This afternoon, August 29, we received an email from a woman named Taryn Wright. She introduced herself as a blogger who exposes fake stories about cancer and various illnesses online and informed us that Jeff D’Antonio’s blog was fake. Before we put up her entire email, here’s a bit of background.
In 2010, we posted a story called Miracle Child about Jeff D’Antonio’s childhood friendship with Jill, who died of breast cancer when she was 35. Before she died, she asked Jeff to adopt her daughter, Katie, and after she died, Jeff and his wife, Jenny did so. The story then jumps ahead to the winter of 2007-2008, when Jenny was pregnant and went into early labor. Jeff rushed her to the hospital through the blinding snowstorm. The upshot was that Jenny had suffered “placental disruption” and the baby was born three and a half months premature.
The physicians told Jeff and Jenny that the baby – Christina – would die within hours. Jeff wrote: He didn’t say “might die.” He didn’t say “maybe,” or “possibly,” or “probably.” He said she will die within hours. Her lungs were too underdeveloped, and there was no way for her to get enough oxygen to survive outside the womb. We begged him to tell us that there was still a chance, no matter how remote, but he was all but certain. He said it was only a matter of time.
We were heartbroken. After six years of waiting and hoping and praying for another baby, and coming this far along through a very long and difficult pregnancy, we just couldn’t believe we were going to have to say goodbye to her now. It was the most horrible moment of our lives.
In the story, Jill’s spiritual presence was pervasive and Jeff attributed that to the infant’s survival. The story had all the hallmarks of synchronicity and spirit communication.
In fact, here was one of Jeff’s comments about the post:
Jeff D’Antonio says:
Trish and Rob, thanks for sharing my story here.
I’m still a little shocked by what Christina said, and we still haven’t been able to get her to elaborate on it, but I do believe that her experience was real.
Jill and I were inseparable in life, and if it’s possible for her to remain here after her death and watch over me and my family, then I believe she would choose to do just that. That’s who she was, and the experience of knowing her for a lifetime has convinced me of it.
I always believed she was an angel, and that she was brought into my life for a reason. Now I’m all but certain of it.
We used the story in Synchronicity and the Other Side – p 68, A Healing Friendship. So I immediately read Taryn’s email to Rob:
Hi, my name is Taryn Wright and I write a blog exposing people who fake stories aboyt cancer and various other illnesses online. I’m sorry to tell you that the Jeff D’Antonio blog is fake. There is no Jill, no Jeff D’Antonio, no Katie or the rest of the family. You can read more at my blog.
If you have any questions, or want to tell me any information on “Jeff D’Antonio,” please feel free to email me back.
Thanks,
Taryn Wright
My first thought was, okay, someone has a beef against Jeff. This sort of thing had recently happened to my agent, Al Zuckerman, via twitter, where it was reported he had died. But Rob went to Jeff’s blog and read Jeff’s most recent post – August 27 – about how his adopted daughter, Katie, was going to be in a production of Bye-Bye Birdie at the Cheswick Theater. Rob Googled Cheswick Theater, but only found movie theaters by that name. But then he noticed a website for a Cheswick Company, which manufactures folk art and has a new product listed called the Bye-Bye Birdie pin cushion Clamp E pattern. We’re not exactly sure what that item is, but it certainly appears it’s where Jeff came up with his idea for Katie’s new role.
Rob then went back to Jeff’s blog and found this: his blog had been removed. Apparently someone who Taryn had contacted had written to Jeff, who realized the jig was up.
Click the link in Taryn’s email. We did. She illustrates how the photos Jeff’s uses in his sidebars actually came from other sites: the rock climber, the kayaker, the lonely man on hilltop, thinking about life and all the rest of it.
Photos like this one, a couple who is supposedly Jeff and his wife and soul mate, Jenny.
The picture actually came from here.
Back when 7 Secrets came out, and later, Synchronicity and the Other Side, I emailed Jeff and asked for his snail mail address so that I could mail him copies of the books. We’ve done that with people whose stories we have used and invariably, people have gladly provided a snail mail address. But Jeff never responded. I figured it was a privacy issue.
