Who is Richard Potcner? Qanon fugitive owes DC diner $10,000, urges Telegram supporters to help pay bills
A QAnon influencer has left a Washington DC diner in chaos after racking up over $10,000 in bills and not paying them. Richard Potcner had claimed in a January video posted on Telegram, urging National Guard soldiers guarding the Capitol to order meals on his tab at Capitol Hill's Pete’s Diner. Initially, he settled the tab with owner Gum Tong, but stopped doing so, leaving behind a massive bill.
Potcner urged his 200,000 plus Telegram followers to help him pay the bills, which they did shortly after he opened it. He even uploaded videos of him settling the tab with Tong. However, Tong claims that Potcner stopped paying, leaving behind a massive bill sometime in April.
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Who is Richard Potcner?
Like many QAnon conspiracy theorists, Potcner has abandoned mainstream social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. We couldn't find any trace of him on these platforms or LinkedIn. He goes by the name 'Richard Citizen Journalist' on Telegram. His Telegram profile says he lives in Washington DC on Pennsylvania Avenue. It's unclear where Potcner works, but he frequently uploads videos and photos from events around Washington DC on his Telegram channel. He claims in one post that he is an honorably discharged combat medic, who joined the US Army in 1998 before leaving eight years later. We could not verify this claim.
According to the Daily Beast, he is wanted on two unrelated charges in two states. Reportedly, he faces a weapons possession charge in Pennsylvania and one for a probation violation in his home state of Maryland. He has an extradition hearing in June, the report said. These aren't his only brushes with the law, as he has been reportedly involved in multiple court cases over the last few years, including a 2019 domestic violence order.
Apart from spreading popular conspiracy theories, Potcner is also a strong Trump supporter. In October 2020, when Trump was hospitalized with Covid-19, Potcner camped outside Walter Reed Medical Centre for days. "I wanted to come and support and pray for him, we all wish him a speedy recovery," he told Newstalk ZB. He attended the 'Stop the Steal' rally held by Trump on January 6, but reportedly was not involved in the insurrection at the Capitol. According to the Daily Mail, he has been unemployed since March 2020.
Since then, he began working as an investigative journalist, uploading short clips to Telegram of events in and around DC. He gained fame at the height of the pandemic, when he filed empty parking lots and even crashed into a hospital to 'expose' the virus as a hoax.
Potcner accuses Tong of 'double-dipping'
In late January, Potcner started an 'open tab' at Pete's Diner, urging troops in the city to order meals on it. Between January and early April, he settled bills with Tong by using donations from his followers. The Beast reported, "when Potcner’s tab would run out, Tong would continue to serve the meals, only to be paid back later by Potcner." At some point in April, Potcner stopped visiting Pete's Diner and paying his tab, even though he hadn't cleared it completely.
Tong alleged that he still had over $10,000 to pay, which Potcner has denied. On May 1, he put out a statement on his Telegram channel saying, "I ate at Pete's on the 11th of April. I asked if there was any unpaid tabs for the troops. Gum's answer to me then was, No. Now two weeks later it's 10k?" He said Tong has his number but hasn't contacted him. He also said he gave the diner $13,000 in March, after giving over $60,000 from donations and his own money.
Potcner accused Tong of "double-dipping" and said, "there is much more to this story". He also claims that Tong hasn't shown any evidence that he owes her. Following that statement, Tong has been bombarded with calls from angry supporters of Potcner. She was also urged to file a report by the Capitol Police but is yet to do so.