Brian Schoeneman is a lobbyist and political figure who’s also known as an elected official in Eve Online’s Council of Stellar Management. He was a part of the CSM up until today, when developer CCP Games made the announcement that Schoeneman has been permanently banned from the game for allegedly breaching the CSM’s non-disclosure agreement.
Schoeneman, a maritime law lobbyist in Virginia, made headlines last year when he campaigned for election to the CSM, since he already had real-life election experience – though the Eve election was more successful than his actual campaign. Earlier today, he tweeted “For those asking, I do not know why I was banned from EVE and removed from the CSM. I have asked for clarification and have received none. I categorically deny any wrongdoing and look forward to clearing my name and having my reputation restored.”
In the official announcement, CCP says that Brisc Rubal – Schoeneman’s in-game name – “has been found to be sharing confidential information with a member of his alliance that was later used by another alliance member to conduct illicit in-game transactions.”
Schoeneman has been removed from the CSM, barred from ever running for the office again, and all his game accounts have been permanently banned. CCP hasn’t been specific about exactly what happened, only saying that “all the illicit assets and ISK gained from this incident have been confiscated,” and that two other players allegedly involved have received one-year bans.
As PC Gamer reports, Schoeneman and the two other players are all ranking members of The Initiative, an alliance with a strong reputation that’s been around for over a decade. The Reddit thread on Schoeneman’s ban, however, is filled with comments of a less-than-respectful nature.
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Just a few minutes ago, Schoeneman posted a much longer response to Reddit. Broadly, it’s an extended version of his earlier comment on Twitter, though he adds that “As an attorney and a public figure in the United States, my ethics and reputation are regulated by a code of professional responsibility and statutory law, unlike CCP’s opaque community team,” and he says that CCP’s accusations are damaging to his real-life reputation, too.