The QAnon Queen Used a Roger Stone Cameo to Raise Money

The so-called “QAnon Queen of Canada” raised thousands of dollars off what appears to be a paid Cameo video by Roger Stone. 

But Stone said it’s all nonsense. After learning about claims that he supports her fundraising efforts on Thursday when VICE News asked about them, Stone dispatched his lawyer to get his name out of it.

QAnon influencer Romana Didulo has convinced her followers that she’s the true leader of Canada and waging a war against the cabal of pedophilic elites who run the world. She's currently in the midst of a months-long tour of Canada with ten or so of her closest followers in a convoy of rented or recently purchased RVs. Along the way, she’s pulled some high-profile stunts, like convincing her followers to try to arrest an entire police precinct. It’s not a small operation, nor is it a cheap one. 

So the group has to fundraise. Stone—one of Trump's oldest political advisors known for his ties to the far right—popped up in those efforts on Aug. 27, when a fake, now deleted Telegram account with the name Roger Stone posted the video. Didulo reposted the video to her 58,000 followers with a call out for donations.

“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.”

Stone told VICE News he had no idea that Didulo was using his name and image to raise funds. 

“I have no memory or record of any fundraising by or for this person,” Stone wrote in an email to VICE News. He acknowledged, however: “It is possible that somebody commissioned a video on Cameo.”

Cameo is a website where celebrities make customized videos for paying customers. Stone has an account on the site, where he charges $131 for a short clip and has a 4.9 star rating. The video does not include Cameo’s watermark, although it may have been cropped out. 

Videos from Cameo are routinely used for comedic effects or to troll others, and customers on the site often provide exact wording. Prior to their spat, Stone made no indication that he knew of Didulo’s existence, but he has galavanted with QAnon figures in the past and even visited the cult that camped out for weeks in Dallas as they awaited the return of JFK. 

The fake Telegram account posted several times about Didulo in her group chat, and she reposted every one. In the final message, the “Stone” account wrote, “everyone please donate what you can so Queen Romana is well equipped for the road ahead. I will be matching all donations made. Just attach a screenshot.” 

Stone told VICE News he had done nothing of the kind.

“I certainly never agreed to match any fundraising by any individual or organization,” Stone wrote. “Beyond that I know nothing about this.” 

Stone’s attorney, Grant Smith, told VICE News that he joined Telegram for the first time Thursday evening to post a message warning everyone in Didulo’s chat group not to bring Stone into any fundraising efforts. 

Smith showed VICE News a screenshot of his message, posted at 7:00 p.m., which read: “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. 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.” 

But within minutes, Smith’s message had vanished from the feed, and Smith said he had been booted out of the chat. 

“As a postscript, I was just kicked out of the group,” Smith wrote in an email to VICE News. “I also filed a report with Telegram.”

Regardless, Didulo’s followers had rejoiced over what they evidently believed was Stone’s endorsement, eagerly donated to the cause, and posted screenshots so their donations could be matched. Some donations amounted to hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. The highest was $3,000. In total, Didulo raised over $6,482 from her followers. 

Many of Didulo’s supporters are elderly and unfamiliar with technology, so quite a few posted that they were unable to screenshot their donation receipts. (VICE News did not include these posts in the total.) Almost everyone who donated also posted a comment praising Stone. 

“Could we do some sort of ceremony recognizing Roger and his contributions?” one follower wrote. “Maybe QR could knight him publicly.”

In the end, the false account posted that it was having trouble making a donation to Didulo in the amount of $100,000 and then went silent. Stone was mentioned in the chat once again on Wednesday in a post simply asking, “What happened with Roger Stone and his large donation?” 

Dr. Christine Sarteschi, an extremism researcher who follows Didulo closely, said that the “queen” frequently calls for donations, but Stone’s involvement was unique. 

“If she did it, it would be pretty smart," Sarteschi said. “Whoever did it, it was an effort, but whether it was her or someone else, I don't know." 

For months, people have been trolling Didulo in a variety of ways online. A fake Hells Angels’ letter offered Didulo the motorcycle group’s services (but featured the signature of German pop band Tokio Hotel). People have also messaged her from fake accounts seemingly tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. 

Didulo’s followers have since moved onto bigger topics than the fake Stone donation—primarily what the death of Queen Elizabeth means for their real queen.

Follow Mack Lamoureux and Greg Walters on Twitter.

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