Is Thomas Schoenberger the Mastermind Behind QAnon?
YouTubeThomas Schoenberger is a key player in the creation of the QAnon cult movement according to ongoing investigations.
QAnon, a far-right conspiracy cult that believes President Donald Trump is waging a secret war against Satan-worshipping cannibal pedophiles in government and across the world, has exponentially grown in popularity since the first “Q” drop on the 4chan message in October 2017. The network of nameless Q supporters referred to as “anons” are no longer remaining anonymous, and until now, the person only referred to as “Q” was a complete mystery.
While Thomas Schoenberger has not been identified as the sole creator of QAnon, the psychological operation that is considered the successor of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, he’s been identified as a key player in the cult’s growth and widespread misinformation campaign, a source investigating the manipulating forces behind QAnon told Heavy.
ARG developer and pioneer Jim Stewartson mentions Schoenberger as one of the original developers of the QAnon movement in an in-depth video interview with the Financial Times, which was published on October 15.
“By March of 2017, Schoenberger’s crew linked up with Robert David Steele (former CIA) and William Binney (former NSA), members of VIPS (Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity), a group of disaffected former intelligence officers and government officials who worked together writing editorials and sharing information. These groups came together and recruited the network that became Qanon,” the investigator told Heavy.
Qanon Headlining the SundayNews… pic.twitter.com/iRPzfjhIZ2
— My Dog Friday (@My_Dog_Friday) September 6, 2020
Other former national security officials that have publicly promoted the QAnon operation, including Steve Pieczenik, Michael Scheuer, and Trump’s former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn, the latter of whom posted a video himself on Twitter taking the Oath of Q on July 4, 2020.
YouTubers recruited into the QAnon network included Jordan Sather, and Patriot Soapbox’s Tracy Beanz and Paul Furber, the latter of whom is a South African web developer and tech journalist who was identified in an NBC News report as one of three people who helped boost the Qanon conspiracy theory to a wider audience, spreading the cryptic posts and messages from 4chan by taking the conspiracy from the dark corners of the Internet to the living rooms of everyday Americans.
A quick Google search of Schoenberger’s name reveals that he’s a musical artist, pianist and composer who shares his music under the YouTube handle Sophia Musik. However, he’s also an Internet mastermind of disinformation who purposely posts bizarre claims about himself and his co-conspirators online, the investigator told Heavy.
Schoenberger “has an extensive criminal record” and “has a history of being accused of co-opting businesses and movements, including “game jacking” the Cicada puzzles and has been convicted of felony stalking, the investigator told Heavy. Court records show Schoenberger, 60, pleaded no contest in 2011 in Napa County, California, to the stalking charge.
YouTube screenshot of Thomas Schoenberger in a YouTube video posted by ‘An Open Secret’ producer Gabe Hoffman in May 2020.
Schoenberger is believed to have manipulated his way into the news covering QAnon, according to Heavy’s source. Schoenberger has reached out to reporters covering QAnon and conspiracy theories and has sent them information in an attempt to shape stories in a way that benefits him and his associates.
It’s unclear exactly how successful Schoenberger was in his manipulation attempts, but there is evidence reporting on stories that went in a direction he approved of. “By acting as a source, Schoenberger is potentially putting himself in a position to influence media coverage of Q,” the source said.
“He also appears to be a member of the IAM (I am) cult and convinces members he is a time traveler, an alchemist, and a reincarnation of St. Germain (a prominent figure in the cult).”
Here’s what you need to know about Thomas Schoenberger:
Schoenberger Was Married to Faranak ‘Fara’ Shahroozi, the Cousin of Nasser Kazeminy, Who’s the Godfather of Their Child
Schoenberger has a son named Wolfgang from his marriage to Iranian American musician Faranak “Fara” Shahroozi, the cousin of NJK Holding Corporation founder and chairman Nasser Kazeminy, according to Heavy’s source. Kazeminy is also the godfather to Schoenberger and Shahroozi’s son.
In 2005, Schoenberger and Kazeminy formed Amadeus Investors LLC, which over time would pay Schoenberger in excess of $100,000,” Heavy’s source said.
In 2017, The Washington Post reported “that Flynn received about $28,000 from the Trump Presidential Transition. The largest source of income disclosed is $140,000 for Flynn’s work as an adviser and consultant to Minneapolis-based NJK Holding Corp. That firm is led by Nasser Kazeminy, an Iranian-born businessman now living in the United States.”
