vault backup: 2026-09-22 16:48:54

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Allan R. Tessler.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+category: "Business & Finance"
+tags:
+  - Person
+  - AllanTessler
+  - PROMIS
+  - INSLAW
+  - SheaGould
+  - HudsonInstitute
+alias:
+  - Alan Tessler
+  - Allan Tessler
+summary: "Senior managing partner of the New York firm Shea and Gould whom Bill Hamilton's affidavit named as Earl Brian's and Hadron's merger lawyer and as a relative of INSLAW's investor Daniel Tessler, who denied any relation; later a merchant banker, L Brands director and Hudson Institute chairman."
+location: "Jackson, Wyoming"
+created: 2026-09-22
+updated: 2026-09-22
+---
+
+Allan R. Tessler, a Cornell graduate and editor of the Cornell Law Quarterly who served as a Navy lieutenant, began at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton, was counsel to Spengler, Carlson, Gubar and Churchill, and became senior managing partner of [[Shea & Gould]], sitting on the New York firm's executive committee from 1976 to 1988. After the firm dissolved in 1994 he was chairman and chief executive of International Financial Group, a merchant bank, from 1987; co-chief executive and chairman of Data Broadcasting Corporation, later Interactive Data; chairman of Enhance Financial Services Group, an insurance holding company he co-founded that merged into Radian; and chairman and principal shareholder of Great Dane Holdings. He had earlier held senior posts at Ladenburg Thalmann, Devon Securities and Loeb Rhoades and been president of Slater Walker of America, Ameriscribe and Fifth Avenue Coach Lines. He was lead director and finance committee chairman of L Brands, a director of TD Ameritrade and of Interactive Data until November 2006, and chairman emeritus of the [[Hudson Institute]].[^1]
+
+### The INSLAW Affidavit
+
+[[Bill Hamilton]]'s affidavit in the [[INSLAW]] litigation alleged that [[Daniel Tessler]], the investment manager who with his wife [[Patricia Cloherty]] took over the [[53rd Street Ventures]] fund holding INSLAW stock in 1984, "is a relative of Alan Tessler, the senior partner in the New York City law firm of Shea and Gould responsible for [[Earl Brian|Brian]]'s and [[Hadron]]'s mergers and acquisitions work." Daniel Tessler told the special counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]]'s investigators that he "is not a relative of, and does not even know, Alan Tessler." Bua's report does not record an interview of Allan Tessler, and the statement that Shea and Gould handled Brian's and Hadron's merger work rests on the Hamilton affidavit alone; Tessler's tenure on the firm's executive committee does place him at Shea and Gould through the years in question.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hudson Institute, "Allan R. Tessler, Chairman Emeritus," institutional biography, archived at http://web.archive.org/web/20211204105456/https://www.hudson.org/experts/679-allan-r-tessler-mdash-i-chairman-emeritus--i ; the executive committee dates are from a Cornell University Library finding aid for the Shea and Gould records, not examined.
+[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.,* March 1993, pp. 90-94 and addendum. https://archive.org/details/InslawPROMISBuaReport

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Daniel Tessler.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Daniel Tessler managed a venture capital fund called [[53rd Street Ventures]], I
 
 [[Bill Hamilton]]'s affidavit claimed that in December 1984, shortly before Inslaw's Chapter 11 filing, Tessler came to Inslaw and attempted to induce the Hamiltons to turn over the voting rights of their controlling interest in Inslaw common stock. Hamilton alleged that Tessler stated neither 53rd Street Ventures nor [[Hambro Venture Capital]] would help Inslaw raise capital unless the Hamiltons surrendered their voting rights by the end of the business day. Hamilton's affidavit also suggested a relationship between [[Daniel Tessler]] and [[Alan Tessler]], a partner in a law firm representing [[Earl Brian]] and [[Hadron]], and that Daniel Tessler helped organize Hadron's efforts to "get" Inslaw.[^1]
 
