From 763259f18e48809d89f8c6a48c58ab37b6a2d428 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "disinfo.zone" Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2026 21:27:00 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] vault backup: 2026-10-08 21:27:00 --- 00 - META/CHANGELOG.md | 64 +-- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Augusto Giangrandi.md | 52 +++ 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Carlos Cardoen.md | 34 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Danny Casolaro.md | 19 +- .../(A-G)/E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr..md | 113 ++--- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jeffrey Epstein.md | 416 +++++++++--------- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lesley Groff.md | 63 +-- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Stephen Deckoff.md | 70 ++- 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Bobby Ray Inman.md | 304 +++++++++++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ferenc Koszorús.md | 96 ++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Frank Koszorus Jr..md | 161 +++++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lewis.md | 8 + 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Lee Hamilton.md | 2 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Saddam Hussein.md | 69 +-- 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Barbara Studley.md | 19 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Louis Petrillo.md | 86 ++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Paul L. Perito.md | 78 ++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/James D. Theberge.md | 3 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md | 33 +- .../USA/Central Intelligence Agency.md | 46 +- .../USA/Defense Intelligence Agency.md | 24 +- 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/NSA.md | 76 ++-- .../PRIVATE/Bayshore Bank of Florida.md | 93 ++++ .../Black Diamond Capital Management.md | 21 +- .../PRIVATE/Fluor Corporation.md | 15 + .../PRIVATE/GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp..md | 10 +- .../PRIVATE/Industrias Cardoen.md | 93 ++-- .../PRIVATE/St. Thomas Jet Center.md | 82 ++++ .../PRIVATE/Swissco Management Group.md | 112 +++++ .../PRIVATE/Wackenhut Corporation.md | 165 +++---- .../MAJOR_CONFLICTS/USS Liberty Incident.md | 13 +- 50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/Epstein Files.md | 7 + 60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Hungary.md | 10 +- .../2026-10-08 Promotional Material.md | 6 +- 70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Jet Center.md | 39 ++ 70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Transmittal.md | 37 ++ 36 files changed, 1937 insertions(+), 602 deletions(-) create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Augusto Giangrandi.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Bobby Ray Inman.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ferenc Koszorús.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Frank Koszorus Jr..md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Louis Petrillo.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Paul L. Perito.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Bayshore Bank of Florida.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/St. Thomas Jet Center.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Swissco Management Group.md create mode 100644 70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Jet Center.md create mode 100644 70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Transmittal.md diff --git a/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md b/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md index 63deed4d..37db7cf1 100644 --- a/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md +++ b/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md @@ -1,22 +1,46 @@ +- 2026-10-08T2113 · [[Saddam Hussein]] +- 2026-10-08T2112 · [[St. Thomas Jet Center]] +- 2026-10-08T2112 · [[Bobby Ray Inman]] +- 2026-10-08T2110 · [[Wackenhut Corporation]] +- 2026-10-08T2110 · [[USS Liberty Incident]] +- 2026-10-08T2110 · [[NSA]] +- 2026-10-08T2110 · [[Fluor Corporation]] +- 2026-10-08T2110 · [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] +- 2026-10-08T2110 · [[Central Intelligence Agency]] +- 2026-10-08T2109 · [[Lesley Groff]] +- 2026-10-08T2109 · [[Larry Visoski]] +- 2026-10-08T2109 · [[Jeffrey Epstein]] +- 2026-10-08T2109 · [[Epstein Files]] +- 2026-10-08T2109 · [[Black Diamond Capital Management]] +- 2026-10-08T2108 · [[Stephen Deckoff]] +- 2026-10-08T2107 · [[Hungary]] +- 2026-10-08T2107 · [[Gerald Lewis]] +- 2026-10-08T2107 · [[Danny Casolaro]] +- 2026-10-08T2106 · [[James D. Theberge]] +- 2026-10-08T2106 · [[Carlos Cardoen]] +- 2026-10-08T2105 · [[Industrias Cardoen]] +- 2026-10-08T2104 · [[Lee Hamilton]] +- 2026-10-08T2104 · [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]] +- 2026-10-08T2104 · [[Barbara Studley]] +- 2026-10-08T2104 · [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Bayshore Bank of Florida]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Swissco Management Group]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Augusto Giangrandi]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Louis Petrillo]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Paul L. Perito]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Ferenc Koszorús]] +- 2026-10-08T2102 · [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[International Signal and Control]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[James D. Theberge]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Barbara Studley]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Myron S. Malkin]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Isaac C. Kidd Jr.]