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10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Michael Riconosciuto.md
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---
category: "PROMIS Scandal"
created: 2024-04-25
updated: 2026-05-01
tags:
- Person
- Computer
- Scientist
- CIA
- PROMIS
- Octopus
- Cabazon
- USA
- CIA
summary: "Michael Riconosciuto is a computer scientist and self-proclaimed former CIA asset who claimed to have modified the PROMIS software for worldwide intelligence distribution through the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture, becoming a central source for Danny Casolaro's Octopus investigation."
---
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] is a computer scientist and self-proclaimed former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] asset, known for his involvement in various clandestine operations and his claims regarding the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]]. He was described as a child prodigy, wiring his parents' neighborhood with a private telephone system at age 10 and winning science fairs with laser technology, leading to a summer research assistantship at Stanford's Cooper Vaper Laser Laboratory.[^1]
### Involvement with Wackenhut and Cabazon Joint Venture
From 1981 to 1984, Riconosciuto served as the Director of Research for a joint venture between [[Wackenhut Corporation]] and the [[Cabazon Band of Mission Indians|Cabazon Indian tribe]] near Indio, California. This venture, known as "[[Cabazon Arms]]," aimed to develop and manufacture military and national security materials, including night vision goggles, machine guns, fuel-air explosives, and biological and chemical warfare weapons. The sovereign status of the reservation was utilized to bypass stringent federal controls on such developments.[^1]
From 1981 to 1984, Riconosciuto served as the Director of Research for a joint venture between [[Wackenhut Corporation]] and the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon Indian tribe]] near Indio, California. This venture, known as "[[Cabazon Arms]]," aimed to develop and manufacture military and national security materials, including night vision goggles, machine guns, fuel-air explosives, and biological and chemical warfare weapons. The sovereign status of the reservation was utilized to bypass stringent federal controls on such developments.[^1]
During this period, Riconosciuto claimed to have modified the proprietary [[PROMIS]] computer software. He stated that [[Earl Brian]] made the software available to him through Wackenhut, after acquiring it from [[Peter Videnieks]], a [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] contracting official. Riconosciuto's modifications were intended to facilitate the worldwide implementation of PROMIS in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including specific adaptations for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] in [[Canada]]. This alleged modification and sale of pirated PROMIS software became a central element of the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]].[^1]
During this period, Riconosciuto claimed to have modified the proprietary [[PROMIS]] computer software. He stated that [[Earl Brian]] made the software available to him through Wackenhut, after acquiring it from [[Peter Videnieks]], a [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] contracting official. Riconosciuto's modifications were intended to facilitate the worldwide implementation of PROMIS in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including specific adaptations for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] in [[Canada]]. This alleged modification and sale of pirated PROMIS software became a central element of the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]].[^1]
However, the Special Counsel's investigation found significant inconsistencies in Riconosciuto's various accounts of his role in the alleged theft of PROMIS. He was inconsistent regarding from whom he received the software and when and where he altered it. For instance, in his affidavit, he claimed to have received a single copy of the software from Earl Brian, while at his trial, he claimed to have received three versions from [[John Philip Nichols]]. His timeline for altering the software also varied, with his affidavit stating 1983-1984, but his trial testimony indicating late 1981 to early 1983. The investigation noted that it would have been physically impossible for anyone from the DOJ to provide an enhanced version of PROMIS in late 1981, as Inslaw did not even enter into the implementation contract until March 1982, and the enhanced version was not delivered until April 1983.[^2]
@ -34,7 +32,7 @@ Riconosciuto claimed to have provided valuable intelligence to former Assistant
He also claimed participation in a [[National Security Council|NSC]]-sanctioned drug/sting operation in Lebanon through Euramae Trading Company in Nicosia, Cyprus, another alleged NSC cutout. He described a network involving [[Michael T. Hurley]] (DEA Country Attache), [[Maurice Ghanem]], and [[George Pender]], where heroin shipments were allegedly used to fund intelligence operations and were sometimes diverted for profit.[^1]
Riconosciuto claimed to have handled gold transfers, money laundering, "virtual dead drops," and altered ACH daily reconciliations for various underworld figures, including [[Robert Booth Nichols]], [[Gilbert Rodriguez]], and [[Jose Londono]] of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]]. He sought to provide this information to the [[Financial Crimes Enforcement Network|FinCen]] in exchange for witness protection.[^1]
Riconosciuto claimed to have handled gold transfers, money laundering, "virtual dead drops," and altered ACH daily reconciliations for various underworld figures, including [[Robert Booth Nichols]], [[Gilbert Rodriguez]], and [[Jose Santacruz Londono]] of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]]. He sought to provide this information to the [[Financial Crimes Enforcement Network|FinCen]] in exchange for witness protection.[^1]
Regarding the [[October Surprise]], Riconosciuto claimed that he and [[Earl Brian]] traveled to [[Iran]] in 1980 and paid $40 million to Iranian officials to delay the release of U.S. hostages until after [[Ronald Reagan]]'s presidential inauguration, linking the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] to the [[October Surprise]] affair.[^1] However, the Special Counsel's investigation found no credible evidence to support this claim, and evidence suggested Brian was in New York at the time of the alleged Iran trip.[^2]
@ -50,7 +48,6 @@ Following his arrest, Riconosciuto attempted multiple times to trade information
[[Danny Casolaro]] began interviewing Riconosciuto prior to his arrest in March 1991. Riconosciuto became a key source for Casolaro's "[[The Octopus]]" investigation, providing insights into the alleged criminal network. Riconosciuto claimed that Casolaro's death occurred shortly after he began investigating [[Michael Abbell]]'s connection to the [[Cali Drug Cartel]], a lead Riconosciuto had provided. He also stated that [[Robert Booth Nichols]] had warned Casolaro to stay away from Riconosciuto.[^1]
---
### Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^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. (Hereafter, "Bua Report")
[^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.