-Daniel Tessler denied these allegations. He stated that he and Cloherty looked into the Inslaw investment after taking over management and determined that Inslaw had serious operating difficulties, was heavily in debt, and could not meet its production obligations. He met with Hamilton in late 1984, and while Hamilton asked about additional investment, Tessler denied ever trying to induce the Hamiltons to turn over their voting rights or giving them an ultimatum. He maintained that he only discussed control in the context of future investments, explaining that investors were unlikely to invest if the company continued to be managed by the same people who led it into financial difficulties. Tessler stated he does not know Earl Brian, [[Edwin Meese]], [[Dominic Laiti]], or [[Lowell Jensen]], and denied any discussions or communications with them or any DOJ officials regarding Inslaw's investment or his conversations with Hamilton. He also denied any dealings with Hadron, Simeon, or Biotech, and denied being related to Alan Tessler or having dealings with Shea and Gould. Tessler stated that to his knowledge, his wife, [[Patricia Cloherty]], had no knowledge of Earl Brian or any connection between Brian and Inslaw, and never claimed to "know all about" Brian's role in the Inslaw matter.[^1]
+Daniel Tessler denied these allegations. He stated that he and Cloherty looked into the Inslaw investment after taking over management and determined that Inslaw had serious operating difficulties, was heavily in debt, and could not meet its production obligations. He met with Hamilton in late 1984, and while Hamilton asked about additional investment, Tessler denied ever trying to induce the Hamiltons to turn over their voting rights or giving them an ultimatum. He maintained that he only discussed control in the context of future investments, explaining that investors were unlikely to invest if the company continued to be managed by the same people who led it into financial difficulties. Tessler stated he does not know Earl Brian, [[Edwin Meese]], [[Dominic Laiti]], or [[Lowell Jensen]], and denied any discussions or communications with them or any DOJ officials regarding Inslaw's investment or his conversations with Hamilton. He also denied any dealings with Hadron, Simeon, or Biotech, and denied being related to [[Allan R. Tessler|Alan Tessler]] or having dealings with Shea and Gould. Tessler stated that to his knowledge, his wife, [[Patricia Cloherty]], had no knowledge of Earl Brian or any connection between Brian and Inslaw, and never claimed to "know all about" Brian's role in the Inslaw matter.[^1]
 
 ### Footnotes
 

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Diana, Princess of Wales.md

@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 ---
-category: "PROMIS Scandal"
+category: "Historical Figure"
 tags:
   - Person
-  - PROMIS
 summary: "Princess of Wales whose 1997 death alongside Dodi Fayed is referenced in research tied to the PROMIS scandal and its web of interconnected intelligence figures."
 born: 1961-07-01
 died: 1997-08-31

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Hassan Yassin.md

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+---
+category: "Business & Finance"
+tags:
+  - Person
+  - HassanYassin
+  - SaudiArabia
+  - Khashoggi
+  - Washington
+alias:
+  - Hassan Youssef Yassin
+summary: "Son of King Abdulaziz's adviser Youssef Yassin, cousin of Adnan Khashoggi and associate of Kamal Adham, who headed the Saudi Information Office in Washington from 1972 to 1981 and died in May 2026."
+died: 2026-05-17
+location: "Mecca, Saudi Arabia"
+created: 2026-09-22
+updated: 2026-09-22
+---
+
+Hassan Yassin (Mecca, to May 17, 2026) was the son of Sheikh Youssef Yassin, political adviser to King Abdulaziz, the founder of [[Saudi Arabia]], and grew up, in the words of his obituary, "immersed in the details and inner workings of Saudi politics from an early age." Educated in Mecca and Taif and at Victoria College in Alexandria, he studied in the United States in the 1950s and worked under the oil ministers Abdullah Tariki and [[Ahmed Zaki Yamani]] from 1959 to 1967. From 1972 to 1981 he headed the Saudi Information Office in [[Washington, D.C.]], the kingdom's public diplomacy post in the capital during the oil embargo, the Yamani years and the first arms sales fights in Congress; he then served with the Arab League's observer delegation at the United Nations from 1981 to 1983, later advised a Saudi ambassador in Washington, and wrote a column for Arab News. Saudi officials mourning him called him "a national memory and a cultural treasure trove that accompanied our kings."[^1]
+
+He was a cousin of the arms dealer [[Adnan Khashoggi]] and was described, in the account of the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] affair by Beaty and Gwynne, as a close business associate of [[Kamal Adham]], the head of Saudi intelligence and the bank's front man. No documented transaction connects him to [[Earl Brian]]'s [[Hadron]] or United Press International ventures; he does not appear in the House Judiciary Committee's report, the Bua report or [[Ari Ben-Menashe]]'s book.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hassan, Rashid. "Testament to Saudi Arabia's modern history, Hassan Yassin dies," *Arab News,* May 18, 2026. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/testament-to-saudi-arabias-modern-history-hassan-yassin-dies-2644043 Victoria College is from an earlier Arab News profile not examined.
+[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan, and S. C. Gwynne. *The Outlaw Bank,* Random House, 1993, p. 352, as cited on [[Adnan Khashoggi]]; House Report 102-857 and the Bua report, searched in full, contain no reference to him.

