Neo "The One"

On 3/8/2024 at 2:57 PM, Mr. Zipper said:

The guy who was running the NJ office was all over the Instagram, which is now deleted. I distinctly recall something on the HR site that indicated C&P books went to NJ and other work went to Mike in Oregon. 

Then, there was a some sort of dustup on some FB groups about books coming back to a client that appeared as if they were never cleaned and pressed. The guy from the NJ office disputed this and online drama ensued. I believe it was not too long after that the NJ office closed without explanation. I believe this was in 2022.

In retrospect, I suspect that was a canary in the coal mine. 

Makes sense.  I'm in NY and sent the book to NJ for C&P, all of a sudden it was re-routed to Orgeon. That was October 2022.  BTW  I do love the Police... 

On 3/8/2024 at 2:07 PM, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Non-compete is very different from non-disclosure. 

Yeah - I said don't quote me.  I mean logically since HR is done it shouldn't be binding at this point anyway.  I DM'd Mr Zipper what I know.  

On 3/8/2024 at 1:58 PM, Sigur Ros said:

I'm sure people horsing around under multiple accounts is definitely helping those who lost.....

Yeah - that was not the smartest way to put that. "And I'll say it again,  for those of you who think this is a game, stay out of the thread and move on.  Your childish, snarky comments don't help those out who lost huge books and a lot of money. "

On 3/8/2024 at 1:35 PM, GaryHanson said:

So this is where everything gets confusing.  Others had DM'd me the exact opposite, report to Oregon PD as soon as possible.  They seemed to come from a Law enforcement background.  What I have done was fill out this - https://justice.oregon.gov/consumercomplaints/ And again I was advised that this was not necessarily the best move, and not to involve too many organizations, as they may pass the buck.  So where I'm at is to question - is a $3000 book worth the lawyer fees?  Or if we somehow put all of these claims together does it make more sense.  And yeah, I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on Televsion, so I really have no idea...

Quoting myself.  What is good is that IF your books were sold on ebay (as apparent in my case).  There is a form to fill out, but they are asking law enforcement to do it with a case number.  So even though I do agree the lawyer is a good idea (although probably not cost effective), I think I'm going that route.  Please everyone - take some action.  It has to be better than nothing.  And honestly ebay was probably the worst place to sell stolen books.  What about other markets - Craigslist, Facebook etc.  He may currently be selling stolen books elsewhere.  

On 3/8/2024 at 1:05 PM, Qalyar said:

Attorney. First.

Do not go on record with the police until you have sat down with your counsel and determined what the appropriate actions are here. Just because you are the victim here does not mean the cops are on your side; they are not. They are on their side. For example, while I do think it's likely that some of you are victims of actual, legal theft -- especially anyone who had their books sold by Mike -- you are not competent to understand the legal implications. If you're filing a police report, you will be asked for basic details of the crime, such as the date that it occurred. Is that the date you sent your books to Mike (obviously not). Is it the date he listed them for sale? The date the transaction completed? The date he actually transferred them to the third-party buyer? Filing a police report in which you get the details wrong may limit your legal options later. Also, frankly, this is a confusing, expansive case that's probably in a different jurisdiction and that involves property the cops probably don't care about; they are not going to do anything helpful on their own.

Get. A. Lawyer. They will advise you what official actions you need to take, and when.

Potentially, very much yes.

So this is where everything gets confusing.  Others had DM'd me the exact opposite, report to Oregon PD as soon as possible.  They seemed to come from a Law enforcement background.  What I have done was fill out this - https://justice.oregon.gov/consumercomplaints/ And again I was advised that this was not necessarily the best move, and not to involve too many organizations, as they may pass the buck.  So where I'm at is to question - is a $3000 book worth the lawyer fees?  Or if we somehow put all of these claims together does it make more sense.  And yeah, I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on Televsion, so I really have no idea...

On 3/8/2024 at 1:05 PM, Mr. Zipper said:

The 2020 bankruptcy is puzzling. At that time, pressing submissions were taking many months due to massive demand, prices went up and he opened a new office in NJ to handle C&P. If I recall, the Oregon office was focusing on restoration work. In short, money should have been pouring over the transom in mid-2020. 

Has anyone contacted former employees? I can't recall the name of the guy who ran the NJ pressing office, but he was active on social media. Is it possible there are books somewhere in NJ? 