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Ward Boston]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[James Guerin]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[USS Liberty Incident]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Six-Day War]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[BNL Scandal]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Stargate Project]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Industrias Cardoen]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[ARMSCOR]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Nicaraguan National Guard]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[NSA]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Department of Defense]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Central Intelligence Agency]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Arthur Welmas]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Ted Shackley]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[John Singlaub]] @@ -29,7 +53,6 @@ - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Robert Gates]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Michael Aquino]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Henry B. Gonzalez]] -- 2026-10-08T1935 · [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Arif Durrani]] - 2026-10-08T1935 · [[Alexander M. Haig, Jr.]] - 2026-10-08T1933 · [[Daniel O. Graham]] @@ -45,14 +68,11 @@ - 2026-10-08T1810 · [[Jamaica]] - 2026-10-08T1809 · [[Cabazon Indian Reservation]] - 2026-10-08T1809 · [[Dr. Harry Fair]] -- 2026-10-08T1808 · [[Wackenhut Corporation]] - 2026-10-08T1808 · [[Dr. John Philip Nichols]] - 2026-10-08T1807 · [[Eugene Propper]] - 2026-10-08T1806 · [[Robert Frye]] -- 2026-10-08T1805 · [[Carlos Cardoen]] - 2026-10-08T1804 · [[Earl Brian]] - 2026-10-08T1804 · [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] -- 2026-10-08T1804 · [[Danny Casolaro]] - 2026-10-08T1800 · [[Ralph E. Caudle]] - 2026-10-08T1800 · [[Frederic J. Truslow]] - 2026-10-08T1800 · [[Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation]] @@ -69,7 +89,6 @@ - 2026-10-08T1337 · [[Carla Cremer]] - 2026-10-08T1331 · [[Carter Cornick]] - 2026-10-08T1331 · [[Robert Parry]] -- 2026-10-08T1331 · [[Lee Hamilton]] - 2026-10-08T1331 · [[Spencer Oliver]] - 2026-10-08T1329 · [[Francis J. McNeil]] - 2026-10-08T1329 · [[Robert Scherrer]] @@ -79,22 +98,3 @@ - 2026-10-08T1214 · [[Jacques Bergier]] - 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Gerard Messadie]] - 2026-10-08T1213 · [[U.S. Navy]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[The Nautilus]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Sheila Ostrander]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Rand Corporation]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Psi Gap]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Pavel Naumov]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Lynn Schroeder]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Leonid Vasiliev]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Disinformation]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR]] -- 2026-10-08T1213 · [[Telepathy]] -- 2026-10-08T1209 · [[The Nautilus (Telepathy Project)]] -- 2026-10-08T1206 · [[George Lawrence]] -- 2026-10-08T1206 · [[Stanford Research Institute]] -- 2026-10-08T1206 · [[Sun Streak]] -- 2026-10-08T1205 · [[Walter Reed Army Institute of Research]] -- 2026-10-08T1205 · [[Uri Geller]] -- 2026-10-08T1205 · [[Russell Targ]] -- 2026-10-08T1205 · [[Richard S. Cesaro]] -- 2026-10-08T1205 · [[Richard DeLauer]] diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Augusto Giangrandi.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Augusto Giangrandi.