He has been banned on the "green forum" for quite some time. He used to have his own forum there and it was removed.
It's always tragic when a talented artist goes to shit. I recently bought one of his karambits in the BF exchange and the technology and craftsmanship are spectacular.
In regards to paying before completion, I had an experience with another maker who produced a spectacular Bowie for me in three weeks. I ordered a second one and based on progress comments paid in full after one month. That was 5 months ago. Things can change ever so quickly especially when a maker becomes "hot" and gets too much business all at once.