Wow! Gary Schwartz the con man?

[tkingdoll]

Apologies if there's already a thread on this, I could find one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drrciHKm7TU

The above video is an episode of GERALDO that appeared on Fox Network on 6th October. It shows Gary Schwartz, the famed tester of psychics, allegedly involved in a $3m scam.

Now, I find several things interesting about this video. One is that there is scant or no evidence that Schwartz is scamming, and the other is that the show makes no bones about calling and condemning him as a conman.

If he had charged $500, would they make a fuss? Doubtful.

Anyway, if true, then this will surely bode badly for Schwartz (that's no bad thing IMHO, his methods are dodgier than a coconut shy) in an academic capacity, but it also raises the larger question, which is...why is this not being prosecuted?

[schlitt]

This is very good news.

John Edward: Oh, I have a study which proves im psychic!

Yep, a study conducted by a proven conman, who pretends to have the same non existant powers as you, to steal from people...

[Wowbagger]

All I can say is Ooof!

One of his own "psychics" was even complaining about him. Now, that's spectacular!

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by Wowbagger

One of his own "psychics" was even complaining about him. Now, that's spectacular!

But not new. Allison Dubois also complained about him a couple of years ago, if memory serves.

[Psiload]

Steve Grenard... comments?

[Susan Gerbic]

Ray Hyman (from the Eugene Skeptic toolbox) had us as participants read and discuss Schwartz's submitted papers. We found tons of flaws not just in his writing but in the research itself. I never heard that Schwartz was claiming to be a psychic himself, but just searching for a "white crow" in the psychic community.

Guess he figured that he could fake it just as easily as his psychics could. I don't understand what the 3.3 million was supposed to be used for? Was he asking for the money to start a business on the other side for this man's son? How isn't this illegal? Lots of questions, hopefully this hits the media big time and something happens.

Susan

[tkingdoll]

Originally Posted by sgf8

I never heard that Schwartz was claiming to be a psychic himself, but just searching for a "white crow" in the psychic community.

Me neither, this shocked the hell out of me. But as I said, there's a lot to be skeptical about in the video. For one, they offer little evidence. The letter the guy has is from 2003 from what I could make out.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

After a Google or two I ended up at:
http://michaelprescott.typepad.com/m...aldomania.html
which appears to be a believer site.

I love one quote in the discussions:

Quote:

Of course, that's all the pseudoskeptics need to point fingers and shout, "See, we told you Schwartz was a fame-grubbing crackpot!"

Hmm. Maybe a few skeptics and rationalists might too.

[Psiload]

Originally Posted by tkingdoll

Me neither, this shocked the hell out of me. But as I said, there's a lot to be skeptical about in the video. For one, they offer little evidence. The letter the guy has is from 2003 from what I could make out.

Laurie Campbell... in person... whoa... that's bad... for Schwartz.

Incidentally... remember "The White Crow" experiment? I believe we discussed it extensively here in the past. Well... the three "living" people(aside from 'hypothesized co-investigators) involved in the experiment were- Dr. Gary Schwartz, and "psychic mediums" Laurie Campbell and George Dalzell.

Well, here what Mr. Dalzell has to say on the matter...

http://georgedalzell.blogspot.com/

Quote:

I am posting in response to questions regarding an episode of GERALDO that appeared on Fox Network on 10/6/07. It featured medium Laurie Campbell, whom I hold in the highest regard. The TV episode focused on Gary Schwartz, and I feel it's necessary to comment due to the controversial nature of statements made.

I met Mr. Schwarz and his wife, scientist Linda Russek, Ph. D. in the year 2000 after suffering a loss which led to my participation in an experiment reknown as "The White Crow Reading." This was my introduction to Laurie Campbell, who "read" me under "blind" conditions as explained in the foreword to my book, MESSAGES: Evidence For Life After Death (Hampton Roads, 2002).

While I was grateful to Mr. Schwartz for introducing me to Ms. Campbell, as well as introducing me to my publisher, incidents have taken place since that time which led to my resignation from participating as a research medium with Schwartz and the University of Arizona.

I support the complete integrity of Laurie Campbell. She is not a person who misrepresents the facts, and it is my personal belief that her remarks on the GERALDO show represent the facts.

Ooof! indeed.

[Jeff Corey]

This is weird. Why should Schwartz ask for 3 million? I smell a rat and need more facts, folks.
Gerald Rivera did one thing that we must remember. He investigated and closed down Willowbrook, a hell hole for retarded people on Staten Island, NY. And arguably caused the shutdown of a number of similar hell holes.
But since then, his journalistic investigations have not proven to be very reliable.