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Paul Wormeli.md

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ summary: "Paul Wormeli was the Vice President in charge of Product Development f
 
 Paul Wormeli was the Vice President in charge of Product Development for [[Simeon]], Inc., a company that was purchased by Hadron in 1982. He remained with Simeon for two years after the acquisition.
 
-Wormeli accompanied [[Dominic Laiti]] on a business trip to New York City in late 1983, which [[Bill Hamilton]] alleged was to raise capital to buy [[PROMIS]]. Wormeli confirmed that the trip was to raise money for Simeon and that he and Laiti met with [[Earl Brian]] and executives from Allen and Company, including [[Mark Kesselman]], to discuss funding. However, Wormeli stated that neither Laiti nor Brian ever discussed the acquisition of PROMIS or [[INSLAW|Inslaw]] with him, and that Laiti never mentioned PROMIS or Inslaw to him or at any of the New York meetings. Wormeli first became aware of Inslaw's problems with the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]] from reading newspaper articles. While sympathetic to Hamilton's view, Wormeli maintained he had no knowledge of a connection between Hadron and Inslaw.[^1]
+Wormeli accompanied [[Dominic Laiti]] on a business trip to New York City in late 1983, which [[Bill Hamilton]] alleged was to raise capital to buy [[PROMIS]]. Wormeli confirmed that the trip was to raise money for Simeon and that he and Laiti met with [[Earl Brian]] and executives from [[Allen and Company]], including [[Mark Kesselman]], to discuss funding. However, Wormeli stated that neither Laiti nor Brian ever discussed the acquisition of PROMIS or [[INSLAW|Inslaw]] with him, and that Laiti never mentioned PROMIS or Inslaw to him or at any of the New York meetings. Wormeli first became aware of Inslaw's problems with the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]] from reading newspaper articles. While sympathetic to Hamilton's view, Wormeli maintained he had no knowledge of a connection between Hadron and Inslaw.[^1]
 
 The Special Counsel's investigation found that Wormeli's testimony did not support Hamilton's thesis that the New York trip was to raise money to buy PROMIS. The investigation concluded that there was no evidence from Wormeli or other interviewed individuals that Hadron or Simeon ever had any interest in obtaining Inslaw's software.[^1]
 

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Philip White.md

@@ -1,18 +1,15 @@
 ---
-category: "Belgium Scandals"
+category: "PROMIS Scandal"
 tags:
   - Person
-  - Belgium
+  - PROMIS
+  - DOJ
 summary: "Philip White was the Director of International Affairs for the Criminal Division of the DOJ."
 ---
 
-Philip White was the Director of International Affairs for the Criminal Division of the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]]. He was implicated in allegations surrounding the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] and the attempted conversion of [[INSLAW|Inslaw]]'s bankruptcy case.
+Philip White was the Director of International Affairs for the Criminal Division of the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]]. He was named in allegations surrounding the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]]; the United States Trustee on the [[INSLAW|Inslaw]] bankruptcy, [[William White]], is a different official.
 