Jeff’s blog wasn’t one that I read frequently. There was way too much drama and intensity and at some point, alarms went off in the back of my head about the whole scenario of Jeff’s life. It read like some Shakespearean drama. Granted, people experience unspeakable tragedies in their lives and learn to cope with those tragedies, somehow. But Jeff seemed… too heroic, the guy who always swept in to clean up the mess, to save the day, a comic book hero. Yet, he grounded his story in his life as a high school science teacher who had issues with the administration.
When a story like Jeff’s turns out to be bogus, when his entire life and six years of blogging turns out to be colorful fiction, it casts a disparaging light on synchronicity, spirit communication, and other experiences we have that don’t fit into the model of consensus reality. It’s fodder for skeptics, discourages people who experience meaningful coincidence and spirit communication and makes it easier for the to dismiss it all as random silliness. And it prompts Rob and me to be far more cautious in the future.
The bigger question, though, is this: Why would anyone perpetuate a lie for six years? What motivates someone like this? Is Jeff Loughlin (his real name, a guy from Pennsylvania, not New Hampshire), mentally ill? Delusional? Does he just have too much time on his hands? Does he, in some part of himself, really believe the fiction he’s written?
Hey, Jeff. Hope you’re reading this. After Jill’s death, you were smart to direct your followers to send money to a cancer organization rather than to you. After all, that might have prompted the feds to look into your activities. You weren’t so smart, though, when you showed Katie’s photo:
She is actually actress Annie DiBernardo.
Six years of a hoax and you got so cocky you forgot the cardinal rules of life in the 21st century: there are witnesses to everything and, with Google, even Hansel and Gretel can be found because all the cookie crumbs are recorded somewhere.
++
P.S. We sent Jeff the draft of this post and asked him to comment. He didn’t respond. The email didn’t bounce back, though, which suggests that he received it.
Taryn and her group are going to be featured on 20/20 in October.
Here is Taryn’s latest post on Jeff: https://warriorelihoax.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/jeff-dantonio-revealed/
UPDATE ON JEFF THE HOAXER, where he denies he’s Jeff Loughlin from Pennsylvania
I must be internet naive………….I’m kind of amazed that someone would go to so much trouble to create a fraudulent blog. I’m sorry he “took you in” – the work you are doing is so important, it’s too bad someone like this jerk comes along. I guess he must have been motivated by all the attention it brought him.
Wow, this is disheartening. I also followed Jeff’ for some time. He always left very nice comments on my blog. He was a bit too altruistic…
I just can’t seem to get behind blogging anymore. I have had the feeling for some time of being very exposed, especially after you had the problem with the hacker. Time to write other things, IMO.
You’re right, nancy. And what are the other things? That’s the question we all need to ask.
I’m working on it.
Our of sheer curiosity because a client mentioned her to me and because I saw her name on books at B&N, I watched Sylvia Browne on the Montel Williams show a few times. She’s flamboyant and extremely sarcastic, and when an audience member would ask her a question, her replies were incredibly condescending, with wide waves of her arms and hands and expressions of ridicule on her face. In my humble opinion, she creates a huge blemish on the reputation of valid and honest mediums and psychics. Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend, and therefore we must each be aware of our own intuitive sensitivity….that wee small voice, as Gypsy says, that tells us when something isn’t on the up and up.
a number of years ago, one of my daughters bought tickets for the two of us to attend an appearance of ms. browne in washington dc – the tickets were very expensive – several hundred dollars – but the house was packed – in any event, her entire appearance was littered with horrific statements about her deceased mother – horrific – and if/when she condescended to respond to an audience member, her answers were so generalized as to be embarrassing – she was very condescending to everyone there and behaved like a – well, behaved very badly…
Spiritual Detective. What a great phrase, Kevin, and something I think all of us should try to be as our world seems to be getting itself more and more into such a tangled web of deception. We must listen and pay attention to our instincts and our intuition. These are innate qualities left over from eons ago when our cave and nomadic ancestors had to depend upon them or die. Seems we are rapidly moving once again towards such a space, unfortunately. The electronic age has its advantages, but it has opened many doors to unwanted energies as well. I’ve learned to tread with caution without allowing myself to become paranoid, although sometimes I admit to paranoia.