[CLD]

Originally Posted by tkingdoll

Me neither, this shocked the hell out of me. But as I said, there's a lot to be skeptical about in the video. For one, they offer little evidence. The letter the guy has is from 2003 from what I could make out.

I know I'd like the story to be true. Schwartz's suggestions that dead people form part of his research staff are pretty wacky. But whether this story is true or not remains to be seen. The use of "legitimate psychic" Laurie Campbell to buttress Geraldo's report was kind of a red flag for me.

[fishbait]

Originally Posted by tkingdoll

...why is this not being prosecuted?

I asked the same thing in an email to the University of Arizona.

Their reply:

Quote:

Dr. Schwartz is a member of our faculty all of whom enjoy the ability to pursue their research interests in accordance with the principles of academic freedom.

Sounds like they're a bit embarrassed by Schwartz.

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by Psiload

Steve Grenard... comments?

Steve has added a comment to the Michael Prescott blog entry.

[Apathia]

Did someone say "white crow?"

I'm not in the least suprised that Gary Schwartz may have some integrity issues.

[Susan Gerbic]

Who is this Steve Grenard?

Susan

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by sgf8

Who is this Steve Grenard?

Steve is a man who is very interested in the existence of an afterlife.

He was a frequent poster here at one time. If you do a search on his user name (which I believe was either SteveGrenard or Steve Grenard) you will be able to view his opinions.

He and CFLarsen locked horns here on many occasions.

He also ran another message board which centered on the topic of afterlife studies, but I don't think it exists any more.

[ChristineR]

Ewww! He sensed the ghost of an attractive young man washing in the deceased's shower and sleeping in his bed? That's really quite...odd.

[Ersby]

I've been reading the thread on Michael Prescott's blog, and there are quite a few people writing there who have worked with Schwartz. It's pretty interesting.

I'd like to hear Schwartz's rebuttal, but it doesn't look too good.

[SteveGrenard]

I am gratified that most posting here today over this matter do so while remaining truly skeptical instead of merely biased and I have just told that to Gary. He will be letting me
know shortly when he will release his formal response and I will make sure everyone here gets to see it.

I have seen it in draft as it was being submitted to his Department Head and other University brass for approval. Based on the material in the response I was relieved
that I didn't have to end our friendship based on the material shown on Geraldo
the other night.

Of course you can all make up your own minds once you see the response.

Prescott's blog contains not only a few posts by me but also a continuation of the
attack on Gary by Laurie Campbell, someone who sounds like his ex-wife, and a few other
familiar former disaffected colleagues and collaborators of his. The gentleman who
was pre-taped and accuses Gary of unethical behavior in seeking a donation is in
fact a client of Campbell's and was introduced to Schwartz by her because he wanted
to provide funding. None of what he said was (exactly) true. He deliberately confounded what
Campbell said in her readings with what Gary reported to him as Gary's own. Campbell
no doubt put him up to this. Although I am sorry for his loss and share that grief with him as I had also lost a son in 2001, a year or so before he did, I am afraid he has turned out to have some problems that reflect on his credibility where this matter is concerned.

But all will be revealed, if not later tonight then by tomorrow.

Again thank you all for your skepticism in this matter.......

[CLD]

Armchair speculation: a story cooked up as retaliation by unhappy mediums whom Schwartz published books about without giving them a cut of the profits.

[SteveGrenard]

Originally Posted by Jeff Corey

This is weird. Why should Schwartz ask for 3 million? I smell a rat and need more facts, folks.
Gerald Rivera did one thing that we must remember. He investigated and closed down Willowbrook, a hell hole for retarded people on Staten Island, NY. And arguably caused the shutdown of a number of similar hell holes. But since then, his journalistic investigations have not proven to be very reliable.

Jeff ... in answer to your question, ponder how much an endowed chair runs these days?
The details of this will be revealed in the response with the full backing of the school. The
"donor" expressed interest in doing this. The donor is a partner or was a partner in a
privately owned medical school in the Caribbean which says a few things by itself. He knows about such things. He is definitely not an idiot.


Just to keep the record straight:

Contrary to what everyone believes there are parts of Willowbrook still in operation although there have been vast reforms after Geraldo exposed them. The campus of
CUNY's College of Staten Island was once the Willowbrook School but parts of it still are.

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

I am gratified that most posting here today over this matter do so while remaining truly skeptical instead of merely biased and I have just told that to Gary.

Hey Steve, long time no see.

I thought it interesting that the posts on Michael Prescott's blog entry were much harsher on Schwartz than the posts here. He does seem to have fallen out of favor with the LAD crowd in the past few years, deservedly or not.

[Mojo]

Originally Posted by tkingdoll

But as I said, there's a lot to be skeptical about in the video. For one, they offer little evidence. The letter the guy has is from 2003 from what I could make out.

That would fit with what was said in the video: the son died "nearly 5 years ago", and the letter was sent "2 months after the death". But they didn't show much of the letter. I found the way the letter was introduced slightly odd, as well: Michael Knopf (father of Paul) was shown saying that he'd found "that he's done this with a number of other people", and then the letter was immediately introduced, with Knopf referring to his own family in the third person: "This letter was written by Dr. Gary Schwartz to the Knopf family..." No information about these "other people" was forthcoming.

[CFLarsen]

Steve,

The following quotes are all from Michael Prescott's blog, unless otherwise stated.

Originally Posted by Steve Grenard (sgrenar)

Knopf was a client of Campbell's

Mr. Knopf, I have now learned, was a sitter of Laurie Campbell's

Can you show a publically available source that state this?

Originally Posted by Steve Grenard (sgrenar)

What is not covered by confidentiality in my discussion with Mr. Knopf concerns the fact that he told me, my sister and others at that time that he had owned a medical school. Yes there are things like private medical schools that are privately owned. A few examples are in the West Indies. This may be true and if so that should make him pretty astute on academic matters, donations tax deductions and so forth. On Geraldo, however, he was described as someone in the auto parts business. I suppose he could be both. Do I understand this? No, but there are now people who aim to find out.

That had me puzzled, since nothing in the discussion on Prescott's blog or on Geraldo had to do with the West Indies. I did a quick Google search on "michael knopf" "hospital" "west indies", and lo and behold, this link comes up as the only link. On the page, a person states this:

Quote:

It's owned by a rich Jew from New York City who has served time in the Federal Penitentary
...
It is widely known ont he island that the primary financier and big boss, Michael Knopf, served time. He used to strut around the island playing the big man when he is just an uneducated, crook.

The hospital mentioned is Sint Eustatius. Is this the Michael Knopf from Geraldo?

Originally Posted by Steve Grenard (sgrenar)

Dr. Schwartz has responded to allegations on testingmediums that he revealed information about Laurie's daughter in Truth About Mediums. He points out the information had been made public before the book was written and that the draft of the book was vetted by Alison herself before publication. Alison, Laurie's friend, therefore actually gave an okay on the text even though after it was published she decided to criticize it.

Can you point to where the information about Laurie Campbell's daughter was made public before the book was written?

Originally Posted by Steve Grenard (sgrenar)

I have been a subject sitter in research (not at UA) and have been required to read and rate readings to see if I could spot the one which was for me and those which were not. I was not present and proxies were used. The medium was shown a picture of the deceased and said they have him/her.The ratings are what is important. If the investigator knows a particular reading is for a particular sitter and is rated poorly then that is enough in my mind to invalidate the process, or at least that particular medium.

These rating sheets are not word for word transcripts but rather have "facts" given by the medium line by line. They would be meaningless to anyone but the person for whom they were intended unless the sitter's ratings were included. I agree that once such data was rated and tabulated it would not be difficult to put them onto a website
but what for? Morbid curiosity?

Explain to me what exactly would be the value or purpose of a verbatim transcript online that would be worth violating the sitter's rights to confidentiality if their identity would be included or could be surmised by the information. Thanks.

Gladly: By only writing down what is judged as "facts", there is a risk of leaving out relevant information given by the medium. Do you agree with this?

Can you show the definition of how the person should know what parts of the reading were "facts", and which were not?

Originally Posted by Linda

Steve, Your unbias opinion cannot be trusted as you are a moderator on a yahoo public chat group that is SO BIAS to Schwartz! You are also unethical in that you censor certain postings, and block others all together.

Is it correct that you censor certain postings on the yahoo group?

If so, what exactly have you been censoring?

Is it correct that you have blocked others?

If so, why?

[SteveGrenard]

CL: Can you show a publically available source that state this?

A: Laurie visits the blog and has posted. She did not deny this.
My source is Schwartz.

CL:That had me puzzled, since nothing in the discussion on Prescott's blog or on Geraldo had to do with the West Indies. I did a quick Google search on "michael knopf" "hospital" "west indies", and lo and behold, this link comes up as the only link. On the page, a person states this:

The hospital mentioned is S(a)int Eustatius. Is this the Michael Knopf from Geraldo?

A: Yes. Mr. Knopf told everyone that he owned a medical school.

CL:Can you point to where the information about Laurie Campbell's daughter was made public before the book was written?

A: I am told Teen Psychic Magazine. I did not see it myself.


CL:Gladly: By only writing down what is judged as "facts", there is a risk of leaving out relevant information given by the medium. Do you agree with this?

A: Don't disagree. I don't know if Laurie records or what.

CL:Can you show the definition of how the person should know what parts of the reading were "facts", and which were not?

A: No I can't. I don't think this is about "rating" Laurie's reading for
Michael Knopf for facts which would prove that it was accurate or valid.



CL: Is it correct that you censor certain postings on the yahoo group?

A: It is a private list that is moderated. Only once in the past four years
did I reject a post which was spam. This allegation came from Linda who appears to
be Gary's ex-wife and part of the attack team. She is heavily estranged and disaffected
over her divorce.

CL: If so, what exactly have you been censoring?

A: Nothing really other than spam.

CL: Is it correct that you have blocked others?

A: It is a private group requiring approval to join in accordance with Yahoo rights and privileges. It is a listserv. But I have only blocked or removed peoplemwho have turned out to be spammers, cursers etc. The same reasons people might be banned here but
I have had practically none in 5 years.


CL: If so, why?

A: See above.

[SteveGrenard]

I have just received permission from Gary Schwartz to post the following summary of his response here. See next post. As it indicates at the end this will be followed by a lengthier account requiring additional investigational and legal resources.

Thank you also Claus for finding some confirmatory evidence of Michael Knopf's prison sentence. He has actually admitted this to Schwartz and several others. In May, 2003 Knopf, his wife and daughter attended a mediumship lecture in Staten Island where I met and talked with him. He told me he owned a medical school at that time.

[SteveGrenard]

Quote:

Examining an erroneous and malicious character assassination

Gary E. Schwartz, PhD

Reported on www.drgaryschwartz.com

October 10, 2007

Summary

In what can be described as a character assassination segment on “Geraldo at
Large” on Saturday, October 6th, explicit defamatory claims were made
against Dr. Gary E. Schwartz concerning his ethics regarding fund raising
for afterlife research. The one-sided segment presented interviews with
three people – (1) Mr. Knopf, a father grieving the death of his son who had
been a former client of Ms. Campbell (2) a medium currently co-starring in
the television show Sensing Murder, and (3) Ms. Macy, an investigative
reporter hired by Mr. Knopf. The segment was highly selective and biased in
its reporting. A summary of the claims, with additional information not
shared on the segment, is discussed below. Together they reveal a very
different story.

Mr. Knopf claimed that Dr. Schwartz engaged in unethical fund raising
following the death of his son, including making statements regarding his
deceased son’s purported wishes from the other side. What the Geraldo
segment did not mention is that (1) it was Mr. Knopf who initiated contact
with Dr. Schwartz following Mr. Knopf’s successful private readings with Ms.
Campbell, (2) Mr. Knopf claimed that he was a very wealthy man who wanted to
honor his deceased son and help support afterlife research, (3) he invited
Dr. Schwartz to his home to discuss possible research programs that he would
fund, (4) Ms. Campbell provided specific information about his son’s wishes
from the other side, (5) Mr. Knopf promised The University of Arizona an
unrestricted gift of $100,000 but only followed through with $50,000 to The
University of Arizona, (6) Mr. Knopf communicated to Dr. Schwartz that Mr.
Knopf had recently been released from spending time in jail, (7) Mr. Knopf
also communicated to Dr. Schwartz that he was currently being sued by
partners in a medical school he purported to own, and (8) he was upset
because Dr. Schwartz refused to participate in a proposed business venture
with Mr. Knopf that would compromise Dr. Schwartz’s ethics.

Ms. Campbell claimed that she resigned from Dr. Schwartz’s laboratory in
2005, and that this speaks to her opinions regarding Dr. Schwartz’s ethical
behavior. What the Geraldo segment did not mention is that (1) new
guidelines and procedures for advancing the ethics and scientific
understanding for mediums were being formulated at that time, initiated
partly by some inappropriate behavior by Ms. Campbell and some other
mediums, (2) all mediums would be required to go through a nine step
evaluation procedure, including taking a government mandated human subjects
ethics examine required of scientists and research staff, plus take a test
based on a book describing previous scientific research with mediums, (3)
Ms. Campbell was upset that she would have to undergo the required testing
for the new guidelines and procedures, (4) she decided not to participate in
the testing, and therefore (5) she was about to be let go by the laboratory,
and chose to resign instead.

Ms. Macy claimed that she had interviewed other individuals who had been
approached by Dr. Schwartz for research funding in an unethical manner.
What the Geraldo segment did not mention is that (1) Ms. Macy had previously
contributed to the spreading of a false rumor concerning fund raising
related to Dr. Schwartz and the Forever Family Foundation, and that (2)
after being confronted with the facts, she had written a formal letter of
apology to Dr. Schwartz for her being part of spreading the false rumor.

One wonders why “Geraldo at Large” presented such a one sided story.
Geraldo made a point on the show of reporting that Dr. Schwartz did not
return their calls, with an implicit negative connotation. The truth is
that there was no genuine attempt by the Geraldo show to contact Dr.
Schwartz to have a fair representation of both sides of this story. What
Geraldo failed to mention was that the call to Dr. Schwartz’s office was
made only after closing hours of his office on Friday, October 5, for a show
that was ready to be aired on Saturday, October 6. Also, a call had been
made to Dr. Schwartz’s home late Friday night. As it happened, both Dr.
Schwartz and his wife were out of town that weekend. They returned to
Tucson on Sunday evening, October 7, after the show had aired.

As the title “Veritas Research Program” (http://veritas.arizona.edu )
indicates, Dr. Schwartz and his colleagues are concerned with truth. As Dr.
Schwartz reports on his laboratory’s website
(http://lach.web.arizona.edu/hos.htm),“Responsibility to the truth is the
heart of science.” The Geraldo segment about Dr. Schwartz reveals a
striking disregard for balanced truth in reporting. Legal action will be
taken against each and every individual who has made defamatory comments
against Dr. Schwartz, and the truth will be brought out in the court room1.

1An expanded and more academic discussion of these issues – including the
philosophy and consequences of erroneous character assassination – will be
available at a future date.

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: I am told Teen Psychic Magazine. I did not see it myself.

"Teen Psychic Magazine"? Holy cow.

I don't find any references to it in Google, but there is apparently a book titled Teen Psychic.

The same author has written I Ching For Teens...

Can Spoonbending For Toddlers be far away?

Quote:

CL:Gladly: By only writing down what is judged as "facts", there is a risk of leaving out relevant information given by the medium. Do you agree with this?

A: Don't disagree. I don't know if Laurie records or what.

Claus and Steve "not disagreeing" on something??

Does this herald this the breaking of the seventh seal?

[SteveGrenard]

Hmm Bob, thanks. ---Teen Psychic ....the book, not the magazine. Maybe that's it. Actually it was mentioned to me by a source as just Teen Psychic and shame on me I assumed it was a serial publication. Someone will have to get a copy of that to see if this is where Laurie Campbell's daughter is publicly mentioned.

[TheDoLittle]

Originally Posted by RSLancastr

Can Spoonbending For Toddlers be far away?

You should read the chapter on Reiki Teething.

Quote:

Claus and Steve "not disagreeing" on something??
Does this herald this the breaking of the seventh seal?

The earth opened up in Palm Beach and swallowed a lady and her car... but I'm willing to chalk that up to coincidence and yet another Browne "miss"!

[SteveGrenard]

Originally Posted by Mojo

That would fit with what was said in the video: the son died "nearly 5 years ago", and the letter was sent "2 months after the death". But they didn't show much of the letter. I found the way the letter was introduced slightly odd, as well: Michael Knopf (father of Paul) was shown saying that he'd found "that he's done this with a number of other people", and then the letter was immediately introduced, with Knopf referring to his own family in the third person: "This letter was written by Dr. Gary Schwartz to the Knopf family..." No information about these "other people" was forthcoming.

You can find the report of the son's death in the New York Times on December 22 (corrected)
I believe, year 2002. Search Paul Knopf, airplane crash, Connecicut. Once you have
that report there are also a bunch of FAA investigative files on the FAA's website
which can be accessed.

I was told about Paul's death by Michael Knopf in May, 2003. Michael told me the plane blew up in the air and crashed to the ground over Connecicut. It was flying Paul back to Long Island from the family ski lodge in Vermont after just dropping off Paul's parents at the same location. In the Times Michael is quoted as saying the plane was in tip top shape (it was 10 years old at the time) and had 40 hours on the engine which was rebuilt obviously.
The FAA reports conclude the engine caught on fire, the plane burned and crashed.
The FAA also said the plane had circa 2500 hours on it. I am no expert on this so anybody with knowledge might like to check it out for inconsistencies.

The letter was a proposal solicited by Mr. Knopf for the 3.5 million donation which the University said could be used to endow a Chair in Paul's name and memory. On air, on Geraldo, Mr. Knopf was obviously not quoting the subject of the letter correctly.
When a copy of this 4 year old letter becomes available more detail will be provided.

