Prizes Awarded = 2 Bitcoin
After leaving Overstock in August 2019 I wrote a series of blogs clarifying:
1. Overstock decisions that previously I could not have explained;
2. Deep State matters about which I went public in August;
3. How the two actually might be tied together.
After what were, I believe, 29 essays, I had most of the story complete (without giving away the ending, I hope), and asked for summaries, promising to award 1 Bitcoin to the best effort. Some excellent efforts were made, and I thank the contributors for their work. My webmaster has identified one essay (a fine one, actually) as having enlisted mechanical aid in the voting, and thus had to be eliminated.
Because of the quality of the five that both made it through the voting and judging, I am going to (true to my word) award the winner 1 Bitcoin. But I am among the remaining five I will split up an additional Bitcoin.
The winners (and their numbers of votes) are below. The #1 winner received the second highest number of votes. I made the adjustment because as the guy inside the story, I found it closest to my understanding.
1. No Stone Left Unturned: 1 Btc
2. The Truth Cannot Be Hidden Forever: .25 Btc
3. More Pepper: Short Freaks and Hot Takes .25 Btc
4. Being Honorable is Viewed as Disruptive Instead of Beneficial .25 Btc
5. Man Vs. Swamp .25 Btc
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No Stone Left Unturned: 877
A concerned citizen, a patriot with a presage, and now, a nascent nomad. It all began at The Miscreants’ Ball in 2005 – a shocking call where Patrick Byrne analytically lifted a boulder to reveal a soiree of hedge funds, journalists and investigators – waltzing to the tune of “phantom” stocks. When the light cast upon the covetous creatures beneath – some of them fled, some even attacked – but most of them just dug themselves a deeper hole. Byrne had overcome cancer, founded an internet giant, and built an empire – but it was the unearthing of that rock that became the proudest day of his life. A recession, a decentralized currency, and an upset election later, Byrne has re-emerged. At the gates of a garden party full of oligarchs and hedge fund hoagies, he has shown up as an uninvited guest – intent to stay until no stone is left unturned. In his trials, Patrick has faced short sellers, billion-dollar bribes and even a honeypot foreign agent. He’s helped the FBI, reported to the DOJ, and been betrayed by the SEC. A necessary sacrifice at the Overstock table of his making – Byrne has come to tell his truths and lambast the lies. This service to his principles has forced Byrne to leave his country in pursuit of safety abroad. Hedged with crypto, gold, and more wisdom and experience to impart, he only asks of one thing – that we hear what he has to say, and perhaps meet him at the gates once again.
The Truth Cannot Be Hidden Forever: 1057
Before the great financial crisis of 2008, Former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne sounded the alarm against stock market corruption in Wall Street about their embezzlement through defective stock settlement system. The SEC turning a blind eye enabled the bad actors to engage in what has become the largest financial crime of all time. In the Spring of 2019, Patrick Byrne again sounded the alarm, this time about Deep State political espionage related to the 2016 Presidential election. Byrne gained knowledge of corruption after becoming involved with a Russian national Maria Butina. In 2016, Byrne saw that Butina, through her personal charm and charisma, was opening backdoor channels between powerful figures in Russia and the major US presidential candidates of both parties. Byrne informed the federal officials about Butina and asked for advice. In retrospect, the feds were tracking Butina with the intention of using her as either blackmail against any future president or as a means to remove an unwanted winner of the election. Patrick Byrne made several TV appearances in August 2019 describing how he may have been used in a quasi coup attempt on President Trump. In August of 2019, the CFO of Overstock convinced Byrne that Byrne staying involved with the company made Overstock uninsurable. Patrick Byrne had to abandon his company and leave the country. The sun cannot be covered with mud, and the truth cannot be hidden forever. Dum spiro, spero.
