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[[Peter Videnieks]] was a [[United States Customs Service|U.S. Customs]] contract specialist who was detailed to the [[United States Department of Justice|DOJ]] in the early 1980s to develop the [[PROMIS]] software. He later became a central figure in the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]].[^1]
### Role in PROMIS Software Scandal
Videnieks administered the [[INSLAW]] contract with the government, which involved conducting competitive procurement, negotiating and awarding contracts, and administering them to ensure proper performance. His employment history included work with the [[Internal Revenue Service]], [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]], and [[United States Customs Service|Customs]], before and after his tenure at the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]].[^1]
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that [[Earl Brian]] made a copy of the [[PROMIS]] software available to him through [[Wackenhut Corporation]] after acquiring it from Videnieks, who was then a [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] contracting official with responsibility for the [[PROMIS]] software. Riconosciuto performed modifications to [[PROMIS]] in Indio, California; Silver Spring, Maryland; and Miami, Florida, with the purpose of supporting a plan for its worldwide implementation in law enforcement and intelligence agencies.[^1]
In February 1991, Videnieks, still employed by the [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]], allegedly attempted to persuade [[Michael Riconosciuto]] not to cooperate with an independent investigation of the government's piracy of [[INSLAW]]'s proprietary [[PROMIS]] software, being conducted by the [[United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]]. Videnieks reportedly offered rewards for non-cooperation and threatened specific punishments, including future inclusion of Riconosciuto and his father in a criminal prosecution related to a savings and loan institution, and prosecution for perjury if he testified.[^1]
During [[Michael Riconosciuto]]'s trial in Tacoma, Washington, Videnieks testified about his contact with the [[PROMIS]] software but denied ever hearing of the [[Wackenhut Corporation]]-[[Cabazon Indian Reservation]] joint venture or meeting [[Earl Brian]]. He was evasive when questioned about his involvement with Hadron Company, which was owned by [[Earl Brian]] at the time of the court proceedings. Videnieks also refused to discuss "Modification No. 12" of the [[PROMIS]] software until the original [[INSLAW]] contract was produced, and acknowledged that a bankruptcy court had ruled that the [[United States Department of Justice|DOJ]] had "stolen" [[PROMIS]] from [[INSLAW]] through his handling of Modification No. 12, though he noted this record was later erased.[^1]
### Connections to Danny Casolaro's Investigation
[[Danny Casolaro]] was intent on interviewing Videnieks. A week before Casolaro's death, a man named [[Joseph Cuellar]] approached Casolaro, claiming to be a Special Forces operative, and offered to arrange a meeting between Videnieks and Casolaro. Cuellar's connection to Videnieks allegedly came through Videnieks' wife, Barbara, who was the executive assistant to Senator [[Robert Byrd]].[^1]
Despite the allegations and his central role in the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]], Videnieks was never charged with any wrongdoing. [[Scott Lawrence]]'s investigation into corruption within [[United States Customs Service|U.S. Customs]], which involved Videnieks, was abruptly shut down when Lawrence and his supervisor requested to impanel grand juries to depose [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] officials.[^1]
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## Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.