Partial refunds have been received with promises of monthly payments on the 19th of each month. We’ll see...

If “ Jonny Pinball” doesn’t meet his obligations, I think crwjumper and others will be all over him.

Sounds to me like ASOA bought another month by parceling out a little bit of cash and a whole lot of promises. Don't expect anybody to chime in again until the next deadline comes and goes without payment #2 arriving.

Wrong thread. Sorry.

Yep. And everyone keeping quiet and waiting for their money (that will never arrive in full) is only helping facilitate more theft. This guy isn't pulling overtime or getting a 2nd mortgage on his house to pay you back, he's stealing it from others outside pinside.

The only reason people here are getting some money is because they have the ability to organize in this community. Guaranteed there are dozens of isolated individuals out there, paid in full, listening to his bullshit and waiting for their machine to ship.

Everyone that got ripped off should be crying to Stern about this because they have the resources to go after this guy. He gives them a bad name and it is in their interest to help.

You're not going to get all your money back. What you do get is stolen. Legal action is the only way to try and stop this guy from continuing to scam people.

My deal gone bad wasn't on a Stern game (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/beware-of-jonathan-demare-asoa#post-6132804), it was on a Spooky game. As soon as I detected something didn't smell right in May 2020, I contacted Spooky. Spooky felt bad for me, but they and the distributor JD/ASOA mentioned as the source were unable to help me. No indication that Spooky formally contacted JD/ASOA with a "cease and desist". If they did, I imagine I would have been cc'd, since the ASOA/R&M invoice had my name on it.

Your assertion that whatever we (Pinsiders) get from JD/ASOA is "stolen" is speculation. Something I expect from random Pinsiders, but from a pinball luminary, it's pretty surprising. I don't feel like the $1,750 JD/ASOA paid me recently was stolen from anyone!

As for "crying to Stern"...that's a hoot! Given Stern's culture and distributor-based business model, this approach is highly unlikely to result in any positive outcome. I've been doing business with Stern through various distributors since 2004.

FWIW, I considered legal action and it just didn't make financial sense (for me, at least). So again, your advice/assertion in my case doesn't strike a chord.

Bottom line: I feel like I made the best of a bad situation and don't regret how I've dealt with it! I hope my posts and these threads help reduce future scams, but it's not my job to "stop this guy". If Stern and other pinball manufacturers want to "stop this guy", I have no problem telling them my story.

More victim shaming. People are doing what they can and what they feel is best for their situation.
You think stern is unaware or even cares? They’re selling machines. That is literally all they care about. But I’ll call them if you’re think that will really help the community so much.

I don't think he's shaming victims. I think it makes sense to give stern this information.

Done. Called. They put me through to the top sales guy. (Maybe John Buscari?) Left him a voicemail describing the situation and my phone number and said I’d like to talk to him about it.

And if the “authorized distributors” a certain prolific poster is always rushing to aid have been so harmed by this, why would they not have called stern long ago?

Not victim shaming at all. I understand situation of people that got ripped off. I've had money stolen frome me before. Just saying this guy isn't getting the money from legitimate activities and is probably still doing to other people right now what he did to you. People can call it speculation but scumbags are scumbags and they don't change. The more everyone waits the more time this piece of shit has to operate.

And I would argue that Stern would care, it affects their name, and the people who had money stolen were actual buyers that wanted to buy the machine. That money would have given Stern actual sales and profit but instead it goes into this guy's pocket.

My guess is that the authorized distributors were actually getting sales at full price and this guy was just selling each machine two or three times and only delivering one. There probably was no 'inside deal'. The distributor wouldn't see anything wrong because they're getting sales. Basically a Ponzi scheme. Obviously speculation but it makes a lot of sense.

And the Attorney General in the State of Florida. Or the State Attorney General of the state victims live in. They usually will work together or have reciprocity to work on consumer complaints of fraud and theft. They will pressure the bad actor to repay or face consequences. If they come up with a payment schedule there will be some teeth behind it, not just a song and dance of promises of further payments which may disappear, be forgotten or new excuses as more time elapses...

Obviously. Haven't understood the fixation on some distributor conspiracy, it boggles the mind. The margins are simply too small. Why get in bed with this loser in some shady scheme to add like 50 bucks to your bottom line?

Please don't answer that Elvis. Really. We've had enough.

Is this like the movie Titanic? In which there were little, bitty icebergs piercing the waterline, and if you were on deck that evening, you wouldn’t have thought they looked scary. We know now that 90% of the obstacle, and 100% of the risk from the bergs were below the surface. Best to get law enforcement involved in the ASOA / JD entanglement and let them sort it out. They bring an organized approach to investigating, and have other tools at their disposal. Like for instance when a person shifts assets among multiple legal entities to shield themselves against liabilities, the ability to get a warrant is needed to persue.

** this should not interfere with ongoing promises made by JD of ASOA to repay 10 of 12 outstanding creditors on the 19th of every month. An independent investigation can occur and run in parallel. **

edit - ps - if JD begins to feel some heat, maybe it will light a fire under him to repay everybody in full, sooner than 13 months promised now.

Looks like Elvis did leave.

Suspicious minds?

He has stolen money from what we know, 12 Pinsiders. ( How many other non-pinsiders, who knows). You guys turned up the heat and magically he has money to start paying people back?

How is that money NOT stolen when he owes at least 12 people for games they bought a year or more ago?

I'm super happy you have received a refund and others have started to get money too. I would have been thrilled to get anything back after the situation you were in, but your in denial if you don't think its stolen money.