-According to a source of [[Ronald LeGrand]], White, along with [[John Keeney]] and [[Mark Richards]], knew "all about" [[Lowell Jensen]]'s alleged malfeasance in the Inslaw matter. The source believed that while Richards and White were "pretty upset" about it, they would not disclose what they knew except under subpoena and oath, and that they would not commit perjury.[^1]
-
-White was also the U.S. Trustee assigned to the [[INSLAW]] bankruptcy case. [[Anthony Pasciuto]] alleged that [[Thomas Stanton]], Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST), pressured White to convert Inslaw's Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation. [[Cornelius Blackshear]], then a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, initially testified that White had told him of Stanton's pressure. White, however, denied that Stanton had tried to exert any pressure on him to convert Inslaw. He explained that he asked for specific language to be added to a confidentiality order to protect himself from criticism, such as that made by Inslaw's counsel following the [[Jack Rugh]]-[[Gregory McKain]] conversation, by ensuring only personnel in his office would be involved in the case. White's recollection was that Blackshear was mistaken and had confused Inslaw with the UPI case, about which White had told Blackshear that the IRS had pressured him to join a motion to convert.[^1]
-
-The Special Counsel's investigation found no credible evidence to support the allegations against White. When interviewed, White denied any wrongdoing or pressure from Stanton to convert the Inslaw case. The investigation concluded that White's testimony was consistent with that of most other witnesses, and that his explanation for the confidentiality order language was credible. The report also noted that White, being no longer in government, was less susceptible to pressure to tailor his testimony to suit the DOJ's position. The investigation found insufficient evidence to support a finding that the DOJ pressured the U.S. Trustee to convert the U.S. Trustee to convert the Inslaw Bankruptcy case or otherwise improperly interfere with it, or that the DOJ attempted a cover-up.[^1]
+According to a source of [[Ronald LeGrand]], White, along with [[John Keeney]] and [[Mark M. Richard|Mark Richard]], knew "all about" [[Lowell Jensen]]'s alleged malfeasance in the Inslaw matter. The source believed that while Richard and White were "pretty upset" about it, they would not disclose what they knew except under subpoena and oath, and that they would not commit perjury.[^1]
 
 ### Footnotes
 [^1]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993.

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Roger Whelan.md

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ Roger Whelan was the bankruptcy judge who preceded [[George Francis Bason, Jr.|J
 
 Whelan became involved in the controversy surrounding Judge Bason's non-reappointment. He was a practicing bankruptcy attorney and reportedly received complaints about Bason from several of his colleagues. These attorneys, according to Whelan, shared his view that Bason was pro-debtor and too slow in making decisions. Whelan reported these views to the Merit Selection Panel by telephone. The Special Counsel's investigation noted that Whelan's opposition to Bason's reappointment was significant, as it contributed to the perception that Judge Bason was a poor administrator. This perception, whether accurate or not, was made known to the Panel at least by Whelan and almost certainly by others.[^1]
 
-[[Charles Deeter]], an attorney for [[INSLAW|Inslaw]], reported to the House Committee on the Judiciary that in July 1987, Whelan had threatened to oppose Bason's reappointment because Bason had not ruled on a fee petition filed by Whelan. Deeter alleged that Whelan told him that Senior District Court Judge Irwin Gasch would organize the opposition to Bason's reappointment. Whelan acknowledged that he represented a party in the UPI case and was frustrated by Judge Bason's delay in ruling on an application he had filed. He also acknowledged being a friend of Senior Judge Gasch. However, he denied ever speaking with Charles Deeter about the UPI case or trying indirectly to pressure Judge Bason to rule on his application for compensation in that case. The Special Counsel's investigation did not attempt to resolve this disagreement but noted that the possibility of concerted opposition to Bason by district court judges or others might explain why he was not reappointed.[^1]
+[[Charles Docter]], an attorney for [[INSLAW|Inslaw]], reported to the House Committee on the Judiciary that in July 1987, Whelan had threatened to oppose Bason's reappointment because Bason had not ruled on a fee petition filed by Whelan. Docter alleged that Whelan told him that Senior District Court Judge Irwin Gasch would organize the opposition to Bason's reappointment. Whelan acknowledged that he represented a party in the UPI case and was frustrated by Judge Bason's delay in ruling on an application he had filed. He also acknowledged being a friend of Senior Judge Gasch. However, he denied ever speaking with Charles Docter about the UPI case or trying indirectly to pressure Judge Bason to rule on his application for compensation in that case. The Special Counsel's investigation did not attempt to resolve this disagreement but noted that the possibility of concerted opposition to Bason by district court judges or others might explain why he was not reappointed.[^1]
 
