In a December livestream to his QAnon fanbase, conspiracy theorist Phil Godlewski laid out what he described as the key to their economical futures: shopping for silver.
The treasured metallic, Godlewski insisted, would before long explode in benefit right after the passage of legislation some QAnon believers feel will provide on a utopia. Earnings taxes would be removed, financial debt would be abolished, and any one keeping silver would turn into fabulously wealthy.
But Godlewski did not want his followers to purchase silver from just any enterprise. Alternatively, he advised them to obtain via 7k Metals, a multi-level marketing enterprise and metals vendor.
Godlewski and other main QAnon conspiracy theorists have identified a new way to make income from their supporters: directing them to buy and sell products for multi-stage internet marketing providers.
MLMs, which rely on new associates recruiting subordinate salespeople, with the authentic “upline” producing cash from their “downline” recruit’s sales, have beforehand been the area of leggings and vital oils firms. But now QAnon leaders want in on the action.
Although many MLMs are lawful, some have been in comparison to unlawful pyramid strategies, in which new customers pay back in money to be a part of with no any likelihood of building their money back again. Disillusioned Multi level marketing associates have complained that they’ve been left poorly in debt when their gains unsuccessful to materialize.
Marketing silver as a result of 7k Metals marked the newest organization move from Godlewski, who served time in jail last 12 months immediately after bouncing a negative check out for far more than $21,000, then falsifying lender records to stay clear of becoming caught. In an unrelated 2010 situation, Godlewski was indicted around carrying on an alleged sexual relationship with a 15-yr-previous. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor demand of corrupting a insignificant.
Godlewski isn’t on your own. More QAnon promoters have turned to promoting multi-amount promoting providers as techniques to monetize their followings.
QAnon booster Richard Potcner, who goes by the identify “Richard Citizen Journalist” on the net, rose to prominence in conspiracy-theorist circles in 2020 by filming hospitals as “proof” that the pandemic was a hoax.
This spring, Potcner arrived to his followers with a really serious information: It was time to buy silver. Like Godlewski, he had teamed up with 7k Metals to pitch his supporters on signing up for the Multilevel marketing.
“Patriots are unstoppable alongside one another,” Potcner claimed, encouraging his followers to put their retirement cash into silver.
When the company interactions between the QAnon promoters and the Multilevel marketing organizations are unclear, each Godlewski and Potcner could stand to financial gain substantially if they are counted as the “uplines” for followers who be a part of 7k Metals.
Godlewski, Potcner, and 7k Metals did not react to requests for remark.
QAnon leaders are not just providing silver. Scott McKay, a Q-backer who wields a tomahawk on phase and openly fantasizes about the murder of Democrats in his films, seems at QAnon rallies across the state less than the identify “Patriot Streetfighter.”
In posts on the messaging app Telegram in March, McKay urged his admirers to get ready for the start of a mysterious job termed “Operation Tomahawk.” Revealing very little about the project, he promised that he was launching an “economic warfare platform” that would choose on liberal corporations and “choke them out.”
“We are likely to have hundreds of thousands and then tens of hundreds of thousands of people collaborating in this,” McKay declared in a video.
McKay’s Operation Tomahawk turned out to be Patriot Change, another immediate-advertising business based on multi-degree advertising and marketing. This time, QAnon followers are getting urged to invest in their solutions through Patriot Switch, therefore “supporting firms that encourage flexibility.” In a video clip to his followers, McKay promised that they would gain commissions by recruiting new persons to provide by the enterprise.
McKay didn’t react to a ask for for remark.
Promoting the MLMs hasn’t normally gone efficiently for the QAnon figures. In 2021, Godlewski’s endeavours to pitch his followers ran afoul of Jeanette Geary, a conservative activist and Godlewski detractor. Geary advised The Day-to-day Beast in a December electronic mail that she had contacted the FBI and other legislation enforcement organizations about Godlewski’s silver procedure. (Godlewski has not been billed with any crimes connected to the silver sales).
Very last year, Godlewski sued Geary for defamation in a Pennsylvania federal courtroom more than her allegations. Geary has claimed that Godlewski encouraged his followers to vacant their 401(k) retirement accounts and convert them into silver offered by 7k Metals, in accordance to his lawsuit.