Hey - so I have a contact (no not Flake / Cantina) that says he's spoken to someone at the NJ office, but he had to sign a non-compete (the former employee).  Since HR is in effect defunct, maybe this no longer applies. And again, this is all second hand, so don't quote me. Let me see what I can do digging up that name or contact info.   Also, for the record, I originally sent my ASM 129 for a CP to the NJ office in October '22, but it was re-routed to Orgeon after it arrived there with no explaination. (Per the tracking updates I recieved). Maybe they had a mail forward order in with the Post Office at that time?   

On 3/8/2024 at 11:29 AM, mattn792 said:

It might be worth paying the few bucks for PACER access.  Depending on the case status and what he put in his original petition, he may have committed, and may still be committing bankruptcy fraud.

—if it is the same Mike.

I mean if these fees are right, and nothing 'hidden' I think it may be  worth it. 

On 3/8/2024 at 11:29 AM, mattn792 said:

It might be worth paying the few bucks for PACER access.  Depending on the case status and what he put in his original petition, he may have committed, and may still be committing bankruptcy fraud.

—if it is the same Mike.

Good point, but definitely a BIG coincidence there with the name if its not.

On 3/8/2024 at 11:03 AM, jimjum12 said:

Also, possibly from eating live chickens without plucking them first. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Live chickens... I mean, in some small way this board give me joy... lmao

On 3/8/2024 at 11:10 AM, flchris said:

What happens if Mike has already filed for bankruptcy (2020)? Oregon Bankruptcy Court site indicates PACER may provide more info about cases (which I don't have a subscription to, if someone else does). Not sure if the same person: Michael David DeChellis | 6:20-BK-61600 | Court Records - UniCourt. Shows "Pending - Other Pending".

OMG - FILED IN 2020?! - I just saw that!

On 3/8/2024 at 11:10 AM, flchris said:

What happens if Mike has already filed for bankruptcy (2020)? Oregon Bankruptcy Court site indicates PACER may provide more info about cases (which I don't have a subscription to, if someone else does). Not sure if the same person: Michael David DeChellis | 6:20-BK-61600 | Court Records - UniCourt. Shows "Pending - Other Pending".

This is a great point, and others have pointed out on this board it is like trying to get blood from a stone.  So 1) if he still has books they can be returned maybe they can be retrieved.  2) I'm hoping maybe some legal action can be taken with ebay and or PayPal to see if my book can be returned or some sort of monetary compensation (this would help others in the same boat if in fact the transactions were completed.  He recived positive feedback on mine, so I assume it was)  3) Other avenues to explore.  Were their multiple perpetrators?  Can the stolen, "Break in" books be found?  Is anyone else liable?  People that vouched for him or advertised his services?  And I'm curious if this Bankruptcy just covers him personally, or his business as well.  I'm sure a lot of you know more than I do and can help fill in some of the blanks.  I mean - with his bankruptsy do any of us get a say, can we put in a claim for anything he owes us?  As you see.  I have a lot of questions, but not many answers.  

On 3/8/2024 at 10:55 AM, mattn792 said:

All I’d say is don’t start advancing CantinaFlake any money for “legal fees”.  

Good advice, and that is not how it went down.  I was warned ahead of time - which was good.  Again, I didn't follow the original locked post that closely, so I didn't realize how crazy it got.  Cantiana and I spoke about a Lawyer and how the cost may be prohibitive.  I also expressed if any legal counsel were retained, I'd need to meet with them face to face, and confirm it was a reputable law firm.  We are no where close to that.  For me it is still early days.  At this point, I'm trying to do what others have done in the past and define the scope of the problem.  How many people, how much money and how much in stolen property?  I"m sure there are many others out there who don't follow these boards and sent in books to be worked on, never to be heard from HR again.  I know this is all about trust which was damaged due to Mike's shady behavior and theft.  I'm just another collector who got burned, and want to help if I can.   

Well anyway... I still think the issue at hand is Mike D., HeroRestoration and the theft of money, books and promised services that were never delivered. Been trying to be transparent on my end.  When Zapped Moose9995 discovered that books were being sold by Mike that weren't his to sell, it was an eye-opener for me.  Although the ebay user name was changed from BlueMoonAlways to geekbay_since_2003 I was able to find my book  that had a completed sale and feedback indicating the buyer recieved it (completed transaction). So whether or not Flake / Cantina's intentions were good or bad is irrelevant.  A lot of good has already come out of the new post.  Once the old one was locked it became a dead end, and of course Mike / HR just packed everything up almost without a trace.  Sorry if I'm being overly dramatic, but this whole situation sucks.