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..d82f63f5 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Augusto Giangrandi.md @@ -0,0 +1,52 @@ +--- +title: Augusto Giangrandi +aliases: + - Augusto Giangrandi + - Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela + - Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi + - Augusto G. Giangrandi + - Giangrandi +category: "Business & Finance" +tags: + - Person + - Businessman + - Florida + - Chile + - ExportControls + - Zirconium + - Cardoen + - Swissco +summary: "Named in a 1994 Commerce Department order as having conspired with Carlos Cardoen to export zirconium to Chile, and recorded as president of the Florida corporations Swissco Management Group, Inc. and Swissco Leasing, Inc." +location: "Santiago, Chile" +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[Swissco Management Group]]" + role: "president (PDT) on the Florida registry record for H19133; the registry gives no dates for the office and does not state whether he is the Augusto Giangrandi named in the 1994 Commerce order" + fn: 2 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Swissco Leasing]]" + start: 1985-12 + end: 1990-10 + role: "president (PDT) on the Florida registry record for M24568, filed December 12, 1985 and voluntarily dissolved October 5, 1990" + fn: 3 +--- +[[Augusto Giangrandi]] is named in a 1994 [[Department of Commerce]] order as Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, also known as Augusto Giangrandi, of Santiago, [[Chile]]. A person of the same name is listed in the [[Florida]] registry as president of [[Swissco Management Group]], Inc. and [[Swissco Leasing]], Inc. at an address in [[Miami Lakes]]. + +### Commerce Department order, 1994 + +The [[Bureau of Export Administration]] entered an order on September 15, 1994 against Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, also known as Augusto Giangrandi. The order recites allegations that between February 14, 1983 and June 11, 1988 he conspired with [[Carlos Cardoen]] and others to export zirconium from the United States to Chile contrary to the terms of export licenses, which were issued on the basis of the conspirators' prior representations.[^1] Under a consent agreement, the order denied him export privileges for ten years, with the last five years suspended for five years beginning five years from the date of the order, provided that he met his obligations to the government and committed no violation during the suspension.[^1] + +### Florida registry records + +The Florida Division of Corporations lists Augusto Giangrandi as president (PDT) of Swissco Management Group, Inc., document H19133, filed in 1984 as Swissco Investing, Inc. and renamed [[Westfield Holdings]], Inc. in 1990, with [[Jorge Ondarza]] as VS and [[Abbey Kaplan]] as registered agent. He is president of Swissco Leasing, Inc. (document M24568, filed December 12, 1985, voluntarily dissolved October 5, 1990), with [[Anthony Mijares Jr.]] as vice president.[^2][^3] + +The registry's officer search for Giangrandi also returns Swissco Yachting, Inc. (M35237), Transcommerce Importing Corp. (M21016), Towne Centre Executive Plaza II, Inc. (G98591), Soliberts Properties, N.V. (P10779), Carissa Investment, Inc. (P94000006250, under Augusto G. Giangrandi), Swiss Grill Corporation (P01000108869) and Fla - 3L's, Inc. (P05000116971).[^4] Records found do not establish whether the Florida officer is the respondent of the 1994 order, whose address is in Santiago. + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, Also Known As Augusto Giangrandi," order entered September 15, 1994, published September 22, 1994, FR Doc. 94-23471, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1994/09/22/94-23471/action-affecting-export-privileges-augusto-giacomo-giangrandi-valenzuela-also-known-as-augusto. The conspiracy is recited as allegations in the order. Respondent's street address omitted. +[^2]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, detail by entity name, document number H19133, WESTFIELD HOLDINGS, INC., https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/SWISSCO%20MANAGEMENT/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). +[^3]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, detail by entity name, document number M24568, SWISSCO LEASING, INC., https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/SWISSCO%20LEASING/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). +[^4]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, officer or registered agent name list for "Giangrandi," https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/OfficerRegisteredAgentName/Giangrandi/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). The list shows entity names and numbers only. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Carlos Cardoen.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Carlos Cardoen.md index 6e50c44d..5c2637bd 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Carlos Cardoen.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Carlos Cardoen.md @@ -56,21 +56,29 @@ A former contractor for the CIA described Cardoen as "an all-purpose asset, desi ### Miami arrest, Swissco and the Senate report -[[Kenneth R. Timmerman]] wrote that on August 2, 1983, U.S. Customs officers arrested Cardoen in Miami over night-vision goggles bound for Chile and that the case ended in a plea bargain with a 100,000 dollar fine on his company; a declaration by Howard Teicher dates the arrest to 1983 in a Miami sting concerning night-vision goggles bound for Cuba and Libya.