More Pepper: Short Freaks and Hot Takes: 196
Financial Justice Warrior Patrick Byrne makes the first cut against the Wall Street Gang grain with a Dutch Auction rather than joining the IPO racket, earns perpetual malice for not falling in line. Despite not being a Good Ole’ Boy Byrne builds a successful company pestered by subtle efforts to pancake progress by those who stand to lose to the truth: the rules aren’t there to protect the public, they are selectively enforced by friends in high places. Government agencies spend years doing bare minimum to not disrupt the status quo, using Byrne’s talent while retarding his efforts in a bath of red-tape and circumstance. In a delicate game of Goliath and mouse Byrne spends years coordinating the creation of a brilliant new system to eliminate the sloppy settlement that enables the fraud playground to proliferate unexposed; blockchain opens the book that the SEC asked him to translate while buying Wall Street time to bail water. Rich crooks chop at the OSTK tree trunk lest the fruit grows. Impairing the company with smear and phantom shares distracts from the overarching plan which is to reinvent truth in assets. Detractors are successful in shaking the easily distracted, Patrick is persona non grata. While cooking a souffle containing a jail-break chisel, his Sous-Chefs failed to follow the recipe. Now Café Bazoomba is full despite the GSR dine-and-dash, but the executive chef has three Michelin stars for a reason and the patrons are salivating at what he can put on a silver platter.
When Being Honorable is Viewed as Disruptive Instead of Beneficial: 63
Gaining notoriety for battling settlement process corruption on Wall Street, Byrne subsequently emerged at the forefront of Blockchain technology integration, garnering him attention from individuals in Russia seeing it as means to prevent a post-Putin power vacuum. Maria Butina, approached him on the behalf of Russian Oligarchs interested in him speaking in Russia and meeting with Putin. Byrne reported the contact to the FBI and received guidance contradictory to law enforcement objectives from top officials he referred to as “X,Y, and Z” (one of which was Peter Strzok). He realized that something unusual was going on. His company was launching TZero, and attempted to sell the retail portion to enable this. The SEC executed actions that made it difficult. This paired with a capricious buyer tanked the deal. Byrne was offered $1Billion incentivized in the form of making the SEC interference go away. He instead made a report to the DOJ, then gave a series of interviews. The CFO of Overstock convinced Byrne staying with the company made them uninsurable, and prevented the stock from reaching $50. Byrne agreed to leave the company despite learning of deception. He arranged to sell his stock at a pre-determined time with full disclosure to the board, and broke contact with them entirely to avoid insider trading. Byrne’s shares of Overstock sells, the digital dividend is cancelled/delayed by the SEC, stock prices take a hard dive, and further SEC investigations/lawsuits ensue. Consequently, the head of the SEC investigations is Peter Strzok’s wife.
Man Vs. Swamp: 32
The rule of law has returned to the USA under Attorney General Bill Barr prompting our protagonist to come forward with information regarding his role in the Russian collusion scandal. High-level figures in government, including former FBI Peter Strzok, gave him direct orders to pursue a romantic relationship with Russian journalist, Maria Butina. Uncovering the ploy that she was being allowed to contact several political parties in 2016 including Hillary and Trump, she could subsequently be used to taint their images as an insurance policy. CEO of a multimillion-dollar company targeted by malfeasance, he’s called attention to financial market corruption by major players operating outside normal investment channels. SEC, the very group created to combat such activities, secretly enable those participants willing to turn a blind eye. Silent vindication would come in the aftermath of 2008 witnessing wall street and banking arrests with FED chairman Alan Greenspan admitting to systematic settlement flaws warned of years prior. Libertarian at heart, and understanding blockchain potential, he devised a fully accredited crypto-stock dividend to expose “slop” created through naked short selling. Approved and scheduled for deployment, he’s blindsided by fake ultimatums coercing his resignation. Liquidating his stock to achieve distance and transparency, proceeds are converted into gold and cryptocurrency, assets beyond market manipulators reach. Meanwhile, the dividend gets postponed and an investigation ensues by the SEC lead by none other than Melissa Hodgman, the wife of Peter Strzok… welcome to the swamp. Meet Patrick Byrne, and follow his continuing saga at DEEPCAPTURE.COM