We hope you all were able to get more sleep last night, and have started the process of putting Pepe behind you. Like most diligent readers have commented, Pepe's was one of the first blogs we read in the morning, and always the last one we checked before bed. After 36 hours of "detective work" yesterday, a good night of sleep was appreciated here!
We received an email from Paul, the contents of which are not available for posting at this time, but we feel we will be able to share with you his sentiments very soon. Until then, we ask the readers of DWT to please cease and desist on the death threats aimed at Paul. Regardless of how knowledgeable you think him to be about Gina, he is still a weak man, whose constitution could do without being attacked by so many.
We do not share these sentiments in regards to Gina.
As we lack the ability to read minds, we aren't sure what the FBI and media will do with this story. Yes, it is purportedly a small amount of money, but even a small amount makes this a case of fraud, and worthy of an investigation. And that says nothing to any other aspect of the fraud readers of FOP were confronted with. We'll do some more digging and see what we can find in precedented cases.
According to the "Friends of Pepe" site, there were 40 donations made to the Wii cause in December, and a handful of people have commented that they donated afterwards as well. We know from the blog that some of this money went to the CFRI as a donation in Gina's name.
As a result, we need to know what the donors want to do. We personally do not think it fair to ask for a refund from the CFRI. But we do believe every penny that went to Gina would/should be reimbursed to the readers who donated. Since we can not differentiate whose money went where, would the donors of FOP be open to sending the funds as a second donation to the CFRI? And if so, who do you want it to be from/for?
The CF community has suffered this week, and believe they will suffer more in the name of "Pepe" when it comes to donations and support. Making a donation to the CFRI, to the authorities who will dispense it within an organization of people who do need it feels, to us here at DWT, like a way for those who were used by ONE person to still show their support for the many who are suffering as Pepe depicted she was.
Thank you for your continued support in our decision to keep this blog running. We have questioned the need for it now that the truth is out, but feel we should publicly see this through to the "end." Who knows, maybe we, and our handy detective Troll Exposers can make this a place where we continue to do justice for other communities victimized by trolls.
**Edited to add - we posted this in the comments but thought it worthy of adding here:
We're not one-sided, just lacking evidence in any other accusation.
We have worked very hard to post only what we have evidence to support.
And we support not making death threats to a physically ill man, as extreme stress can be excessively destructive.
Gina is not physically ill, which there is evidence to support, so we do not share the same sentiments in regards to her. **We would also like to add that death threats to anyone are childish, uncalled for, and we think illegal. What we were trying to convey is we here at DWT think Gina's healthy physical constitution is more capable of handling your anger and the stress that accompanies it. Sorry for the misinterpretation.**
No one here is a member of the CF community, but after reading the hundreds of comments and emails from "cystics", their plight and concern over what this has done/is doing to their community has tugged at our heartstrings.
If good can come from this for these innocent bystanders, then we fully support that.
30 comments:
Has there been any word yet from the lady whose picture was used (by Gina?) on the FOP blog? Presumably she was also unaware of the story that had been concocted by Gina or that her picture was being used to misrepresent Gina. but has this yet been confirmed by M?
I still cannot believe that some people doubt the existence of 2 separate people in connection to this story. If Paul, 'created' this identity he stole or appropriated pictures of a 'pleasantly plump' woman riding horses and then made spent a lot of time posting on horse sites - cf sites - and asperger's sites to get attention? Who and where is the woman in the photos if she does not exist as Gina?
I am not saying that I think Paul or Gina are truthful or not, only that they are two people involved.
Paul - man with website dedicated to his cf.
Gina - horse riding woman who claims to have cf, asperger's, emetiphobia (sp?) , and allergies.
The truth is out? Since when? Paul posted his side of the story on a message board. And now that's the truth. That's pathetic.
I am starting to question this site. Starting to seem a little one-sided.
The truth about Pepe, my friend, is indeed out. Pepe does not exist, therefore she is not dying while waiting for a second double-lung transplant.
The rest is small potatoes in comparison to THAT truth.
We will now question everything--from this site--to posters on other sites...but ONE thing is clear:
We now know the truth about Gina--all else pales beside that fact. Fot that, I am grateful to this site.
kg
Convinced more than ever that this blog is written by Paul.
Not one-sided, just lacking evidence in any other accusation.
We have worked very hard to post only what we have evidence to support.
And we support not making death threats to a physically ill man, as extreme stress can be excessively destructive.
Gina is not physically ill, which there is evidence to support, so we do not share the same sentiments in regards to her.
