Citigroup has terminated a manager following an investigation into his role operating a prominent website dedicated to QAnon conspiracy theory, according to Bloomberg.
Jason Gelinas was placed on paid leave in mid-September after he was identified by Logically.aias the operator of QMap.pub and it’s affiliated apps.
“Mr. Gelinas is no longer employed by Citi,” the company said in a statement to Bloomberg. “Our code of conduct includes specific policies that employees are required to adhere to, and when breaches are identified, the firm takes action.”
Gelinas was a manager in Citigroup;s technology department. The company says employees have to disclose outside business activity where they receive compensation.
Gelinas was reportedly earning about $3,000 a month from a crowdfunding site supporting the QAnon site he ran. He says the money helped cover the monthly operating costs.
QMap once drew a reported 10 million visitors a month over the summer. Once Gelinas was identified, the site was taken down.
QAnon began a few years ago as a single conspiracy theory. It has grown in both followers and beliefs since then.
The main conspiracyclaims dozens of politicians and A-list celebrities work with governments around the world to engage in child sex abuse. Followers also believe there is a “deep state” effort to kill President Donald Trump.
Shared conspiracies of the group now include baseless theories on mass shootings and elections.