Or maybe he won the lottery at the right time? Herb, you are 100% on this.

What makes you such an expert? You've read a couple Pinside threads and think you're an expert? You don't know me. I'm not "in denial".

I think that is his point. You guys are possibly taking stolen money. I’ve mentioned several times to get the DOJ involved as they will sort this out but you guys are experts so keep rolling. I have a big told you so waiting

No expertise needed. He has, in his bank account," STOLEN " money from 12 Pinsiders and countless others I'm sure.

He didn't just go to the bank and get a loan to pay you and others back, so where did that money come from?

Lets call it overjoyed, thrilled and don't care where the money came from, instead of denial. Does that work better?

If you were in my position, would you accept the payment owed or hire a lawyer and/or get government agencies involved?

That is where we agree, I would accept the money. If you didn't someone else would.

That said, I would also do whatever I could to take further action against him.

Of course you would do what I did, which is why your criticism was misplaced.

Listen, I wasted a TREMENDOUS amount of time in 2020 dealing with this. Over the past week, I've wasted more time telling my story. I have no plans to "take further action against him". Life it too short, and I believe if you lived through what I did, you'd likely make the same exact decision. Enough said...

My criticism was not misplaced and only directed at one specific comment you made, that the "money was stolen is speculation". Further, I'm currently being screwed out of $20k from two different people, so I've lived through it too. ( non-pinball related but I'm considering selling a couple to cover the amount, does that count as pinball related?"

I also don't agree life is too short to try and help this from happening to someone else but that a personal choice.

I think he should be reported but I’d be surprised if the amount is enough to get a prosecutor interested enough to investigate.

OtoH, if you’ve already done the legwork and can provide names and amounts so a prosecutor can see enough payout to spend their own investigative resources they may uncover other scams by the same guy.

OMG...you "don't agree life is too short". Are you for real? Had cancer lately? Fortunately, mine was cured in 2019.

If you'd like to "try and help this from happening to someone else", that's a wonderful personal choice. Be sure to report back on your quest!

For all those saying get the Justice system involved just stop it.
Really?? Look around kids, there are rapists and murderers walking around still, you really think someone's got the time to care about folks getting taken on some small time scam. Even if they were going for scams this isn't even Single A level scam. (No insult to those who lost real money)

Trying to get some cash back is the best option I can see for these folk. And for those who say "he's just scamming others to pay you back", well you also say scammers don't change so he's scamming folks anyways, so this is still better then he just keeps the newly scammed money to himself. Plus the last thing a scammer wants is publicity.......

EDIT
Sorry, long winded and typed hungover but stop blaming the victims for wanting money back, and victims, stop being naive enough to give money for things that aren't possessionable right now, there is always that chance it never will be.

How do you know how much money he has stolen? Report it to the police it’s their job let them figure it out. This guy should be stopped before this gets worse.

Thank you. The effected Pinsiders are clearly being dealt with since the thread traffic from those owed money is way down.

With all this airplay on Pinside, do you really think people are still flocking to ASOA? Since ASOA doesn't have a store front (like Pinball Dudes down the road from me), Pinside was JD's store front. The police won't do squat.

You really think everyone who plays pinball is on pinside? You really think a con man just has one group have people he is ripping off? You have no clue how far this guy has gone or will go in the future.

Not trying to argue with you, but he does have a website. It comes off looking pretty legit.

http://www.asoaonline.com/game-sales.html

By that logic there would be no prosecutions for jaywalking, hot checks, or parking tickets.

Of course they have time. There are literally multiple government agents whose job is dealing with crime. They prioritize in different ways.

If no one reports it, they spend zero time on it. There is a report from 2018 on the Plantation PD website that says there were 1271 service calls about larceny.

Odds are this isn’t the only scam he’s running.

This kind of talk is what got the original post locked. I understand what he is saying, but be careful of how you say it.
Please respect each other.

Sleep that hangover off and get back to us when you feel better.

I feel awesome....hangovers are good when the night was good.

Sorry, worded that badly......what I meant is only one thing can stop him, himself. If you think a little jail time or probation or cops knocking on his door does that then you have watched too much TV.

Over 32 years in Corrections with more then half in a treatment jail have given me the credentials to say that.

Good luck all.....its a glorious day.

https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/plantation/profile/wholesale-video-games/amusement-services-of-america-0633-90429527

Only two complaints in bbb. If you just Google the company it would be difficult to get the insights you get from this thread.

Reminds me of a friend who would declare a “victory hangover” after a rousing night of partying.

Of course I know he has a website. If the website displays Stern pinballs without Stern's permission, then why don't you call Gary? I'm certain you know him better than I do!

Folks, knock yourself out...I'm done wasting my time on this thread after 47 posts. I've said way more than I needed to say. At this point, I have nothing to add.

I hope everyone owed pins/money settles peacefully with JD/ASOA.

You have a lot self righteousness. I am glad you got your money back.

this is the 3rd time you stated you were leaving/done.

Isn't the BBB kind of useless? Like what the fuck is it anyway?

It's where people left bad reviews before google. Surprised it still exists, really.

I have zero doubt Amusement Scam is still scamming fresh victims. There's a mad rush on pinball machines now among the civilians and most of them won't search ASOA here, and most of them won't even google ASOA. They'll google "pinball" and his competent, legit-looking web site will come up and they'll send him thousands of dollars. I bet they'll start trickling in here in the months to come, horrified when they come across this thread.