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  • Synapse Chronicles – Jozef Bears False Witness

    UPDATE 26.6.12

    Protag’s Ko-Fi has been suspended, most likely on basis of a fraudulent DMCA claim.

    In case lawfare suspends Protag’s Twitter account again, I have preserved a thread reporting on inappropriate actions taken by Jozef against Synapse Chronicles. It is posted as a long png, and you may download a pdf here.

    EMERGENCY: Synapse Chronicles STEAM PAGE TAKEN DOWN by Convicted CRIMINAL JOZEF VICTOR NATHAN GHERMAN. Jozef Gherman, a CFTC-sanctioned CRYPTO scammer, and AI scammer, LIED about a Florida court order from a separate case to FALSELY DMCA STRIKE the STEAM PAGE and PATREON PAGE of an INDIE GAME he does NOT own. Gherman does NOT own Synapse Chronicles. He has no copyright, no assignment, no paperwork, NOTHING. We are fighting him for another unrelated INDIE GAME in court right now. This is DMCA lawfare against INDIE developers. Our legal team is working with Steam and Patreon right now to restore the game. The DMCA process should NOT be used as a bad-faith harassment tool to suppress an independently developed game.
    The FALSE DMCA notice claims that SYNAPSE CHRONICLES is using “stolen assets and code” from SSRWives, an unrelated different indie game. Gherman/XYZ AI claims to be the owner of SSRWives, (which is under dispute in court right now.) Synapse Chronicles is not derived from SSRWives. It does not share source code, assets, characters, narrative elements, gameplay systems, or gameplay genre with SSRWives. NOWHERE IN ANY COURT DOCUMENT OR ORDER DOES IT CLAIM THAT SYNAPSE CHRONICLES IS USING STOLEN CODE OR ASSETS FROM SSRWIVES. Synapse Chronicles is a third-person action/adventure game. SSRWives is a fixed-camera, tank controls, survival horror game. Synapse Chronicles is a hi-fidelity rendering game, SSRWives is an intentionally low-fidelity PSX-style rendering game. Synapse Chronicles is fully owned by CorpusWorks LLC, my new indie game company. All IP and Assets are assigned to the new company, and fully certified as such. We have a Copyright pending with the USCO. GHERMAN IS LYING TO STEAM.
    Background Information: Gherman defrauded his co-founder, our co-developer, Simon Dickerman out of his 50% ownership in their company XYZ AI Inc. Simon is the reason I signed on to work with XYZ AI Inc, and is himself an impassioned talented Developer who is writing the rendering features for Synapse Chronicles. When SSRWives was transferred to XYZ AI, it was represented to me and everyone that Simon and Gherman are 50/50 cofounders. Simon wrote all the code for the core company products and was involved in every administrative decision. Gherman and Simon’s 50/50 ownership was always acted upon, and it was put to writing in October of 2025 via what Gherman called the “Founder Split Agreement”. Gherman clearly laid out Simon’s ownership in the company, payment, and right to SSRWives IP over message attached below. Simon executed this formal agreement by sharing access to all digital infrastructure for XYZ with Gherman after Gherman sent the agreement to his lawyer to be formalized. Days later, Gherman used that new account access to lock Simon and the rest of us out of everything, and sent a "Separation" notice demanding Simon waive his ownership in the company and the INDIE game and the founder split agreement in exchange for $250,000. Simon refused, and the lawsuit between us and Gherman began.
    Since the founder lockout and financial theft in October, Gherman has been on a pathetic rampage against Simon and I, and our friends and co-devs. The evidence is clear as day that Gherman and Simon are co-founders of their company XYZ AI, worth millions. Gherman himself claimed that the IP to SSRWives is in fact Simon’s, who was in the process of transferring it to me before the Founder Lockout in October. Gherman’s history of criminal activity is well documented. CFTC sanctioned him for fraud involving dozens of Crypto currency investors in 2021. Gherman was Nick Fuentes’ right-hand man and chief of staff at the time, often called “Assistant Groyper”. Gherman led many crypto schemes after his CFTC order that banned him from Crypto, including MINTMONEYNFT, one of the first NFT projects to be named by the Texas State Securities Board in a ruling against NFT fraud.