My gut usually leads me on the right path, if I listen to it when it speaks to me. I’m increasingly appalled by folks such as Sylvia Browne who use and abuse their gifts to such a selfish degree that they ultimately lose the gifts, and they mislead poor innocent people who believe in them. It ruins the trust for those of us who try to
be of service. This guy Jeff….what’s his game, anyway? Money? Attention? And to use the innocence of children in such a disgraceful manner…..Well, we leave these folks to the discretion of their karmic justice. “What I send out to thee comes back to me, times 3”. A Wiccan rede.
Click on kevin’s name. He’s got an intriguing blog. I agree with you about Sylvia Browne. Saw her on TV once and was totally UNimpressed.
If you dig behind the scenes on the Cheswick Company, you’ll find it’s fraudulent crap, too. It’s run by a We Are SOCIETY 6, LLC. That’s a culty Christian front company incorporated as a multinational in Wilmington, DE in order to shuttle tax-free money offshore. It’s a tax dodge, and Dr. Justin D. Cooper, past president of Redeemer College just happens to be listed as the registered agent of We Are SOCIETY 6, LLC
The real question is what is Society 6?
Wow, Kevin. Yeah, what IS society 6?? Thanks for digging this up!
Based on mere speculation and the way these cults operate, I would say they are a money laundering scheme in a network of at least six secret societies. I jumped down the rabbit hole two years ago, starting with Scientology, which led to David Miscavige which led to L. Ron Hubbard which led to Aleister Crowley which led to the shocking discovery of how the game is really played at the top. Nowadays, I put my faith in the Divine and follow where it guides. I think it’s turning me into some sort of spiritual detective, lol. I just don’t know what to do with what I find.
A spiritual detective: great phrase!
From another experience I’ve had with the internet deception…sadly…internet dating. Whoa…try that sometime. Men I would talk with online never turned out to be what they projected online in person. For instance, stating they’re single and turns out they’re married. Age is another issue. Finally gave up on that. Anyone can say or be whatever they want online.
I think I remember seeing Jeff’s comments on your blog…and will revisit it in your book. Kinda ruins it for those that are being honest. I already have trust issues and since my online dating experiences have lost even more trust that what I read is for real. It’s nice to know there are people checking out this guy’s blog. So bye bye Jeff!
My sister has some horror stories about online dating, karen. You’re not alone!
My frustration with online dating is that there are so few ads from intelligent women that when I do find one and send a nice, somewhat in depth response rather than a short and vague paragraph, and don’t get a reply, it’s completely frustrating. Especially when they state in the ad that they are looking for a guy with my traits / interests / personality. In my view, it doesn’t hurt to meet as many people as you can or respond to emails you get of some depth. You never know where it might lead. It might not be a relationship, but it might be a new friend, a new job, a new idea that moves your life forward. I wish more people would be as open as I am about the possibilities that others present.
As for “Dr.” Phil…I thought his bluntness was refreshing, as he didn’t allow people to wallow in their self-delusions. He called them out and told them like it is. However, he did come across as arrogant and seemed to be a bit hypocritical and truly full of himself. If he’s not a doctor of any kind and has no Ph.D., he should not be allowed to use the term “Dr.” I thought there were rules about that.
Yeah, but we know better, old Indie-Guy!!!! 😉
Oddly enough, I’ve encountered the flip-side of this scenario so many times over the years that now I tend to avoid saying anything about myself related to a certain infamous archaeologist -adventurer better known on the big screen than in novels. People just tend to think I’m lying. I used to think they just didn’t like the movies or the character, but eventually I realized that blank stare meant they thought I was trying to fool them or bolster my resume. I’ve even had little kids question my credentials! lol So now most people I know locally just think I’m a yoga teacher, which is fine with me.