No one here is a member of the CF community, but after reading the hundreds of comments and emails from "cystics", their plight and concern over what this has done/is doing to their community has tugged at our heartstrings.
If good can come from this for these innocent bystanders, then we fully support that.
Yes, THAT truth is out. Small potatoes or not, there are still lots of unanswered questions and truths that aren't out. But apparently you're not interested in those here at DWT.
Man. I bet Paul is in charge of this site, also. What perfect way to not get into trouble, be in charge of a site that says they are taking care of everything legally to bring charges against these people. Who do these people at this site think they are deciding how this money should be returned. Don't you think the authorities shoeld handle that? There probably aren't any, huh Q, Paul, pepe. Schizophrenia-another diagnosis. Oh yeah and now.DWT
If you don't know (or care) what the horse riding Gina's involvement is, why did you post her last name and pictures of her? Since the only truth you seem to care about in this is out, the info about a girl named Gina who rides horses is irrelevant.
"And we support not making death threats to a physically ill man, as extreme stress can be excessively destructive."
"Gina is not physically ill, which there is evidence to support, so we do not share the same sentiments in regards to her."
Did you really say this! You support death threats to Gina? OMG, what is wrong with you?
hey paul
nice try... your a busy bee arent you..
next we will read that because of the stress paul has passed,yeah right
pepe was at his side..
Fact is, we have read so much
bullsh*t we don't know who is who or what being said by the operators of this sit is real or a cover up to save there own ases.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW THE TRUTH..
Interesting how both FOP and DWT use the third-person 'we' in the bulk of thier posts. hmmm
This is still being turned over to the authorities, don't misinterpret that. They will be ultimately in charge of what happens to the money, but we discovered this "hiccup" in just returning the money this morning - some of it did go to a charitable organization, and how can you decide whose money goes where, and who should get refunded in that case?
A donation was just a suggestion on our part, as a way to have some good come from this. This would, of course, have to happen after the FBI were to okay that.
We are still scouring the internet for information. If and when we find something that supports anything that has been said in the comments, theories about Paul or others involved (we don't have anything confirming that the woman whose pictures were used as "Pepe" is involved), we'll be the first to post about it.
But right now, all we have is a handful of theories that we have been researching for two days now, and can't support. And a bunch of angry, jilted readers, which still includes us here at DWT.
ALSO, if anyone can locate any information on exactly what crimes have been committed via the "Friends of Pepe" blog, we would like to hear them. If you can find cases where emotional abuse has been cited, EVEN BETTER.
Not trying to be, that guy, but it sounds like you are against death threats towards the sick, and ok with threats towards the healthy. I think it should be quite obvious that no one should advocate any criminal activity. After all, it is a potential crime that brought us all here.
'And we support not making death threats to a physically ill man, as extreme stress can be excessively destructive.
Gina is not physically ill, which there is evidence to support, so we do not share the same sentiments in regards to her."
HAHAHA! We use "we" because we are we! There's too much here for just one of us to have found on our own, especially in the wee hours of the morning Friday on no sleep.
I (yes, I, only one person typing) think Paul used "we" because of Blake. But we don't know much about Blake, other than she's linked to ChippedAway. If you can find information that "Blake" is a third accomplice, we'd love to hear it.
"That guy" and Sandra,
You are right, our words were not appropriate. We do NOT wish death threats on Gina, or Paul. We HOPE Gina is getting help.
The first two posts were "I" and then it switched over to "we" and now the whole thing just reads like Paul's manifesto.
Can I just say, let's all take a chill pill and stop with all the accusations against one another. There is plenty of proof Pepe was made up. There looks to be sufficient suspicion that Gina was involved and is a very disturbed person. Paul? Who can say? It could go either way. And either way, the man is very sick. The stress on a man that sick will be punishment enough. Let the authorities figure out all the details or if they aren't all that interested, then thank goodness we don't have to go to bed crying because Pepe is being tortured in the hospital. I am relieved actually. Let's focus on those who we know are truly in need and get on with it. No one is going to figure it all out except maybe the authorities and I only hope they get involved so this woman might be forced to get help. The help she needs is Jesus in her heart and healing in her mind. And if you look at Paul's site, he is interested in spiritual things-lots of times he mentions the Buddhists. Paul, we do care for you regardless of your involvement, at least I do and I pray God will reveal himself to you through this whole thing. So, group, why don't we pray for their souls, focus on those that are truly suffering and watch the blog for factual updates without attacking those outside and imploding from the inside. Thanks to DWT for handling this with maturity.
TRM
yeah he mentions the Buddhists
drinking beer,,, cool huh !