    https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8381-21

    Us and our lawyers have been actively working with the CFTC and other law enforcement agencies to bring justice against Gherman’s fraud. Gherman will not be able to get away with FRAUD against INDEPENDENT developers, business partners, or GAMERS. Synapse Chronicles will be restored to STEAM and PATREON soon, and will be RELEASED by the end of 2026. This will not slow down our development, and we will not let this CRIMINAL stand in the way of GAMERS who want to play our new game. More gameplay features and updates will be coming soon, and a full vertical slice DEMO will release on STEAM this Summer. "Ama Et Fac Quod Vis" - Hedprotag 🪽🍀

    https://twitter.com/HedProtag

    https://twitter-thread.com/t/2064829102838935954

    VII. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

    IX. THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS

    X. THOU SHALT NOT COVET

    Text version of thread below:

    EMERGENCY: Synapse Chronicles STEAM PAGE TAKEN DOWN by Convicted CRIMINAL JOZEF VICTOR NATHAN GHERMAN.

    Jozef Gherman, a CFTC-sanctioned CRYPTO scammer, and AI scammer, LIED about a Florida court order from a separate case to FALSELY DMCA STRIKE the STEAM PAGE and PATREON PAGE of an INDIE GAME he does NOT own.
    Gherman does NOT own Synapse Chronicles. He has no copyright, no assignment, no paperwork, NOTHING. We are fighting him for another unrelated INDIE GAME in court right now. This is DMCA lawfare against INDIE developers.

    Our legal team is working with Steam and Patreon right now to restore the game.

    The DMCA process should NOT be used as a bad-faith harassment tool to suppress an independently developed game.

    The FALSE DMCA notice claims that SYNAPSE CHRONICLES is using “stolen assets and code” from SSRWives, an unrelated different indie game. Gherman/XYZ AI claims to be the owner of SSRWives, (which is under dispute in court right now.)

    Synapse Chronicles is not derived from SSRWives. It does not share source code, assets, characters, narrative elements, gameplay systems, or gameplay genre with SSRWives.

    NOWHERE IN ANY COURT DOCUMENT OR ORDER DOES IT CLAIM THAT SYNAPSE CHRONICLES IS USING STOLEN CODE OR ASSETS FROM SSRWIVES.

    Synapse Chronicles is a third-person action/adventure game. SSRWives is a fixed-camera, tank controls, survival horror game. Synapse Chronicles is a hi-fidelity rendering game, SSRWives is an intentionally low-fidelity PSX-style rendering game.

    Synapse Chronicles is fully owned by CorpusWorks LLC, my new indie game company. All IP and Assets are assigned to the new company, and fully certified as such. We have a Copyright pending with the USCO.

    GHERMAN IS LYING TO STEAM.

    Background Information:

    Gherman defrauded his co-founder, our co-developer, Simon Dickerman out of his 50% ownership in their company XYZ AI Inc. Simon is the reason I signed on to work with XYZ AI Inc, and is himself an impassioned talented Developer who is writing the rendering features for Synapse Chronicles.

    When SSRWives was transferred to XYZ AI, it was represented to me and everyone that Simon and Gherman are 50/50 cofounders. Simon wrote all the code for the core company products and was involved in every administrative decision.

    Gherman and Simon’s 50/50 ownership was always acted upon, and it was put to writing in October of 2025 via what Gherman called the “Founder Split Agreement”.

    Gherman clearly laid out Simon’s ownership in the company, payment, and right to SSRWives IP over message attached below. Simon executed this formal agreement by sharing access to all digital infrastructure for XYZ with Gherman after Gherman sent the agreement to his lawyer to be formalized.

    Days later, Gherman used that new account access to lock Simon and the rest of us out of everything, and sent a “Separation” notice demanding Simon waive his ownership in the company and the INDIE game and the founder split agreement in exchange for $250,000.

    Simon refused, and the lawsuit between us and Gherman began.