[^5][^6] +[[Kenneth R. Timmerman]] wrote that on August 2, 1983, U.S. Customs officers arrested Cardoen in Miami over night-vision goggles bound for Chile and that the case ended in a plea bargain with a 100,000 dollar fine on his company; a declaration by Howard Teicher dates the arrest to 1983 in a Miami sting concerning night-vision goggles bound for Cuba and Libya.[^5][^6] Teicher's corrective declaration of October 3, 1996 states that, although he understood Cardoen had been arrested, "the other information in this paragraph is incorrect."[^7] -The Senate report records that the CIA employed [[James D. Theberge]] on its Senior Review Panel from January 1986 to January 1988, and that during much of that period he was a consultant to [[Swissco Management Group]], "a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries of Chile." Theberge had been U.S. ambassador to Chile from 1982 to 1985. The report states that Theberge disclosed the Swissco work and its Cardoen parentage in the personal history statement he gave the CIA in December 1985, that [[William J. Casey]], John McMahon and James Taylor were involved in his recruitment, and that there was no evidence Gates took part. It states that "Between 1984 and 1988, Cardoen Industries was of significant intelligence interest to CIA, which believed Cardoen was the primary supplier of cluster bombs to the Iraqi government, and an important supplier of other categories of ordnance to Iraq and other Middle Eastern states."[^2] Swissco Management Group, Inc. is among the eight defendants in the 1993 indictment.[^3] +The Senate report records that the CIA employed [[James D. Theberge]] on its Senior Review Panel from January 1986 to January 1988, and that during much of that period he was a consultant to [[Swissco Management Group]], "a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries of Chile." Theberge had been U.S. ambassador to Chile from 1982 to 1985. The report states that Theberge disclosed the Swissco work and its Cardoen parentage in the personal history statement he gave the CIA in December 1985, that [[William J. Casey]], John McMahon and James Taylor were involved in his recruitment, and that there was no evidence Gates took part. It states that "Between 1984 and 1988, Cardoen Industries was of significant intelligence interest to CIA, which believed Cardoen was the primary supplier of cluster bombs to the Iraqi government, and an important supplier of other categories of ordnance to Iraq and other Middle Eastern states."[^2] Swissco Management Group, Inc. is among the eight defendants in the 1993 indictment.[^3] The Commerce Department order of September 11, 1995 states that Swissco Management Group, Inc., of Miami Lakes, was convicted on August 7, 1995 of exporting zirconium from the United States to Chile in violation of the terms of a Commerce export license.[^8] + +### Miami property and the Graham fund-raiser + +[[Justin Hibbard]] wrote in the *San Francisco Chronicle Magazine* in 2003 that Cardoen's Miami company Swissco invested Iraqi payments in Florida real estate; that the Commerce Department and the Customs Service announced a civil suit against Swissco in Miami on April 6, 1992, seeking to seize 30 million dollars in real estate; and that in August 1986 Cardoen helped organize a fund-raiser for U.S. Senator [[Bob Graham]] at the Miami home of the Swissco executive [[Anthony Mijares Jr.|Anthony Mijares]], which raised about 50,000 dollars.[^9] + +In September 2022 the Chilean investigative outlet [[CIPER Chile|CIPER]] reported that Cardoen's Miami investments grew into a real estate holding that it described, citing United States government estimates, as worth about 30 million dollars. CIPER reported that Graham and his wife sold Cardoen their house in [[Miami Lakes]] for 575,000 dollars, which is how Cardoen came to know Graham, then Florida's governor. CIPER also reported that the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] seized Cardoen's checking accounts and real estate investments, including land, office complexes and subdivisions for a housing project, in Miami and Orlando, on suspicion of money laundering, and that the investigation was later dismissed after a settlement, with part of the assets returned to him.[^10] ### Indictment, trial and extradition -The zirconium counts concern ordnance-grade zirconium sponge and compacts exported to Chile. The Eleventh Circuit wrote that Cardoen supplied the exporter with false end-use statements describing the zirconium as a booster material for industrial explosives, and that "The zirconium was used as an incendiary agent in cluster bombs that Cardoen was selling to Iraq for use in the Iran-Iraq war."[^7] The district court's order of 1994, reissued in 1995, noted Cardoen's "present fugitive status."[^3] On March 22, 1994 the court dismissed Counts II through VI against Teledyne on statute-of-limitations grounds.