Neo "The One"

Man - Ponzi scheme is the best way to sum up this whole mess!

I mean, ok. He could have ben losing money - and that is understandable - but honestly he should have just returned the books. It seems he was a small operation (I hesitate to say 1 man since he had the NJ location) that got in way over his head. That is understandable. What is not ok is stealing - which is what this all boils down to.

Not only that, but I vaguely recall when he filed for bankruptcy didn't he say he had like 0 books (I mean a very low number)?! I think he's again incriminating himself - basically lying either in the bankruptcy filing or to A.Romeo and everyone else.

Agreed. My hopes are not extremely high. But who knows. Just to make a car analogy - if you hire someone to work on your car and instead they take the money and send your car to a chop shop and get paid for the stolen car is that not theft? I’m not expert either but seems straightforward enough. Hero Restoration was a company, not just “some guy”. Mike and HR had a good reputation, references and other businesses promoting his company. Not just some random presser. (My opinion).

Hey @revat - as Sauce Dog alluded to, on the original thread Mike actually did threaten violence before that thread was locked. There were a lot of other things 'said'. Books may have been stolen. I mean, I sent him my book and he sold it on eBay without my authorization or knowledge. No compensation was given to me. I like many others were giving HR the benefit of the doubt, and they strung me along for months before ultimately closing shop. I head 'rumors' of a robbery of his shop that may or may not have been staged as well as other 'interesting' things. These things have all been mentioned either on the original thread or this one. I also believe there is a third thread that goes waaaaay back to when Mike, 'introduced' himself to the community. Kind of like that Seinfeld episode.

Very funny.

Still makes time to read this thread in between restoring books to sell (that aren't his).

That is Awesome SD!

For those still interested. I received another inquiry on the website from a customer of HR. I've given him the same advice. Reach out to a lawyer, Police and DOJ. Sent HR the book and money to be worked on in 2019 never heard back from Mike. I've removed the contact info for privacy concerns.

I mean anything is possible, but my guess is that he's selling them in other venues. If he's even still doing that.

Hey SD - I'm not aware of more confirmed sales, but I downloaded a copy of each of the NINE (just counted - ha!) that were up on ebay for, 'historical purposes'. I'm not sure if each sale has been linked to the true owner or not, but I don't want the information to get lost since ebay has taken the records of those sales down. I think its a good idea to put them up on the site in case someone is looking for their book and wasn't aware of the ebay sales. If anyone knows - please feel free to reach out to me.

Just as an FYI - all of the sales by geekbay_since_2003 (presumed Mike account or associate of his) have been taken down. I'm not sure if this means they've aged out (I believe 90 days) or taken down for some other reason. I previously downloaded around a NINE or so completed sales that were up since December of last year, so if anyone needs a record DM me. I may post them on the site HeroRestorationComic.com soon - unless anyone objects (assuming it was their book). Thanks!

Not today my friend... BTW I love the smell of napalm in the morning! CISCFCSExternal@uspis.gov Fri, Apr 12, 7:50 PM (4 days ago) to me Thank you for contacting the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The information you provided has been entered into our national Fraud Complaint System. Your reference number is C#2179288. If we need more information, you will be contacted directly. Please hold on to any original documents related to your complaint. Please note that Postal Inspectors do not have the authority to ensure that your losses are refunded. We may share the information you provided with other agencies when there is a possible violation within their jurisdiction. In the future, if you have complaints about mail fraud or mail theft, you can visit our website, http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov, to file a complaint online. United States Postal Inspection Service

I believe Lebanon, but it's my understanding he worked out of his house / farm. Others may know more. Also had a satellite office in NJ.

So I've filed a complaint with USPS investigation department today. *Fingers Crossed* I still plan to go to my local PD in NY to see if they have resources to investigate as well. Also added a new link to the USPS investigation department on HeroRestorationComic.com

It's funny (interesting). You've said this multiple times, and TMK no one has said otherwise.

Thanks for the clarification. So nothing from the police? I’m disappointed if that is the case.

Cracking up. Ok - seriously though. I went back to the "Original" thread about this mess and contacted the person who started it. The good news is that according to him (though his buddy - please don't kill me on this one) people have gone to the police, and it is firmly on their radar. He's saying even if you got back your books (in whatever condition) if you lost money STILL GO TO THE POLICE! For those with 'trust issues' Here's a snippet (didn't include who posted it because it was a DM)

Sticky hands.

Just to say - I don't blame anyone (but Mike) for defending Mike in the begining. The BS seemed palusable, even likely at the time; Heart condition, Covid etc. And he was a nice, likeable guy (I think?) back in the day. I was fooled just like everyone else. ("Won't be fooled again..." Who is that?) BTW I'm digging the list. I still have 10 copies of Spawn 1! LMAO

So - for what it is worth. I just got off the phone with Kristi from Oregon DOJ. She is super nice. Please - feel free to call her yourself. And anyone who has NOT FILED - she's waiting to hear from you. Basically - they've reached out to Mike / Hero numerous times with no response from the business. There are approximately 18 people who have filed a report with her office. She is not allowed to / does not give legal advice, but as others have posted here, a police report / complaint would be a good thing as well as consulting a lawyer. I was able to 'find' a number for the Oregon State Bar referral service. Cost is $35 per 30 minutes. 1 (800) 452-7636. Again, please don't take my word for it. LOOK IT UP Bi*ches. Hope this helps.

I've heard nothing for over 1 year now. Last email was from Jaclyn Kearney

I'm sure a lot of people are aware but for the heck of it: and

Squirel Cover - that is a new one to me, but I like it.

My understanding was that Mike was making death threats at one time, threatening to put people 'at the back of the line' for books, and not taking kindly to notifications from Lawyers. I'm not here to defend Flake or Cantina, but I can see their point. Especially when this thread was started, people were actually getting their books back. And again, correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks!