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Criminal Actions of Bill Knell (AGAIN)
Bill Knell Conman, selling DVD's on Amazon, he does not send what you purchase, he is a Liar, Scam Artist and now a Child Abuser
03-15-11
Criminal Actions of Bill Knell (AGAIN)
I recently received a phone call from Lee Speigel, chief writer of unexplained phenomena for AOLNews.com, and former host of NBC Radio's "The Edge of Reality, " informing me that an audio album he did in 1975 entitled, "UFOs: The Credibility Factor, " and put on a CD in 2007 by Mr. Speigel, is now being advertised on Amazon.com. as a DVD under the same title, and being credited to a Bill Knell as the "Actor" and "Director." Mr. Speigel has also advised me that if you read the description Bill Knell has on his DVD, and compare it with the original album notes, not only did Knell steal his audio recording, and album title, he also plagiarized, WORD for WORD, everything Mr. Speigel wrote about the album 36 years ago.
I immediately informed Mr. Speigel that he had now become a part of a piracy scheme that Bill Knell (a long time criminal), has been doing for many years.
Bill Knell has been using the Internet to sell researchers and TV producers copyrighted videos and DVDs on the subject of Ufology for his own benefit, to the point of changing the titles, stating that he is the actor or director of the films he's pirating, and offering them for sale, many times at a reduced price, and definitely with a poorer quality than the originals. This is not only a scam against the researchers, but also the victims who have purchased these products. This is an infringement of copyright laws and a serious Federal Offense.
Frank Warren www.theufochronicles.com made me aware a few years ago that one of my DVDs, titled "The Roswell Incident: Then and Now, " was being offered by Knell on a website entitled Bravenet, under the title of "Aliens Among Us: Stunning Secrets About UFOs and Extraterrestrials."
Aztec Incident Researcher Scott Ramsey also had a film being offered by Knell illegally, which after some detailed investigation by Frank and Scott revealed a list of over 80 researchers and TV producers products were being offered by Knell. Frank, Scott and myself, to make them aware of Knell's illegal action, personally contacted many of those victims, and we requested that they contact IC3 of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report these violations. The on line IC3 form only takes a few minutes to complete and submit --- unfortunately only a handful of those we contacted bothered to do so.
We contacted and complained to FBI offices in North Carolina and Indianapolis, Indiana, Detective Maurice Hobson with the Lebanon Police Department in Lebanon, Indiana where Knell lives and conducts his criminal activities, and other law enforcement agencies. We were able to shut down several of Bill Knell's websites through our efforts, but it appears he is now using Amazon.com for his continued operation.
Contacting Knell directly is of no value, as he will only give excuses, as he's done to us, removing the products in question until he feels the pressure is gone, and then they reappear at another site on the Internet.
Rich Rosell of DVD Talk was contacted recently about reviewing one of Knell's pirated films and his only response was, as a reviewer it wasn't his place to take sides. Bill Knell deserves no publicity (good or bad reviews), but rather needs to be prosecuted and incarcerated for a long time, since any publicity given to Bill Knell, would be assisting his criminal actions, as Amazon.com is currently doing after being notified by several of us on different occasions.
My Nov. 1, 2009 editorial, "Piracy: A Silent Plague on Ufology" at: www.truthseekeratroswell.com/ed110109.html (also here on UFOINFO) explains some of what transpired several years ago when Frank Warren, Scott Ramsey and I first began trying to expose Knell. Obviously things haven't changed, and it's imperative that those who have been victimized by Bill Knell (researchers, TV producers and the many who have bought poorly reproduced, pirated, illegal DVDs) contact IC3 and complete the complaint form. The IC3 website can be found at http://www.IC3.gov/
The following list of potential victims of Bill Knell was distributed a few years ago, and it can be assumed that Knell has possibly removed some (or worse), added more. Again it's imperative if you recognize your name or know anyone on the list contact IC3, so Knell's illegal operation can be stopped.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I once met that clown and was helping a NY official to expose his activities as well as having aired on the local Public access channel statements and interviews with several of his alledged victims! I even contacted a publisher to warn about not seeing any more of Knell's ads printed to learn an NBC television show's producer's legal Dept. had contacted them! A former Hungarian Military scientist I met had been preparing a documentary for the Oprah Wimprey show back in the late 80s early 90s where knell simply took out a vhs camcorder to tape what was seen on a 35mm movie projector as the film still need a naration and copyright but instead saw Knell selling what he taped on vhs tapes stock piled at his lectures as well as other pirated materials.
Knell having enlisted in the US Marine Corp. had one intent only to steal weapons to sell on the outside and had reached the rank of a seagent in the military police until caught with 45s, M16s or whatever else and sent to Paris Island for a 3 month incarceration before being busted down to mess hall cook and the dishonarable discharge from the corp at the end of the the 3yr. enlistment as the NY State Supreme Court Chief of Investigation conveyed when researching D of Defense records. Then after the discharge Knells gets busted again in 1984 for selling what was estimated to be over 1, 000 unregisttered illegal 357 magnum hand guns on the streets of NYC after some how managing to get a Federal gun dealer's license? Gee if it had been cocaine or pot maybe he would have been fried iand send to the Big House to sleep with Big Bubba as his new cell mate?! Still slides on that with a six month probation no less until taking over Island Skywatch an intended non profit ufo research group until one of the board members discovered his video piracy sideline! He then took that group's name as the group fell apart for his so called ufo lecture tours appearing on numerous tv and radio stations to promote his op back then.
What came later after UFO dvds? Try setting up other scam sites in Arizona containing photos of expensive breeds of dogs, Puppies.com, Dogs for Fun.com or something similar for those two scam sites and demanding a Western Union Moneygram for payment and not one pet ever shipped out! A few sites like this include consumercomplaint.com and p_ssedconsumer.com whee many have also reported not getting any dvd or pets only seeing their money scammed! The Major however had no fear of Knell and came up to see a civil court case brought against a local tv station after learning part of his documentary had been shown during the interview Knell managed to arrange and later in an interview with him admitted the station had been as much a victim as everyone else had been up until that point. He had used the startion to defraud the general public. The Major was 91yrs. old when making his way to the local cable studio after meeting him at the bus terminal. Too bad he would never hear of Knell getting what was due and would likely be still turning over in his grave at learning Knell was still going! Meet the Major one more time in respect to his Legimate research and dedication to the truths he believed in and not the lies People like Knell use!
But as someone who worked in the correction occupation once told me it will catch up to him eventually. Yeah When? is the question most would be asking even now!