Oh, and this "Epik Domains" new account on NamePros proactively contacted me.
This is from yesterday.
I don't normally post DM...but they only asked me not to repeat one specific part, and the excuse making is a little disgusting.
The account is not verified, but there is strong reason to believe it actually is "new" Epik. They knew about a non public transaction, and included some other information that a random party could not know.
Yep, the new Epik is going to pay off select creditors to avoid criminal charges and possible jail time, while all the other victims will remain victims.
Change of Control or Ownership of an ICANN-Accredited Registrar
ICANN org is also aware of the recent sale of Epik. Any change of control or ownership of Epik and/or a request to assign the registrar's current RAA to another entity must comply with the terms and requirements of Section 7.3 of the RAA and ICANN's procedures, which include review and approval by ICANN. ICANN org has an established process and extensive experience conducting these types of reviews and performing heightened due diligence appropriate for these circumstances.
ICANN org will continue to monitor the situation closely and take actions to protect registrants' rights where the registrar fails to comply with its RAA obligations.
Epik still owe me $121k, which is part of a sale through their escrow service early last year. Initially, I only withdrew a small portion of the sale proceeds, with the intention of withdrawing everything during the year. Unfortunately, every attempt was blocked in September following Brian Royce's appointment as CEO.
Since then, my funds have been moved between their companies at their discretion. Initially, they were transferred from Masterbucks to In-Store Credits, effectively preventing me from making any withdrawals. Then, a couple of months ago, the funds were moved from In-Store Credits back to Masterbucks, seemingly to shift the debt from the new Epik entity to the old one."
"Despite my numerous emails, Brian Royce only deigned to reply to me on May 1, 2023, offering to pay me 5% of the debt (approximately $6,000) while keeping the remaining 95%."