[SteveGrenard]

The NYT on the plane crash

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...gewanted=print

Quote:

December 22, 2002
2 L.I. Men Die in Connecticut Plane Crash
By DAISY HERNÁNDEZ
Two young men from Long Island were killed on Friday evening when their single-engine plane filled with smoke and crashed in a residential area in western Connecticut, officials said yesterday. Investigators said they were trying to determine the cause of the crash.
The men -- Matthew Rehl, 21, a private pilot, and his passenger, Paul Knopf, 25 -- left an airport in Vermont on Friday after 7:30 p.m. in a Piper Saratoga, a six-seater, bound for Republic Airport in Farmingdale, on Long Island, officials said.
But shortly before 9 p.m., just outside Oxford, Conn., Mr. Rehl contacted a flight controller.
''The pilot declared an emergency by saying: 'Mayday! I have heavy smoke in the cockpit. I need to land immediately,' '' said Jim Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Administration Aviation in the regional office in New York City.
The controller instructed Mr. Rehl to land at the
snipped - more at url above

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

Someone will have to get a copy of that to see if this is where Laurie Campbell's daughter is publicly mentioned.

There's a searchable copy on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...s=teen+psychic

... but I could not find either "Laurie" or "Campbell". Unless it only mentions the daughter's first name, or assigns her a fictitious name, it does not appear to be in there.

Originally Posted by TheDoLittle

You should read the chapter on Reiki Teething.

Or Feng Shui For Foetuses: Rearranging Your Womb.

EDIT TO ADD:

The foreword to Teen Psychic is "Letter From a Teen Psychic", written by Hailey Roessler. Is she the daughter?

[Jeff Corey]

So it appears I was right to sniff a rodent in the fuel supply. I have been reading Schwartz's stuff with increasing outright puzzlement at his sloppy methodology and unjustified claims for about 4 years, considering his previous track record. But Gerald Rivera's j'accuse didn't fit. I think that he never asked for 3+ million and that he may have pissed off a number of former associates, if, indeed there is an ex-wife in mix. Especially considering that the current wife is one of his co-authors. Or is is cow orkers?

[CFLarsen]

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: Laurie visits the blog and has posted. She did not deny this.

She didn't comment at all.

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

My source is Schwartz.

You made it public on October 08, 2007, before Laurie Campbell came to the thread.

Did Schwartz give you permission to make it public that Knopf had been a client of Laurie Campbell's?

Did Knopf give you and Schwartz permission to make it public that Knopf had been a client of Laurie Campbell's?

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: Yes. Mr. Knopf told everyone that he owned a medical school.

Why do you find it necessary to bring up Knopf's criminal record? What does that have to do with this, if not attack Knopf personally?

Are you the "steve" who posts here?

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: I am told Teen Psychic Magazine. I did not see it myself.

OK: You can not point to where the information about Laurie Campbell's daughter was made public before the book was written.

Does Schwartz know where it is? If so, will he show it? It's been made public, so it shouldn't be hard for him to show where it is.

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: Don't disagree. I don't know if Laurie records or what.

We are not talking about what Laurie Campbell does. We are talking about what happens in a purportedly scientific test.

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: No I can't. I don't think this is about "rating" Laurie's reading for Michael Knopf for facts which would prove that it was accurate or valid.

But there was a definition, correct?

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

A: It is a private list that is moderated. Only once in the past four years
did I reject a post which was spam. This allegation came from Linda who appears to
be Gary's ex-wife and part of the attack team. She is heavily estranged and disaffected
over her divorce.

The Linda on Prescott's blog has denied that she is Linda Russek, Schwartz' ex-wife. How do you know she really is Linda Russek?

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

CL: If so, what exactly have you been censoring?

A: Nothing really other than spam.

CL: Is it correct that you have blocked others?

A: It is a private group requiring approval to join in accordance with Yahoo rights and privileges. It is a listserv. But I have only blocked or removed peoplemwho have turned out to be spammers, cursers etc. The same reasons people might be banned here but
I have had practically none in 5 years.
CL: If so, why?

A: See above.

How do skeptics sign up for this group?

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

Thank you also Claus for finding some confirmatory evidence of Michael Knopf's prison sentence. He has actually admitted this to Schwartz and several others. In May, 2003 Knopf, his wife and daughter attended a mediumship lecture in Staten Island where I met and talked with him. He told me he owned a medical school at that time.

I did not find "confirmatory evidence". I asked if that was the Knopf you were talking about. You dropped the hint, and you are the one confirming it.

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

Hmm Bob, thanks. ---Teen Psychic ....the book, not the magazine. Maybe that's it. Actually it was mentioned to me by a source as just Teen Psychic and shame on me I assumed it was a serial publication. Someone will have to get a copy of that to see if this is where Laurie Campbell's daughter is publicly mentioned.

No, Steve: Schwartz will have to provide the evidence.

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

I was told about Paul's death by Michael Knopf in May, 2003. Michael told me the plane blew up in the air and crashed to the ground over Connecicut. It was flying Paul back to Long Island from the family ski lodge in Vermont after just dropping off Paul's parents at the same location. In the Times Michael is quoted as saying the plane was in tip top shape (it was 10 years old at the time) and had 40 hours on the engine which was rebuilt obviously.
The FAA reports conclude the engine caught on fire, the plane burned and crashed.
The FAA also said the plane had circa 2500 hours on it. I am no expert on this so anybody with knowledge might like to check it out for inconsistencies.

