The self-proclaimed "Queen of Canada," a QAnon adherent named Romana Didulo, is apparently trying to raise funds for her conspiracy-fuelled movement using what appeared to be a Cameo video made by Roger Stone.
However, Mr Stone says he has no idea what the group is talking about.
The conservative political consultant, who has worked on the campaigns of numerous Republican presidents, including Donald Trump, has close ties with the far-right gang the Proud Boys and has frequently boosted conservative conspiracy theories, including those about the 2020 election.
He was indicted on charges of lying to Congress about Russian efforts to discredit Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections, but was later pardoned by Mr Trump. He denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
VICE News reports that Ms Didulo, who has convinced a small group of right-wing Canadians that she is the rightful queen of Canada, shared a video from an account on Telegram claiming to belong to Mr Stone. In the video, Mr Stone appears to address Ms Didulo and praises her fight against the "deep state."
“Romana, this is Roger Stone. I know that you're on a mission to expose the Deep State and the epic corruption in Canada under little Fidel,” he says in the video, referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “I want you to know that many people across the globe appreciate what you're doing in the fight for freedom and liberty and all that is good. God bless you.”
The fake account posted numerous times about Ms Didulo and the final message included a call for donations. The account claimed that Stone would be "matching all donations made."
Mr Stone told VICE that he had no idea his name and video were being used to fundraise for Ms Didulo’s cause.
“I have no memory or record of any fundraising by or for this person,” he told the outlet. “It is possible that somebody commissioned a video on Cameo.”
Cameo is a website and app that allows users to purchase personalised videos recorded by celebrities and other notable people. Mr Stone has an account on the service and charges $131 for his clips.
He also said he made no pledge to match anyone's donations to Ms Didulo.
“I certainly never agreed to match any fundraising by any individual or organization,” he said. “Beyond that I know nothing about this.”
Mr Stone's attorney, Grant Smith, told VICE that he created a Telegram account on Thursday to make it clear in Ms Didulo's group chat that his client had nothing to do with the apparent fundraising scheme.
“I am an attorney for Roger Stone. This discussion is fraudulently representing that he is part of it. Mr. Stone in no way, shape or form is involved with this," he wrote in the chat. "Please do not donate anything on here representing that he is a part. The moderator of this group is hereby put on notice to immediately cease and desist.”
Mr Smith was subsequently kicked out of the group and his message was deleted by its moderators. He reported the interaction to Telegram.
Despite the attorney's message, Ms Didulo managed to raise $6,482 from her followers after the video was posted, and many praised Mr Stone, despite his denial that he knew anything about their cause. One user went so far as to wonder whether Ms Didulo would "knight" him.
The fake Stone account made a final post claiming it was having difficulty making a $100,000 donation to Ms Didulo and then stopped posting.
It's unclear if Ms Didulo controlled the fake Stone account or if she was duped alongside her followers into thinking the Republican figure had taken up her cause.
The Independent tried multiple times to reach Ms Didulo, but her official Telegram account, her primary method of communicating with her followers, has disabled commenting and private messages.
This isn't the first time a group has been erroneously linked to Ms Didulo's fringe group. Earlier this month a letter purporting to be from the Hells Angels circulated on social media claiming the bikers would be providing security for Ms Didulo.
"It has come to my attention that you're in need of immediate security to protect you and your team members during your national royal tour. As you may know, we have over 43 chapters across Canada, with hundreds of full patch members and hundreds more puppet club members. Given our significant and national scope I believe that we would be in a great position to offer you security," the letter read.
The letter claimed riders would "join her motorcade" — Ms Didulo operates out of an RV — and claimed to be from the Hells Angels' national president. The letter was later proven to be a fake.
Despite the absurd nature of some of the stunts and claims associated with Ms Didulo, some of her followers are allegedly suffering due to their sincere belief in her authority.
Dr Christine Sarteschi, a researcher who follows Ms Didulo's group closely on social media, says she has been documenting numerous instances of Ms Didulo's followers begging her for help after they stopped paying their utility bills. The members believe that Ms Didulo's decrees have freed them from that obligation, and are now allegedly facing service terminations as a result.
Many have called out to Ms Didulo for help and guidance and claim to be left without response.