I deeply appreciate this post, too. Regarding “dr” Phil reciting his “credentials” on air, Gyps, I caught that as well and I suspect that’s because so many folks are now calling him out as the fake he is. IF these guests are real people and not actors, as they often appear to be, (actors), and IF he truly does send them to the genuine assistance they need, then I applaud him regardless of his lack of veracity in terms of being a professional with the creds he claims. Sometimes a plain old neighbor can assist a friend in need….doesn’t require letters after one’s name to help others. But I fear he’s damaging folks, and expect there will be lawsuits forthcoming in the future. May have already had a few that have been settled out of the public eye.
and in terms of this jeff guy – he followed one of my blogs for a long time and seemed to have tons and tons of followers – a lot of whom also followed me – he never rang true with me – it was a case of “too good to be true” actually and whenever i read his posts and/or comments in others’ posts, i always had that “who in the world is this guy anyway” reaction – and who knows what could possibly prompt someone to something such as his sordid behavior –
i know exactly what cj is talking about with the author of a book she believes to be bogus, etc – i have come across other bloggers with whom i had the same kind of response – a gut feeling of something amiss – even visceral reactions to hearing their name –
anyway, a sad story this one of jeff, in so many ways –
thanks so very much for posting it!
Nope. There was a long, valid article in NEWSWEEK and other reliable (?) sources
that brought this farce into the public eye a few years ago. During that timeframe, after it hit the news, he and his wife who so sweetly hold hands as they leave the premises, came close to a divorce, maybe SHE also believed he had a PhD or whatever. But, since I don’t believe everything I read just because it’s on a printed page, I did my own in-depth research and discovered that McGraw only holds a BS in psychology, not a doctorate in ANYTHING. The article was correct.And I prefer to refer to his BS as BullShit. Please pardon my language. If the guests on his shows are real people with real problems, they have my sympathy. Watching him from time to time out of a sense of curiosity now, the advice he dishes out is often so bogus as to be disgusting. What a farce he and Oprah have managed to pull off. I used to respect HER, but not anymore. And he’s made millions riding on her shirt-tails, not only with the TV shows but with his books, etc. Alarming and scary for people who truly ARE in trouble and need REAL assistance, not from a charlatan or quack. And of course the network keeps him on because of the ratings and revenue he brings in. Aaarrgggghhh.
At least the general public is aware that Jerry Springer and his ilk are fakes and are for entertainment only, for viewers who get off on those types of violent shows.
in terms of “dr” phil – just within the last week or so, as i cruised channels, his show happened to be on and he was on stage with his guest[s] and was in the midst of listing aloud his credentials 0f BA, masters and PhD –
Maybe Dr. Phil should legally change his name to Doctor Phil MacGraw! don’t know much about what he does- never watched him- but if he’s helping people, it doesn’t matter to me if he has a Phd or not. Some Phds are incompetent at everyday life….or walk into walls. The problem, though, is that a lot of people embellish their resumes and end up in jobs that they aren’t qualified to handle and do a terrible job. I don’t know if that’s the case with Dr. Phil.
A perfect illustration of the fabrications that abound in cyberspace…this one, however, is atrocious. There is another profound lie that abounds, not in cyberspace, but worldwide, and it is this: DR. PHIL, Oprah’s pal who has that talk show where he dishes out sage advice? You know the one. Well. Guess what. Phil McGraw is NOT a doctor of any kind. He does not even have a PhD, yet all these folks appear on his TV show with these (apparently) geuine issues, and this man is putting himself out to the world as an authority on such issues. He gags me every time I listen to him. And since discovering the truth, that he is NOT any kind of doctor, not a psychologist, not a medical doctor, not anything but a plain ordinary man with an ego the size of Texas, who is giving all these instructions to his “guests”. I even wonder if the “guests” are actors and not real people with real problems and issues. I now consider Phil McGraw to be on the level of Jerry Springer. It pays to do some research when in doubt, because in this electronic age, no one can hide the truth about ANYTHING. It’s all there, if one cares enough to dig for it! Shame on this man! I personally have recently read a book about an NDE accompanied by what the author refers to as a “spontaneous healing”, (it was anything but a spontaneous healing), that I intuitively sense is a total sham, written for the money. There is a person I trust implicitly who believes in this author and in the material in the book. But as an avid researcher with a powerful penchant for minute details, I am convinced the author probably didn’t write the book, and the story is a complete and total lie. There is too much in it that resonates as bunk, and some of it even seems evil. We must be careful to not be hyper-critical and/or hyper-skepical, but on the other hand, to not be gullible, either. Shame on the man who did the story in this post. Karma always comes back and bites us in the behind.