Why would there be "inconsistencies"? Why cast doubt on whether the accident was really an accident or not?

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

The letter was a proposal solicited by Mr. Knopf for the 3.5 million donation which the University said could be used to endow a Chair in Paul's name and memory. On air, on Geraldo, Mr. Knopf was obviously not quoting the subject of the letter correctly.
When a copy of this 4 year old letter becomes available more detail will be provided.

Excellent! When will that be, precisely?

[Ersby]

Thanks for posting Schwartz's reply, Steve. Looks like the report was a bit off in its details. Especially interesting about the lack of attempt to contact Schwartz while the story was being put together.

[SteveGrenard]

Originally Posted by Ersby

Thanks for posting Schwartz's reply, Steve. Looks like the report was a bit off in its details. Especially interesting about the lack of attempt to contact Schwartz while the story was being put together.

Your welcome.

[SteveGrenard]

SG: Laurie visits the blog and has posted. She did not deny this

CL: She didn't comment at all.

SG: That is correct. That’s what I said.

---------------------------------------------------------------


SG: My source is Schwartz.

CL: You made it public on October 08, 2007, before Laurie Campbell came to the thread.

SG: That’s because there was discussion/traffic just on this several days before we even knew about or saw the Geraldo program. Somebody posted (on TM list) the URL of a letter sent to UA by the OHRP of HHS responding to a complaint by Laurie about not keeping the daughter’s name secret in the book Truth about Medium or TAM for short. Laurie was always present on the thread, if not by herself, through proxies in her group of, how can I describe them, okay, her group of dissidents.

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CL: Did Schwartz give you permission to make it public that Knopf had been a client of Laurie Campbell's?

SG: Not specifically required. Since I have seen drafts of GS’ response and GS made it public there. In addition there was no privileged relationship or doctor-client relationship between Mr. Knopf and Dr. Schwartz or myself. And that is especially true since Mr. Knopf made himself a public figure on Geraldo. It is not good enough for him to be given a license to lie and then believe nobody could reveal why.

CL: Did Knopf give you and Schwartz permission to make it public that Knopf had been a client of Laurie Campbell's?

SG: I have been asked why would Mr. Knopf lie about what he said about Schwartz on Geraldo? The reasons have now been made public in the formal document but I was aware of them before. There are two. One, as a client of Laurie’s, he was enlisted to help her smear Schwartz and two, as someone whose business proposal to Schwartz was rejected by Schwartz. So no, Mr. Knopf did not give me or Dr Schwartz permission to reveal his relationship with Laurie Campbell. However because there is no known privileged relationship such as patient-doctor or confessor-priest involved such privilege in fact does not exist where this information is concerned. So Mr. Knopf’s permission was not necessary for third parties to reveal this relationship which in fact were at least one half of his motivation for assisting in smearing Schwartz.

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SG: Yes. Mr. Knopf told me that he owned a medical school.


CL: Why do you find it necessary to bring up Knopf's criminal record? What does that have to do with this, if not attack Knopf personally?

SG: It goes to his credibility. He either pleaded guilty or was found guilty and convicted of fraud. If he would commit one fraud the public needs to the consider the fact he may have committed others. It’s called "prior bad acts." Sometimes these are not allowed in a courtroom but this is not a courtroom, it is the “court” of public opinion. Do you think if a certain US Senator had prior bad acts similar to the one he got caught for in an airport bathroom in Milwaukee the public should not be allowed to hear about it?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

SG: I am told Teen Psychic Magazine. I did not see it myself.

CL: OK: You can not point to where the information about Laurie Campbell's daughter was made public before the book was written.

Does Schwartz know where it is? If so, will he show it? It's been made public, so it shouldn't be hard for him to show where it is.

SG: Good, then you won’t mind if I think it is important, therefore, that Dr. Schwartz’ own words from a response re this question but posted on TM should be provided:

Quote from an e-mail by Gary Schwartz on the subject of the confidentiality
complaint.

Quote:

My paragraph below referred specifically to the content of Chapter 4, not Laurie's early motivation when, thanks to you (Don Watson), I first met her....

Concerning the Teen magazine article, I was asked by the editor to speak to the authenticity of the claims made by Laurie and her daughter....because I had conducted an impromptu experiment, I could provide some confidence in Laurie's claims....

Here is not the place to attempt to remember the various places, with reporters or audiences present, where Laurie and / or Allison made comments about informal studies we conducted (including the daughter verification)....What matters is that there was no prior attempt to keep the information confidential (quite the contrary, I was invited to be part of the public disclosure, e.g. the teen article)....