On 3/7/2024 at 6:12 PM, Sigur Ros said:

So it's just coincidental that Flake's email address is Cantina's name?

What are the odds of that??

 

So yeah. I met with Catalina but Flake was not on the call. Flake apparently works for Catalina and has access to his email. As I’m writing this it sounds odd to me too. But honestly I don’t care. I still want to focus on Mike D / HR and figuring out what we can do if anything. I mean this seems to be a massive crime and we can’t do anything?  It’s ridiculous. 

On 3/7/2024 at 5:20 PM, Dr. Balls said:

There is also a whole different locked thread where Mike completely imploded - that’s got the real good stuff in it. 

Thats part of the problem here. Once that was Locked the communication stopped. I had no idea what was going on and how bad it got until I found this new thread. 

Also to all the haters of Flake and Catalina. I think this is really just taking focus off of the issue at hand. Many people got screwed over by Mike D and Hero R and are looking for answers. At this point I doubt Mike has the time or energy to “work the boards” and what difference would it make? He’s basically done. At this point I’m just hoping we can help some people. I’m sure there are many more out there that don’t follow these boards and sent books they’re never getting back. 

On 3/7/2024 at 4:44 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

Funny. Initially I wrote, I met with “them” but then realized Flake was not on the call so was trying to be transparent.  I don’t know them (Flake and Cantina) and can’t vouch for them, but they were honest about being associates and that Flake works for Cantina. I really think he (Cantina)is jjust another collector that got screwed over by Mike and is unsure what to do or who to trust.  Personally, I was giving Mike the benefit of the doubt until I found my book was sold. Hopefully I’ve provided enough proof and been a member long enough to have some level of trust. But then again Mike was on for a loooong time and destroyed all levels of trust. I’m a principled person and this whole mess really rubs me the wrong way. Hoping some good can come of it. See you at 1/2 time.

So before going all full force on this, I actually DM'd Mike D.'s account yesterday.  I didn't expect a reply, but I figured it would not cost me anything, and if anyone asks, I made the effort (above and beyond emailing him, calling, texting etc. several times which all went unanswered.)  Last I heard from them was Jackie just over 11 months ago, aside from automated responses.  Here's one of many emails sent:

 <-(Hey that's me!)

GH <garyhansonjr@gmail.com>	Sun, Aug 27, 2023, 7:15 PM
to contact, Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike,

 

I understand from my research you are going through some health issues.  I hope all is well.  

 

Looking for 2 things.  1) Status of my ASM 129, and 2) Are you working on restoration removal still?  I have an Avengers 57 with very minor restoration (slight b-1) minor color touch.  I've looked at it under a black light and I see 2 small spots showing up.  I'm wondering if a good 'non-restorative' cleaning will get it off.  

 

Hope you are doing well.

 

Thanks!

 

Gary Hanson

On 3/7/2024 at 3:17 PM, thehumantorch said:

And I want to point out that when this first came out Mike was posting in this thread about how this was making it difficult for him to take on new work and make money.  He always put himself and his business first.

LMAO

On 3/7/2024 at 2:00 PM, thehumantorch said:

And that's the sad part about all this Gary.  Heroes was considered to be a skilled and trusted restoration expert and now we're learning that while he may be skilled he can't be trusted and isn't good at running a business.  And sadly, in this hobby there are very few people doing this work.  Other than Kenny are there any relatively young comic restoration experts out there?

 

Thanks Torch!  I completely agree.  I intentionally never sent that book to anyone else for fear of this exact situation, but Mike / HR was on these boards for over 10 year and I thought I'd be safe (like so many others...)

On 3/7/2024 at 12:57 PM, Number 6 said:

 

Sounds like you need to add another picture with Cantina201 in a bozo wig.

 I can confirm that Cantina201 / and Flake Tapper (Randy) are associated, but not the same person.  I met with 1/2 of them face to face via Zoom - and its definitely not Mike - and I don't think a Mike plant.  I mean, at this point, what does Mike have to gain? I'm sure he's busy battling all of his other problems right now. My impression of Cantina201 is that he's just another concerned collector who got burned by Mike (like many of us did) and is trying to pick up where Sauce Dog left off pursuing whatever kind of legal justice he can. 