Dr. Phil isn’t a doctor of anything? Wow.
Dr. Phil retired his license to practice as a psychologist in 2006 but it’s not required for his television show. He earned a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Texas in 1979.
Ugh. This is really just so sad. This person obviously needs a lot of attention. How sad that he felt he had to make all of this up.
You can do so much good in the world without spending a dime and lying.
His life must be very empty.
Thank you both for sharing Ths important tale. It must have made you sick. When you put your trust in someone and then this happens it can feel like such a betrayal.
We all will learn from this though, so thank you.
I have always trusted you and your posting this just proves why.
I’m sorry this happened but I believe in learning from all experiences!
Hugs!!
We were livid, then incredulous, then…well, you learn. Onward.
This story reminds me of a movie Mike Clelland alerted me to when reading his blog a while back about a guy who falls in love with a woman on Facebook,or some site like that and he goes across the country and finds out it was a person like Jeff D’Antonio just making up a pile of lies and trying to pass as someone else.
Even the movie tried to pass itself of as a docu/drama type movie like “Blair Witch”.
I can’t remember what it was called,and to tell the truth I didn’t like it all that much,but it made me wonder about the frauds out there in cyberland and to be careful of who you make friends with on the net.
I never read Jeff D’Antonio’s blog and I don’t recall his story in your book either.
I’ll have to take another look.
Most people I link with on the net I trust because their proof is in their puddings…so to speak.What they say checks out,not that I agree with what they believe,but at least I feel that I can trust their sincerity in what they are putting across on their blogs,and that is all that I can ask for I guess.
If someone like Mike Perry or Mike Clelland turned out to be a fake,I think I would give up blogging altogether.
But I’m pretty careful who I let into my circle of blog buddies,so I don’t think that I’ll be had by the ones I invest time in.
I’m with you on the Mike score, Daz.
Carry on blogging Darren!
I believe you are thinking of “Catfish” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_(film)).
Wow. It’s the new version of fraudulent memoirs. I’m not sure what to think about this new twist, as someone who has a memoir in process, and attended classes and workshops about the difference between truth vs. memory. But there are plenty of stories like this, James Frey who was featured on Oprah and then was exposed as a fraud. Then there was a book, Two Cups of Tea or some title like that, where readers thought their purchase of the book was comparable to a donation to a relief fund.
I remember nonprofits and charities exposed for so much corruption and greed within the organizations that the % of a donation was so small it was barely a benefit to anyone.
But it all begins with a kernel of truth, maybe an ounce of altruism, that isn’t strong enough to combat the greed and ease to mislead. This is multiplied with other beliefs and an inspiration to – do good. The spark of light was covered with a bushel basket, as my mom would say. The flame of truth was lit, and remained lit, though it was hidden. When the basket is kicked off, the flame still shines.
Stories of lies and deceptions like these always give me pause. I want to know who was actually harmed. At least with this one, the deception only benefited a cancer research program and didn’t make some idiot, with delusions of grandeur, wealthy. Or did it? What really happened?
I have an opinion about donating to cancer research that differs from many. I’ve donated time and energy to certain causes but little in cash. I’m leery of anything that needs funds while lacking the manpower and talent to make a difference. So I will be interested in this dark trickster story to see if there were any victims to this, or benefactors, or if it all washes out as a conflict of belief and trust.
That’s the bigger issue for me. Screwing with the beliefs and trust of others is more nasty than skimming a ton of cash.
Belief and trust are the main issue for us. I like your phrase: new version of fraudulent memoirs. When I read Frey’s book, my first thought was that no one would have the kind of dental work he professed to have without novacaine or, better yet,
gas!