentralized finance while distancing himself from SafeMoon management. “I met with SafeMoon executives several times last year in response to requests for information regarding options to accommodate office expansion and strategic planning for potential future growth,” Fugal wrote in a Feb. 4 message. He hadn't met with them since June, he continued, adding that last time he looked, he had lost over 90% of his investment in SafeMoon. Giddy is the only company in “that market” in which he stayed in close contact, Fugal wrote. Was he provided compensation from SafeMoon or Giddy? “Absolutely not.” EFR did not inquire about the extent Brandon Fugal takes responsibility for how his social media followers may be influenced by his words or if he continues to defend his knowledge of crypto. Caveat Emptor Economist Nouriel Roubini could hardly disagree more with those clinging to crypto dreams. “The crypto bubble has burst for good and will not recover as these were assets with no intrinsic value,” he explained in an interview posted at London Speaker Bureau. Since their peak, he points out, Bitcoin has lost a significant percentage of its value while other top cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum, have as well. He reiterates that over 80% of all Initial Coin Offerings were a scam in the first place. There is indeed a revolution in financial services, Roubini asserts, but it's not about crypto or blockchain. It's called “FinTech” and is based on three related elements: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI), Big Data (BD), and the Internet of Things (IoT). The Professor of Economics envisions it will revolutionize digital payment systems and asset management, among other financial necessities. “I do not believe that the problems of security and scalability of cryptocurrencies can ever be resolved,” he explained. “At the conceptual level security and scalability are incompatible with the decentralization that crypto and blockchain claim to want to achieve. And if you have a system that gets you scalability and security with centralization you are back to traditional financial systems and/or their modern evolution that is non-blockchain based FinTech.” “There is a reason why all societies rely on trusted institutions with a history of reputation, credibility and redress of fraud to ensure the safety and legality of financial and other transactions,” Roubini concluded. “The utopia of having decentralized, permission-less, trust-less algorithms that replace trusted and reputable institutions is a delusion that technology can provide a solution to fundamental problems of trust that only human institutions that have developed for millennia can resolve. There is no decentralized trust-less security or scalability in crypto and there will never be one.” Buyers should always beware and exercise caution with investment products and services, and perhaps nowhere is that more the case than with venues and individuals who encourage uncritical belief in the fantastic prior to urging loosening of purse strings. To be as clear as possible, it's typically a bad idea to take financial advice from people actively trying to convince the public of stories surrounding the general concept that otherworldly beings are regularly flying the skies. Don't make important decisions for yourself and loved ones based on the statements of unreliable narrators.

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday its most significant effort to date to target and arrest cyber criminals exploiting Americans and the cryptocurrency market. Working in partnership with the Treasury Department and French law enforcement, the DOJ disrupted Bitzlato, a China-based cryptocurrency exchange described as notorious for laundering criminal proceeds from the darknet, the DOJ explained at a live afternoon press conference. FBI agents arrested Bitzlato founder, senior executive, and majority shareholder Anatoly Legkodymov, a Russian national reportedly residing in China. He was taken into custody Tuesday night in Miami and charged with conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business. The DOJ indicated Bitzlato accounted for some $700 million in transactions. Those transactions were allegedly funded by illegal activity conducted through the darknet that rely on currencies that allow easy access with minimal identity verification and restrictions. The funds are then easily laundered. Bitzlato failed to implement safeguards required by U.S. law, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told reporters. Those safeguards enable law enforcement agencies to detect and investigate financial crimes. “Instead, Bitzlato facilitated the transmission of hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit funds, fueling darknet market places and laundering the proceeds of ransomware attacks,” Monaco asserted. She further explained her office will not only target hackers and fraudsters that profit from cryptocurrencies, but that she is unleashing the full force of the Department of Justice on the illicit actors and entities that court cyber criminals.