    Since the founder lockout and financial theft in October, Gherman has been on a pathetic rampage against Simon and I, and our friends and co-devs. The evidence is clear as day that Gherman and Simon are co-founders of their company XYZ AI, worth millions. Gherman himself claimed that the IP to SSRWives is in fact Simon’s, who was in the process of transferring it to me before the Founder Lockout in October. Gherman’s history of criminal activity is well documented. CFTC sanctioned him for fraud involving dozens of Crypto currency investors in 2021. Gherman was Nick Fuentes’ right-hand man and chief of staff at the time, often called “Assistant Groyper”. Gherman led many crypto schemes after his CFTC order that banned him from Crypto, including MINTMONEYNFT, one of the first NFT projects to be named by the Texas State Securities Board in a ruling against NFT fraud.

    Us and our lawyers have been actively working with the CFTC and other law enforcement agencies to bring justice against Gherman’s fraud. Gherman will not be able to get away with FRAUD against INDEPENDENT developers, business partners, or GAMERS. Synapse Chronicles will be restored to STEAM and PATREON soon, and will be RELEASED by the end of 2026. This will not slow down our development, and we will not let this CRIMINAL stand in the way of GAMERS who want to play our new game. More gameplay features and updates will be coming soon, and a full vertical slice DEMO will release on STEAM this Summer. “Ama Et Fac Quod Vis” – Hedprotag 🪽🍀

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  • Repent, Jozef.

    Repent, Jozef.

    VIII. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

    Stealing is the unauthorized and willful taking of what rightly belongs to another.

    God is Creator and Lord of this world, and all things come from him. Therefore, I must never take what God has not entrusted to me.

    I can steal or defraud others of wages, identity, credit, or intellectual property; cheat in school or on my taxes; or fail to pay my debts. I must repay and, to the best of my ability, restore what I have stolen.

    God desires that I be content, responsible, and generous with what he has given me. Everything I own I hold in trust as God’s steward, to cultivate and use for his glory and my neighbor’s good.

    As I am able, I should earn my own living, care for my dependents, and give to the poor. I should use all my possessions to the glory of God and the good of creation.

    Jozef Gherman is, according to CTFC judgment, a thief.

    SSRWives is not the first act of theft Jozef Gherman committed.

    In 2021, Jozef Gherman, through J Squared, misled investors and was ordered to pay $397,000.

    CTFC release describing fines and penalties ordered against Jozef Gherman
    CTFC statement available on the Web Archive

    The issue was so serious that Jozef was banned for 10 years from CTFC-regulated activity.

    Fraud activity involving Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum was alleged, and the complaint and settlement were made in the same day. (see page 15 of linked document)

    Jozef German, according to the witness of four business collaborators, is a thief.

    Jozef Gherman does not possess technical skills. He does not possess the ability to create art, write code, or develop software or intellectual property.

    He does possess a limited capability to finance such pursuits, and did so apparently in exchange for intellectual property rights.

    However:

    Jozef did not originate the SSRWives intellectual property.

    Jozef did not develop the SSRWives intellectual property.

    Jozef did not construct assets for the SSRWives intellectual property.

    Right of ownership on paper in this case must still be weighed against the right of ownership purchased by right of work.

    Concrete work on the SSRWives IP spanned 2 years prior to the transfer of intellectual property rights, and still continued after without creative or technical input from Jozef Gherman, to the best of public knowledge.

    Despite all of this, Jozef insists that the basis of legal assignment alone supersedes the basis of right of prior sweat equity.

    IX. THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS

    False witness to willfully communicate a falsehood about my neighbor, either in legal or in other matters, in order to misrepresent them.

    It defames and wounds my neighbor, erodes my love of truth, disobeys my Lord Jesus, and aligns me with Satan, the father of lies.

    False witness is any willful misrepresentation of the truth in legal, civic, or business affairs bears false witness, rebels against God’s will, and subverts God’s justice.

    This commandment forbids all lying, slander, or gossip; all manipulative, deceitful, or insulting speech; and testifying falsely about myself for personal gain.

