Remailed by: anon@losers.hacktic.nl X-Remailer-Software: Remail for Waffle 1.4

Could someone bring me up to speed on this group? On the surface, it would seem that there is a lot in common with their objectives and the general Cypherpunks "philosophy". (quotes because I understand the diversity of thought in this group.)

Posted earlier:

From nobody@soda.BErkeley.EDU Wed Aug 3 11:12:35 PDT 1994 Article: 17449 of alt.privacy Xref: netcom.com alt.privacy:17449 Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!spool.mu.edu!cass.ma02.bull.com!soda.BErkeley.EDU!nobody From: nobody@soda.BErkeley.EDU (Tommy the Tourist, Anon User) Newsgroups: alt.privacy Subject: OCEANIA GETS SCREWED! Date: 28 Jul 1994 20:47:23 -0000 Organization: Bull Worldwide Information Systems. Lines: 65 Sender: daemon@cass.ma02.bull.com Distribution: world Message-ID: <199407282045.NAA24571@soda.Berkeley.EDU> NNTP-Posting-Host: cass.ma02.bull.com Status: RO

From CompuServe's Libertarian Political Issues Forum

Subject: #216752-Oceania? From: Scott A. Kjar 70402,3124 To: L D Weller 71011,1743

It turned out to all be a scam, actually. The key people involved, Eric Kline and Chuck Geshlieder, allegedly had a scheme set up where they repeatedly paid themselves out of all of the proceeds. It apparently went something like this:

1) Donations came to Oceania. Kline and Geshlider, as principals, got paid a portion.

2) Oceania then contracted with The Gold Standard Press, owned by Kline and Geshlider, to do printing. Kline got a share as the sales rep.

3) Gold Standard Press then printed fund-raising letters for Oceania. Kline and Geshlider split the profits, as partners in Gold Standard.

4) Oceania sent out more fund-raising requests.

5) Donations came to Oceania. (see #1)

It fell apart when Kline and Geshlider allegedly accused each other of fraud, and Geshlider apparently took his case to the Nevada State Attorney General's Consumer Fradu Division. (Poor Chuck, there were no consumer's in this transaction.) What is amazing about all of this is that The Gold Standard was an ILLEGAL business (no business license) and Chuck had been hauled before a judge a few months ago on this very charge. He allegedly threatened to beat her up in the parking lot (something he has threatened to virtually everyone who has ever met him), and then skipped town for a couple of weeks. The people at the Attorney General's office apparently were astounded that Chuck, who is knowlingly running an illegal business, and is not keeping any records the IRS might get hold of, is complaining about his business partner and co-conspirator about a scam. After all, there are NO Gold Standard Press records, and there are NO Oceania records. (It turns out that Kline was simply writing checks Pay To The Order of Cash, and then using the cash to cover his reversals in the Stock Market.)

Eventually, their need for cash apparently outstripped the rate at which suckers were sending them money, and like hungry wolves, set upon each other.

GOOD RIDDANCE!

p.s. I know both of these jerks personally. We have tried to throw them out of the LP in Las Vegas for several years. Like counterfeit money, they just keep turning up!

------------ To respond to the sender of this message, send mail to remailer@soda.berkeley.edu, starting your message with the following 7 lines: :: Response-Key: ideaclipper

====Encrypted-Sender-Begin==== MI@```$!S^P;+]AB?X9TW6\8W2:NP&2&04%GSR=BW]`^+`=)MFOA[ER>?SK)G 8$I$XG.1&][YD$P&3*E2?3N6*&SLZ:_5^ ====Encrypted-Sender-End====