The issue only emerged after we raised the ethics standards and
requirements for the laboratory, and Laurie and some other mediums choosenot to do the work necessary to remain being part of the laboratory (e.g.taking key portions of the ethics exam we scientists take before conducting research)....I respect their choice....however, I could not claim they were Integrative Research Mediums if they were uninterested in increasing their knowledge in areas such as ethics and research findings in mediumship research....Laurie's interest in the science seemed to decrease around the time that the requirements for doing the science increased....She was at adifferent stage in her career and development....I trust she is happy in her current role....blessings, Gary

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SG: Don't disagree. I don't know if Laurie records or what.

CL: We are not talking about what Laurie Campbell does. We are talking about what happens in a purportedly scientific test.

SG: This is way off topic but my answer remains the same. I have no idea what kind of notes or recorded records were made by Laurie Campbell when she read Mr. Knopf and or when she reads anyone else. I am not part of that effort nor was I. I never even met Ms. Campbell. I don't think this is about the general topic of scientific tests.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SG: No I can't. I don't think this is about "rating" Laurie's reading for Michael Knopf for facts which would prove that it was accurate or valid.

CL: But there was a definition, correct?

SG: This is a way bit too cryptic for me. If you expand on what you mean I will try and respond. Thanks.

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SG: It is a private list that is moderated. Only once in the past four years
did I reject a post which was spam. This allegation came from Linda who appears to
be Gary's ex-wife and part of the attack team. She is heavily estranged and disaffected
over her divorce.

CL: The Linda on Prescott's blog has denied that she is Linda Russek, Schwartz' ex-wife. How do you know she really is Linda Russek?

SG: This is true, Linda denied being, er, Linda, Linda Russek. I said she appears to be
Linda Russek. I know this and Gary knows this by her claims and her syntax. For example nobody seems to know any other Lindas who could claim to have tested “dozens” of mediums. She knew other obscure details for which there are no other Linda’s who could be held accountable for knowing these. The only other explanation is Linda was a phony name and she was someone else. I sorta doubt it.
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CL: I did not find "confirmatory evidence". I asked if that was the Knopf you were talking about. You dropped the hint, and you are the one confirming it.

SG: Ok. I confirm it. His medical school connection was based on an in person, face to face discussion with me when we met at a lecture in May, 2003.

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CL: No, Steve: Schwartz will have to provide the evidence.

SG: The complaint this involves has already been submitted to the OHRP of HHS, been investigated and been acted on.

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CL: Why would there be "inconsistencies"? Why cast doubt on whether the accident was really an accident or not?

SG: This is sorta in the back of my head. In the face to face I had with Michael Knopf he told me the plane blew up and dropped out of the sky in a lot of pieces. The FAA says the
recently rebuilt engine caught fire, lit up the plane, it burned and then crashed. In fact witnesses said it looked like a meteor. In the NY Times piece on the crash Michael Knopf is quoted as saying the plane was in tip top shape. Apparently not. But this is a side issue. I seem to recall some aircraft buffs or experts around here who might look at the FAA reports and give some feedback.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
re: letter being waved around by Mr. Knopf on taped statement.


CL:Excellent! When will that be, precisely?

SG: In two instances. Hopefully Geraldo’s fact checkers got themselves a copy before they allowed him to go on the air and they release it or Mr. Knopf releases the letter he showed them assuming he did show it to them. At that point this copy can then be compared with the copy in the University’s files.

While I do not speak for them, common sense dictates not to expect the University to release their copy until the copy shown on the program is released. You show me yours, I'll show you mine sorta deal. After all the contention is about the letter Mr. Knopf was waving around on air.

Thank you for your insightful questions. I have omitted those few which you slipped in which are off topic in order to keep this on topic.

[DRBUZZ0]

It says on his website that he has used scientific methodology with John Edward Oh brother....Edward doesn't even do that good a job with his cold readings....Seriously, the "He's sending me a K.. or mabe a C.. definetly a hard K-uh sound" it's not even funny..

This is ridiculous. I've heard of schwartz being a bit on the wacky side, but I didn't realize that he crossed from poor-scientific-methodology to complete fraud.

[RSLancastr]

Emphasis mine:

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

Quote:

(Quoting GS)
Concerning the Teen magazine article, I was asked by the editor to speak to the authenticity of the claims made by Laurie and her daughter....because I had conducted an impromptu experiment, I could provide some confidence in Laurie's claims....

Schwartz seems to be saying Teen agazine rather than Teen Psychic (magazine or book).

There is a magazine named Teen. (teenmag.com)

I tried searching there, but evidently need to upgrade my Flash player.