    Few advancements have been made on the SSRWives IP case, but Jozef has continued to attempt an advance of the assertion that it is his name and his skill that developed the game when the only thing AT BEST he contributed was funding.

    Jozef, in an attempt to credit his name, circumvented a litigation hold on the game’s demo. (A litigation hold that only happened because of his own vindictive behavior.)

    He created a duplicate game listing and replaced the opening Mature Content Warning with an opening credit hailing himself as the original visionary of the game. No other changes are noted on the game at this time.

    The original content advisory image
    The credit image replacing the content advisory

    The original game listing was only locked up because of vindictive behavior on the part of Jozef.

    The new release of the game was made available “for the community”, but it is absolutely clear to an outsider watching the parties involved that it is an attempt to propagate himself as the hero of the case and to vilify Protag and the development team.

    He says he wants the demo to be available “for the community”, but he was the one who locked the original demo to begin with.

    You are not a hero for putting out a fire if you started it to begin with.

    After the rerelease of the demo, Jozef opened a merch store on the SSRWives website.

    Jozef’s opening of the store is a misrepresentation of the circumstances. The game is not back in development. The case has not been settled.

    The opening of the store also reflects additional violation of VIII (Stealing).

    Demo discs are not right to price at $20. Hoodies are commonly not right to price at $60. One-color t-shirts are not right to price at $35.

    Print professionals in the US can print top-end one-color shirts costing, at most, $17.50 to print. (That’s the cost to print just one shirt, short runs are commonly expensive.) That same top end shirt will print as low as $10.50 at the same shop at 250+ units.

    Complex shirts may require significant investment, but rarely do they require so much that you must sell them for $35.

    The shop is both stealing and false witness.

    In addition to misrepresenting his contributions to SSRWives and profiteering from an IP that is not legally free to develop at this time, Jozef continues to publish libelous statements about his former colleagues, insisting that a coordinated harassment campaign has been organized by them.

    I promise you, Jozef. I’m not doing this because Protag or Simon want me to. I’m doing this because I love truth and justice, and hate watching the powerful exploit the weak when I can do something about it.

    You are the thief. You are the liar. If Christ is your King, you will repent. He in his divine judgment silenced you on Easter while His people gathered to worship. Repent before the judgment comes, terrible tortures of your soul in this life, or the final judgment after which there is no return.

    11 responses to “Repent, Jozef.”

    1. Lucas Cypher Avatar
      Lucas Cypher

      So let me get this straight: This Jozef guy did some shady business, and Simon still not only worked with him, but just believed everything he said because he pinky swore? Sounds like he got exactly what he deserved.

      And if you sold the rights, then you sold the rights. The IP isn’t yours and your deranged Christcuck tantrum doesn’t change that. Deal with it.

      Reply
      1. admin Avatar
        admin

        All the info we have publicly leads us to believe that Simon took on good faith that Jozef wanted him out of any possible fallout from Jozef’s political connections.

        Call what I have to say a tantrum if you like. Jozef decided he needed to arrest the official Twitter and nuke his own twitter when things started falling out. That’s not the behavior of a man whose character stands behind his case.

        The letter of the law does matter, but so does harmony between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

        VIII. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

        Reply
      2. admin Avatar
        admin

        I think I should also specify that I am not a member of the dev team involved in the case. I’m just someone interested in justice.

        Reply
    2. Uma Nancy Owen Avatar
      Uma Nancy Owen

      Take a look at Sarah Balda’s “signature” on that contract posted on the official twitter. That’s barely even a scribble. Given Gherman’s already shady past and how he deliberately made deals with as little evidence as possible, I’m starting to suspect he never had any actual legal claims to the SSR Wives IP. It would wise to call into question the legality of any of his dealings with the defendants. If he can’t prove those deals happened, how can he prove he owns the IP?

      Reply
      1. admin Avatar
        admin

        These are reasonable questions to ask. A lot of evidence is available as public record, but the paperwork with the sale includes likenesses as a component of the sale, which is highly suspect.