 ### Footnotes
 

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Scott Weekly.md

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ In early 1986, Weekly and Gritz were recruited to train Afghan Mujahedeen fighte
 
 ### The Tapes and Bush Connection
 
-Justice Department official Mark Richard's handwritten notes of a briefing on Weekly's case recorded: "Weekly posts on tape that he's tied into CIA and Hasenfus. Said he reports to people reporting to Bush." The tapes of Weekly's intercontinental telephone conversations were obtained by the Justice Department but do not appear to have been turned over to Iran-Contra prosecutor Lawrence Walsh. Weekly was convicted of transporting explosives and sentenced to five years. After fourteen months, a hearing revealed he had been working for the U.S. government. His probation required him to report any future contact with the State Department, Defense Department, CIA, or any intelligence agency.[^1]
+Justice Department official [[Mark M. Richard|Mark Richard]]'s handwritten notes of a briefing on Weekly's case recorded: "Weekly posts on tape that he's tied into CIA and Hasenfus. Said he reports to people reporting to Bush." The tapes of Weekly's intercontinental telephone conversations were obtained by the Justice Department but do not appear to have been turned over to Iran-Contra prosecutor Lawrence Walsh. Weekly was convicted of transporting explosives and sentenced to five years. After fourteen months, a hearing revealed he had been working for the U.S. government. His probation required him to report any future contact with the State Department, Defense Department, CIA, or any intelligence agency.[^1]
 
 ### Footnotes
 

10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/William White.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+category: "PROMIS Scandal"
+tags:
+  - Person
+  - WilliamWhite
+  - PROMIS
+  - INSLAW
+  - USTrustee
+alias:
+  - Edward White
+summary: "United States Trustee for the District of Columbia on the INSLAW bankruptcy whom Anthony Pasciuto said Thomas Stanton pressured to convert the case to liquidation, a claim White denied and Bua found unsupported; distinct from the Criminal Division's Philip White."
+location: "Washington, D.C."
+created: 2026-09-22
+updated: 2026-09-22
+---
+
+William White was the United States Trustee for the District of Columbia assigned to the [[INSLAW]] bankruptcy case, filed under Chapter 11 in February 1985. [[Anthony Pasciuto]] alleged that [[Thomas Stanton]], Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST), pressured White to convert Inslaw's Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation. [[Cornelius Blackshear]], then a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, initially testified that White had told him of Stanton's pressure. White, however, denied that Stanton had tried to exert any pressure on him to convert Inslaw. He explained that he asked for specific language to be added to a confidentiality order to protect himself from criticism, such as that made by Inslaw's counsel following the [[Jack Rugh]]-[[Gregory McKain]] conversation of February 1985, by ensuring only personnel in his office would be involved in the case. White's recollection was that Blackshear was mistaken and had confused Inslaw with the UPI case, about which White had told Blackshear that the IRS had pressured him to join a motion to convert.[^1] Judge [[George Francis Bason, Jr.|George Bason]] found in June 1987, on [[Anthony Pasciuto]]'s account as relayed by [[Bill Hamilton]] and [[Nancy Hamilton]], that the [[Department of Justice]] had "unlawfully, intentionally and willfully" tried to convert the case, and that Stanton had also sought to detail the New York trustee's attorney [[Harry Jones]] to White's office for the purpose. Some later accounts call him Edward White; the special counsel's report names him William White, and the LeGrand source's "Philip White" is a different official, the Criminal Division's [[Philip White]].[^1]
+
+The Special Counsel's investigation found no credible evidence to support the allegations against White. When interviewed, White denied any wrongdoing or pressure from Stanton to convert the Inslaw case. The investigation concluded that White's testimony was consistent with that of most other witnesses, and that his explanation for the confidentiality order language was credible. The report also noted that White, being no longer in government, was less susceptible to pressure to tailor his testimony to suit the DOJ's position. The investigation found insufficient evidence to support a finding that the DOJ pressured the U.S. Trustee to convert the U.S. Trustee to convert the Inslaw Bankruptcy case or otherwise improperly interfere with it, or that the DOJ attempted a cover-up.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.,* March 1993, sections on the alleged conversion of the bankruptcy. https://archive.org/details/InslawPROMISBuaReport