Flynn resigned after serving only 24 days as Trump’s National Security Agency director in 2017. Former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates subsequently accused Flynn of being compromised by Russia and he was accused of lying to investigators as part of the Robert Mueller probe into the 2016 election.
“In a 2015 deposition, Schoenberger claims that he worked on a covert operation planned for Afganistan with Bijan Kian in 2011. Kian was a partner with Flynn in the Flynn Intel Group and he was indicted in the Mueller investigation,” Heavy’s source clarified.
As a former high-ranking official in Trump’s administration, Flynn has given a full-throated endorsement of QAnon. Being that his legal defense is funded in part through QAnon events, and he has multiple ties to Schoenberger and his associates, Flynn is an influential figure in the Q community.
“Flynn is so influential in the Q community, that in order to show their dedication to QAnon, many followers online frequently display three stars in their Twitter bio, which references Flynn being a three-star general,” Heavy’s source explained.
Schoenberger Worked With Manuel ‘Defango’ Chavez III on Cicada 3301
QAnon’s origins can be traced to Cicada 3301, a complicated puzzle game that first appeared online in 2012 to test the world’s most “highly intelligent individuals.” Between 2014 and 2016, Schoenberger “stole” Cicada, Heavy’s source said, and he started manipulating the puzzle. Later on, while working with Chavez, “breadcrumbs” – vague top secret information hidden in clues, were presented through the Cicada game.
In October 2017 QAnon posts premiered on 4chan, a site Schoenberger was prominent on before moving to 8chan in December, a site run out of the Philippines by pornography mogul and pig farmer, Jim Watkins, Heavy’s source said.
QAnon’s messaging boards are now shared on 8kun, a development explored in Reply All‘s podcast “Country of Liars.”
Heavy’s source said, “We believe this group set up QAnon as a means of creating their own channel to bypass the media and to turn American citizens into controlled extremists.”
However, Chavez and Schoenberger had a major falling out in 2018, and Chavez wrote an essay exposing his former business partner and his connection to QAnon. He said:
I knew he was setting me up from the start to take the fall for this QAnon thing. I believe he thought I was going to stay quite and let the thing happen. I decided to leave Texas out of fear for my life when I discovered this deal with sony was going threw and he was making the cut happen. I tried to call him and get business going but he completely blocked my calls and just keep telling folks the plan to take me down. It was sad to see it happen but at least I understand how to fix this.
Heavy’s source said that Chavez is “a notorious internet troll who worked for political campaigns and Schoenberger, who was closely associated with the 2016 FBIAnon,” a precursor to QAnon.
Schoenberger Has Been Involved in Disputes Over the Suicide Death of a QAnon Follower
Isaac Kappy suicide:
Friends and concerned parties should focus research on
Thomas Schoenberger aka Thomas St Germain & Cicada 3301
TS has a long documented history of gang-stalking, psychological manipulation & nefarious activities
— An Open Secret (@AnOpenSecret) May 27, 2019
Actor Isaac Kappy died by suicide at age 42 after jumping off a bridge and onto the highway in Flagstaff, Arizona, The Republic reported. Prior to his death, Kappy posted a lengthy letter on Instagram in which he wrote:
To the Q movement, I am so sorry I have brought shame upon the greatest military operation of all time. But really, I have only brought shame upon myself. While it’s true I have outed many pedophiles that were former FRIENDS, I remained in their sphere for much longer than I should have.
Kappy appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars and accused Tom Hanks of being a pedophile, as reported by the Observer. He was also accused of harassing and stalking actor Seth Green and his wife Clare, according to TMZ.
On July 30, 2018, Kappy appeared on a show called “Lift the Veil” and said that it’s not just one person being “Q” but that “there’s a lot of other people involved in this” and claimed he was on the board with the people who disseminate QAnon conspiracy theory. Kappy also mentions that someone from Cicada, Thomas Schoenberger, hooked him up with people.
Nathan Stolpman, the show’s host, told Kappy that he also knows Schoenberger and that he tried to recruit him. Stolpman says, “I’ll just tell you to be very very cautious about who you trust. Even Thomas.”
On May 13, 2019, Kappy died by suicide.
In 2019, film producer Gabe Hoffman, who’s sued Schoenberger for defamation, mentioned in a series of tweets that if you want to understand Kappy and his death, researchers should look into Schoenberger.
Heavy’s source said that “Hoffman was then attacked online by a massive gang of trolls for months.” Schoenberger then accused Hoffman of murdering Kappy and covering up for pedophiles, and Hoffman sued Schoenberger for defamation. The lawsuit is ongoing.