        The other items are a bit more challenging to dispute and disentangle, but that’s what the courts are for.

        Reply
    3. GC Avatar
      GC

      I’ve been doing some digging and turns out that crypto investment scheme wasn’t Gherman’s only scam.

      In 2020, Gherman apparently helped launch the non-profit “America First Foundation”. When the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) tried to contact Gherman, he responded by wiping his social media presence almost completely. This sounds very unusual, but there are two things that would explain this behavior: One, Gherman (under the alias “James Miller”) was using America First to solicit donations, which went directly to him. And two, the leaked data the SPLC found on America First mostly likely came from him and he very stupidly thought using a fake name would hide his connection to America First, not realizing his IP address could be easily traced. He burned bridges with America First at some point (very likely over embezzlement), so that would explain why he did it.

      Jozef Gherman is clearly a career con artist. Guys like this con people for a living. There’s no way these are the only scams he’s pulled, and he’s probably scamming someone else right now. That he’s coming out of the blue and suddenly going on this unhinged campaign against Protag when his original plan was to drag things out for as long as necessary tells me he’s getting desperate. Either he’s running out of money or his lawyer told him he’s going to lose the case. If he wasn’t losing the case before, he will now.

      Reply
      1. admin Avatar
        admin

        Thank you for this input. I think I encountered information about his connection with those sets of circumstances around the time I set the site up. It’s an interesting thing to watch patterns unfold.

        Reply
        1. The Captain Avatar
          The Captain

          Simon Dickerman is a known Neo-Nazi and pedophile, his preference is little femboys. David is also a pedophile, just look at the sexualized little girls he draws. Lucas on the dev team is also a Nazi pedophile. Sarah Balda and everyone else on the dev team who was fired are also Neo-Nazis. Why should anyone care about what happened to these clearly sick people?

          Reply
          1. admin Avatar
            admin

            I know Simon Dickerman at one time was associated with Nick Fuentes and company, and has come out as a whistleblower against faked broadcast traffic on Fuentes’s part.

            It is not appropriate or constructive to call David a pedophile.

            I don’t know anything about Sarah Balda.

            I don’t know much about Lucas except for Jozef’s unverified and likely libelous hearsay and his professed Islamic faith.

            I know that some of the people on the dev team seem to have hard-leaned conservative-leaned views and a more aggressive idea of justice than many of the population.

            Accusing someone of being a pedophile is not a sufficient ground to deny them due process and a chance at just dealing and treatment.

            Accusing someone of being a Neo-Nazi is not a sufficient ground to deny them due process and a chance at just dealing and treatment.

            Someone’s sins or political leaning, however soft or extreme, does not cancel out their identity as being made in the image of God, nor of the rights thereby conferred.

            However, someone’s demonstrated, active, persistent, and willful sins against another human being put them at risk of judgment by God, peers, and the state. Whatever the dev team have done has not cancelled out their human or social rights. What Jozef has done hasn’t done that either, for that matter.

            Jozef Gherman is a known liar, thief, and cheat, whom I noticed you did not judge or identify in your comment. I find that interesting.

            Whatever weight your statements possess, they are ad-hominem remarks that don’t have bearing on the case.

            What happens to them matters just as much as what happens to Jozef or to you or to me or to anyone else. Writing off another human being as subhuman in any way is not appropriate, acceptable, or conducive to justice. Name-calling is not a substitute for just dealing.

            Reply
    4. Alcoholics Anonymous Avatar
      Alcoholics Anonymous

      That post by The Captain reads like similar posts by Jozef. Seems like he can’t help but post somewhere, even if his lawyers probably told him not to. That’s okay, if he’s gonna be that much of a clown, maybe he can join a circus. Or be a Walmart Greeter. I hear that’s fulfilling career.

      Reply
      1. admin Avatar
        admin

        I understand the impetus to be unkind. Flinging personal attacks is easy and fun until you find out they don’t fix anything. Avoid it if you can.

        If it’s Jozef, he can say whatever he cares to, but he has to live with the consequences of his actions and the freedom of others from his influence and control.

        Reply

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