 I only loosely followed these CGC boards so I knew something was up with HR, but he (Mike D.) was asking people to give him the benefit of the doubt - so I did.  I've DM'd several of you after realizing my book was Stolen / sold by Mike on ebay and everyone's been great!  So I'm out $3000 worth of property (was CGC signature series 8.5 before Mike cracked it out).  What bothers me more is that so many people got burned, feel that there is no justice in this (laugh if you will) and are not sure what to do, who to talk to, or if they have any options at all.  Additionally if a customer of HR who doesn't follow these boards were to try to track down their missing books, all of the HR websites, phones and email addresses are gone or disconnected - basically Mike was able to disappear without a trace (unless you follow these boards closely).

 So with that being said.  *I guess I need no introduction*  I (Gary Hanson) am putting together a website that is similar enough to Mike's that hopefully people or as some put it, "Victims" will find and contact me. 

I don't have any answers, just questions.

• I'd like to know the scope of the problem - how many victims? 
• I'd like to know how much property was lost (both in quantity and dollar value). 
• I'd like to know how much cash was taken (via payments for services NOT RENDERED). 
  
  Is this any of my business? - probably not, but maybe if we can come up with a comprehensive list someone will take notice.  Law enforcement, DOJ, a law firm, etc.  Some have pointed out to me (rightly so) that Mike may not (and most likely DOES NOT) have any assets to go after.  While that may be true it may not be our only (legal) course of action.  I do think we have a slight chance of getting some type of closure for so many who deserve it.  Mike was on these boards for years and built a certain level of trust and credibility which was all taken away due to whatever personal issues he had. But there are others that vouched for him either directly or by implication who's trust he completely destroyed on top of it all.     

On 3/6/2024 at 10:45 PM, KCOComics said:

 

I don't have a problem with CGCs response. They were just stating Hero's status with CGC. 

 

And look,  back in 2022 most of us had no idea people had been waiting years for their comics.

I thought Hero had a great reputation.  

No, at the time I didn't either.  Hindsight is a bi*ch.  

For those of you who like pictures... 

I almost feel foolish for posting this (almost) but what the hell.  Here is me reaching out to CGC to check the legitimacy of Hero Restoration:  

 

Nicki (Support) <submissions@cgccomics.com>	Thu, Oct 6, 2022, 3:24 PM
to me

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your request, 'CGC - Other' has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.
Ticket ID: 92086

Nicki (Certified Collectibles Group) Oct 6, 2022, 15:24 EDT Hello Gary,    Thank you for contacting us. Hero Restoration is an authorized facilitator and dealer. As long as the book is cracked-out, pressed, and then directly submitted by them, the book will still qualify for the Signature Series yellow label.     If you have any other questions, please let us know. Have a good day!    Nicki. Customer Service Certified Collectibles Group p. 800-642-2646 | f. 941-360-2553 collectiblesgroup.com NGC, NCS, PMG, CGC, CCS, CSG, ASG and CAG are independent members of the Certified Collectibles Group This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. If you are the intended recipient, please be advised that the content of this message is subject to access, review and disclosure by the sender's Email System Administrator.

 

GARY HANSON Oct 4, 2022, 10:40 EDT Url: https://m.cgccomics.com:8601/contact/ Name: Gary Hanson Email Address: mrhanderson@gmail.com Message: Signature Series pressing. I'm looking to have a 3rd party re-press ASM 129 4089277002. They have told me that they can do so and have it return with a YELLOW label (not green or Qualified, "signature on cover in marker". Can you confirm this? https://www.herorestorationcomics.com/  (my cell #) Thanks! Gary Hanson

This email is a service from Certified Collectibles Group. Delivered by Zendesk

[09M0OM-4RP8W]

 

 

 

 

 

 

HA <mrhanderson@gmail.com>	Thu, Oct 6, 2022, 3:39 PM
to Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks @Nicki! 

  I was a little nervous, since they told me they don't normally press slabbed books.  

Thank you!

 

Gary Hanson

 

On 11/23/2023 at 4:40 PM, bc said:

He may have sold some, but I doubt they were ever shipped.

-bc

Well he received positive feedback on some of the sales so...