I smell another scam here.
My point was that he seemed interested in spiritual things. I don't really know what Buddhists so and not really interested. But beer or no beer you missed the point and to make another point, I just had a friend who had a double lung transplant, then I went to CCFH site from a link and he mentioned "Gina" So there is so scam in my sincere statements and it just proves my point that people are attacking one another unnecessarily and wrongly and it needs to stop. Some of you are just downright mean and I think you are enjoying the drama. The others are hurt like I am, but good grief Charlie Brown, be decent.
TRM
Horse riding Gina may or may not be involved. Since her involvement hasn't been proven, what do we think she needs help for? Paul needs help. Me thinks Paul is a liar who has his hands in this website. FOP and DWT the same?
trm
I think you and a lot of others are missing the point that paul is the master mind behind all of this crap.
what it going on now is that he/they are trying to cast the blame away from them selfs.
get the point.......
Could you post the contact information for the authorities handling this information please.
Yeah, what 11:10 said. We need independent confirmation that this is truly being looked into.
Per this post. I'm one of the people who contributed a bit of to the Wii. If it's many I threw away so be it. I don't need any follow up or punishment or anything.
I find this whole thing incredibly internet messy. Lots of this discussion (and this web site) are sponsored by anonymous. Frankly the whole bloody internet is anonymous. I take my chances that anyone I've never met in 3d land is who they say they are when I meet them on the internet. So be it.
I could decide not to talk to anyone, but that's a bit of a problem if I want to be part of either the cystic fibrosis or the Asperger's community. For different reasons both of those communities are online communities rather than 3d communities. (Won't see "meetups for either.) So I choose to participate in both communities a bit online.
The challenge for me is to not think of internet friends as the same as or replacements for 3d friends -- to make sure I've got a real strong 3d community that I participate in. If I do this than I'm less apt to make bad judgements about online friends or to look to them to provide what only 3d friends can provide. (Aside: When I was isolated with a homebound husband I was particularly vulnerable to confusing online friends with real 3d friends. Other folks who are isolated for physical reasons are also particularly vulnerable).
I don't see any real reason to prove a whole lot here. The whole internet thing is "buyer beware". So the pepe story is false that's good to know but not important as long as I was showing proper balance in my life. It's the balance that matters. If it was true and I was ignoring my real 3d life it would be just as bad for me as if it were false.
I think a lot of people are just feeling embarassed that they believed a story that they now think is untrue. They feel like they've been stupid and are ashamed. There's nothing shameful with believing lies told to one by someone who wants us to believe them. (Spouses who find out a spouse has been lying about an affair sometimes say "I am such a fool. I should have known", but why? Their spouse did not want them to know and put a lot of effort into their not knowing.)
All of this "I told you so" or "I want vengeance" stuff is just a way of avoiding looking at ourselves. (There may never be any real proof about this whole thing and even if there is tomorrow is another day with another opportunity to be conned. ) We all need to make our own choices about how much to be involved emotionally in online support groups and who to believe.
Now I choose to believe Paul but not to believe blake/gina. I choose to stay involved with others in the cf online community. My choices. My risks.
My choices are not without foundation (I have "known" Paul online for quite a while and find his persona quite consistent.) But I have no "proof" about any of this and I don't plan on trying to get any.
I wonder if many people's anger at Paul is caused because it was his writing that made them care about pepe. He is a remarkable writer. FYI in his Transplantland blog he wrote not only about pepe but about his own journey and those of other adult cystics (some of whom are known in person by others just as Paul is). It's my guess that the con isn't the writing of the blog, but instead that the con is the words over the phone and emails to the blog writer (Paul).
I'm really rambling, but this is just a mind dump for me. After this post I plan to just get back to living my own life and participating online as much or as little as I am comfortable with.
Get over it. In the grand scheme of things it is just dramatic comedy, not tragedy--and it is certainly not your life.
I just don't understand how Paul, being a post tc Cf'er himself wouldn't have seen through the medical descriptions being told to him in regards to Gina. I've spent time in the ICU, you get to learn it and you cannot fake it well enough to fool someone who's lived it.
Do we honestly, without a shadow of a doubt, know that Paul is who he says he is either? Do we know that he truly IS a post tx cf'er?
I do think that whoever is making threats of harm to anybody is no better a person than Paul or Gina themselves.
Kat
I just don't know who to trust now.
paul if this you running this site
you will know who I am, because I just deleted paul an gina johnson
as friends on my facebook.
??????????
why is it gina johnson now....it was Gina F something a while ago.
can someone clear this up?
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