Cheating Scandal in USPSA

[GardoneVT]

Lifetime ban on running a timer, keeping score or officiating. 2 year ban on participating in USPSA.
Emotions are running high right now, and it is usually the worse time to make a decision on punishment.

Our American society is stronger when we apologize for our offenses, pay the consequences and be given forgiveness. The consequence should fit the offense.

In this case it wasn't his participation in shooting, but it was his role as RO. Sure, I might be mad at him for negatively altering my score, but let's put this into context: The impact on individual shooters was minimal. Unless you had this RO more than 50% of the time and he consistently downgraded your time, the law of averages are still in your favor. I just don't see the argument for how badly it affected a particular shooter and more importantly, whether any financial injury occurred. Bragging rights might have been affected, but frankly not much value in that.

USPSA has a much stronger case to make that it affected the good reputation of the organization and, could potentially sue for damages to their reputation. That has a cost-benefit analysis as well, and probably doesn't pay to sue unless the guy is rich.

I don't have a dog in this fight, so...whatever.
Cody

The appropriate consequence is a lifetime ban.

This accomplishes two things . One, it shows that the USPSA management won't tolerate crooked BS. Don't think for a second this guy was the only one "cooking the books" with his shot timer. While I won't dare claim score cheating is a league epidemic, this sends a signal to the rest of the rats to cut the crap now or else.

Two, the credibility of USPSA itself is on the line. If they soft pedal this , what does that say to the competitors who were affected by this guys ethical failures? I'd hate to be a shooter who went home sour because he shot a poor match, only to realize later it was tainted by some cheater who mucked with his time. On the flip side, I'd also hate to be the guy who benefited from the cheating either. How many folks are holding titles they unknowingly possess via fraud?

Forgiveness has its place. This isn't it. The guys done too much damage to the league and to the careers of multiple competitors for that to be an option. If he'd embezzled money from the organization he'd be banned without a second thought-and he's really done something worse then appropriate money. He's cast doubt on the abilities of every shooter he's ever ROd.

[LittleLebowski]

There is some funny stuffy out there in the interwebz. My favorite, with appropriate picture, is "if you like your time, you can keep it."

Send me that one.

[littlejerry]

The appropriate consequence is a lifetime ban.

This accomplishes two things . One, it shows that the USPSA management won't tolerate crooked BS. Don't think for a second this guy was the only one "cooking the books" with his shot timer. While I won't dare claim score cheating is a league epidemic, this sends a signal to the rest of the rats to cut the crap now or else.

Two, the credibility of USPSA itself is on the line. If they soft pedal this , what does that say to the competitors who were affected by this guys ethical failures? I'd hate to be a shooter who went home sour because he shot a poor match, only to realize later it was tainted by some cheater who mucked with his time. On the flip side, I'd also hate to be the guy who benefited from the cheating either. How many folks are holding titles they unknowingly possess via fraud?

Forgiveness has its place. This isn't it. The guys done too much damage to the league and to the careers of multiple competitors for that to be an option. If he'd embezzled money from the organization he'd be banned without a second thought-and he's really done something worse then appropriate money. He's cast doubt on the abilities of every shooter he's ever ROd.

Agree 100%. This wasn't an error someone made while scoring a match. This was years of intentional deceipt.

[TCinVA]

Emotions are running high right now, and it is usually the worse time to make a decision on punishment.

Alternately one could look at a pattern of dishonest behavior that has occurred over an extended period of time and conclude that the person(s) engaging in it have given evidence of severe deficiencies in character and personality that make them unworthy of membership.

...because bad people never really stop being bad people.

[GJM]

1) lifetime ban seems the minimum.

2) if he were an FAA examiner, all ratings obtained on check rides he administered would be revoked, and required to be retested. This actually happened with an examiner in Arizona. Wonder if USPSA notes the RO in the classifier data base and could easily pull classifiers? Assuming PH classifiers weren't inflated, it shouldn't hurt anyone's classification.

3) can he time and score my next two FAST runs.

4) if he were a high official in the Obama administration, they would do nothing or at worse, make him shoot Limited 10 using 10 round, neutered Glock magazines.

[Odin Bravo One]

Lifetime ban is perfectly appropriate.

Not that I would shoot a match anyway, but he sure as shit is not going to help recruit new members, has obviously alienated all but a very few current members, and has created a giant shit streak stain down USPSA's drawers...... oh, as well as the "Right wing nutjob gunowners are all cheaters and liars" speech that this has already generated.

Fuck him.

And everyone who acts like him.

I hope every range, gun store, or firearm related location, activity, or event within 200 miles bans him too.

[PPGMD]

Heresay: I was talking to a USPSA RO yesterday and he said they are going with a lifetime ban from USPSA. That sounds kinda severe to me, but he should never run a timer or keep score again or be involved in officiating any events.

No it isn't very severe, until this guy did it I never thought an RO would screw over a shooter like that. Reducing the time of people you like is one thing, but increasing the time of other shooters is a whole other thing and is much worse IMO.

Anyways under the USPSA rules it takes a minimum of 7 days to convene a meeting of the BOD.

First they need to issue a press release detailing the process of how they are going to proceed.

My suggestion:
I would do that meeting and suspend him from all shooting and ROing for a period of six months (this is important as we have a World and National IPSC match in Area 6 during the fall) so they can compile the evidence and have it professionally examined.

After the evidence is examined give Paul and anyone else accused of wrong doing a chance to view it, and convene a BOD meeting with Paul and anyone else accused to wrong doing. Allow them to give a statement. And issue the appropriate punishments. I think a lifetime ban from USPSA is appropriate for Paul if the evidence is found to be true.

Next step would be for the NROI to take suggestions on how to prevent this in the future, draw up a draft of the changes and present it to the BOD. After they are approved they are released as suggestion until they become binding per the USPSA bylaws (it takes at least a year after the new rules are published before they become binding).

[Stephen]

4) if he were a high official in the Obama administration, they would do nothing or at worse, make him shoot Limited 10 using 10 round, neutered Glock magazines.

In that case, it would be Bush's fault and you'd be a racist for bringing it up.

I don't think they have any option but lifetime ban, for reasons already mentioned. If nothing else than for the reputation of the sport.

[PPGMD]

Well Caleb posted an update, PH's RO creds have been suspended, and Chuck Anderson is in charge of the investigation.

Though USPSA hasn't posted a thing about this anywhere I can see. Unless it is in the USPSA forum.

Someone needs to check to make sure PH isn't scheduled to RO the IPSC World Shoot.

[ford.304]

So, the next question: if he shows up to your local IDPA match, do you let him shoot?

I'm fine with a lifetime ban. It's not like you're sending him to jail. But he should be cut off from the USPSA organization. He can still go to the range all he wants and blast targets.

If this were a one-time thing, or at local matches, I'd say that was severe. But it seems like he's been doing it for years at major matches. That's a big kittening deal.