Stan Romanek

Boo Video

In 2008, Romanek appeared on Larry King Live, along with Jeff Peckman, former Denver Mayoral candidate endorsing Romanek's story as part of his campaign for a Denver Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission.^[12] Romanek claimed to have recorded a video of an alien peeking in his window.^[13] This is now commonly referred to as the "Boo Video".^[14]

In May 2008, during an interview of Romanek on Coast To Coast AM radio, host George Noory suggested that Romanek take a lie detector test over the authenticity of the Boo Video.^[15] Romanek agreed to this test. When it was conducted later that year, he failed on the question "Is the Boo tape a hoax?" He alleged without evidence that he had medical conditions that prevent a lie detector test from working on him.^[16] Later at the 2009 Mysteries of the Universe conference in Kansas City, Romanek instead alleged without evidence that he was set up by Noory to fail.^[2]

Romanek made an unverified claim that he consulted a video expert, stating without evidence that the Boo Video would have cost $50,000 to fake. A Denver paranormal claims investigations group, Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society, debunked this claim, saying that they reproduced the video for about $90.^[17][18]

Missing implant

In 2009, in an interview on ABC Primetime, Romanek said he had physical evidence of his abduction experiences by way of an alien implant in his leg. When a medical test for the implant was requested, Romanek said it had disappeared.^[3]

Child pornography

On February 13, 2014, Romanek was arrested after turning himself in at the Larimer County jail on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography,^[19][20] the outcome of an eight-month investigation launched by Homeland security. More than 300 images as well as video files depicting child pornography were found on Romanek's computers.^[21] After appearing at the Larimer County Courthouse, Romanek was released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond. In March 2016, Romanek pleaded not guilty to both charges after refusing a plea deal from the 8th Judicial DA's Office.^[22]

On August 8, 2017, Romanek was found guilty of felony possession of child pornography but not guilty of distribution of child pornography.^[7] His sentencing was held December 14, 2017, where he was sentenced to serve two years in the Larimer County Community Corrections half-way house, and to register as a sex offender. He reported immediately to jail to wait for space to become available at that facility. As a sex offender, he is now subject to 10 years of intensive supervised probation, not allowed to use computers or electronic devices unmonitored, and not allowed contact with children under age 18 without approval from the community corrections program.^[8][9]

Romanek's wife, Lisa, had said, "We will be taking UFOlogy into the courtroom."^[23] After the trial, their defense, Colorado's law firm McClintock and McClintock, stated that they didn't do this because it wasn't relevant to the case,^[7] and would advise Romanek that he appeal the conviction and hire new defense counsel to handle the appeal case, which, according to Romanek's attorneys, is standard advice.^[24] Following the announcement of the verdict, Lisa Romanek, said that they plan to file a notice of appeal within a 45-day period.^[7][25][26]

On September 12, 2017, Lisa Romanek created a 90-day FundRazr campaign with the goal of raising $30,000 for her husband's appeal. The goal amount was subsequently lowered to $15,000. By its end date, the campaign had raised $3,375, at which point it was extended with no end date given.^[27]

Despite public allegations by Romanek that the government had planted the evidence on his computer, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Ritter at the sentencing hearing accused him of deception "to try to place blame on others" and "doctoring evidence" of fake videos alleging computer hacking. Ritter disclosed that Romanek had even tried to frame his stepson Jacob Shadduck for placing the pornography on the computer, evidence which, the prosecutor pointed out, even the defense team would not allow into court.^[8] Romanek's attorney Ted McClintock stated that his client plans to appeal the conviction.^[9]

Admitted faking

In a 2015 video^[6] interview on the Peter Maxwell Slattery show, Romanek said he faked the strange movement of objects that occurred during a 2014 interview on the same show. Romanek initially denied he had faked evidence, and later apologized, alleging a government conspiracy coerced him into confessing and incriminating himself.^[6]

Predictions

In Romanek's 2009 book Messages, he claimed he received communications from extraterrestrials, and that an (unnamed) astronomer interpreted the drawings that Romanek made under hypnosis of planetary alignments pointed to September 21, 2012. Romanek said he did not know what significant event would happen on that date, but speculated it might be when the aliens would make themselves known to humanity, or perhaps when the natural disasters he saw in visions would take place.^[28] None of these predictions came to pass.