[^3] +The zirconium counts concern ordnance-grade zirconium sponge and compacts exported to Chile. The Eleventh Circuit wrote that Cardoen supplied the exporter with false end-use statements describing the zirconium as a booster material for industrial explosives, and that "The zirconium was used as an incendiary agent in cluster bombs that Cardoen was selling to Iraq for use in the Iran-Iraq war."[^11] The district court's order of 1994, reissued in 1995, noted Cardoen's "present fugitive status."[^3] On March 22, 1994 the court dismissed Counts II through VI against Teledyne on statute-of-limitations grounds.[^3] -Edward A. Johnson, a sales manager at Teledyne Wah Chang Albany, was convicted by a jury on four counts, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed in 1998.[^7] A State Department notice records that Teledyne Industries pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida on January 26, 1995.[^8] +Edward A. Johnson, a sales manager at Teledyne Wah Chang Albany, was convicted by a jury on four counts, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed in 1998.[^11] A State Department notice records that Teledyne Industries pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida on January 26, 1995.[^12] A witness identified as "Linda C." of the CIA Directorate of Operations, who reviewed the agency file on Cardoen covering 1984 to 1993, testified at the classified-information hearing that Cardoen "was not an agent or source of intelligence for the United States government; on the contrary, Cardoen was a target; that is, an individual of intelligence interest to the government." The court adopted that conclusion for purposes of the hearing, and wrote that the Senate report "corroborates" it.[^3] -On January 31, 1995, Teicher signed a declaration in the case stating that "the CIA authorized, approved and assisted Cardoen in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs." [[Robert Parry]] reported that the government sealed it as a state secret and that Teicher was blocked from testifying.[^6][^9] +On January 31, 1995, Teicher signed a declaration in the case stating that "the CIA authorized, approved and assisted Cardoen in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs." [[Robert Parry]] reported that the government sealed it as a state secret while attacking Teicher's credibility, and that Teicher was blocked from testifying.[^6][^13] -The United States formally requested Cardoen's extradition in March 2019. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reports that the Chilean Supreme Court rejected the request in March 2020; Emol reports that the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court unanimously rejected it on August 24, 2020, confirming a first rejection in March 2020 by the instructing minister Carlos Aranguiz, on grounds of dual criminality and prescription.[^10][^11] +The United States served a corrective declaration signed by Teicher on October 3, 1996, with a notice of filing served November 8, 1996. In it Teicher wrote that attorneys for Teledyne had prepared the January declaration and faxed it to him, that he had not reviewed his National Security Council files since 1987, and that his statements in paragraphs 15 through 18 were his best memory and belief and not "categorical statements of fact." He wrote that he is "not aware of any specific evidence that the United States government or any government official or agency took steps to help Cardoen obtain any U.S.-origin components for use in cluster bombs." The corrective declaration does not address paragraphs 1 through 14 of the January declaration; as to paragraph 17 he wrote that, although he understood Cardoen had been arrested, "the other information in this paragraph is incorrect."[^7] + +The United States formally requested Cardoen's extradition in March 2019. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reports that the Chilean Supreme Court rejected the request in March 2020; Emol reports that the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court unanimously rejected it on August 24, 2020, confirming a first rejection in March 2020 by the instructing minister Carlos Aranguiz, on grounds of dual criminality and prescription.[^14][^15] ### Footnotes @@ -80,8 +88,12 @@ The United States formally requested Cardoen's extradition in March 2019. The In [^4]: Friedman, Alan. *Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White House Illegally Armed Iraq*. Bantam, 1993, pp. 46-54, 64. [^5]: Kenneth R. Timmerman, *The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq* (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991), p. 169. Sole source for the passage so cited. [^6]: Declaration of Howard Teicher, January 31, 1995, *United States v. Cardoen*, No. 93-241-CR-HIGHSMITH, as transcribed at http://spikethenews.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-teicher-affidavit.html. Sole source for the wording (paragraph 17 for the 1983 arrest). -[^7]: *United States v. Edward A. Johnson*, No. 95-5021 (11th Cir. Apr. 28, 1998), https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/19955021.OPN.pdf. -[^8]: Department of State, Public Notice 2206, 60 Fed. Reg. 30151 (June 7, 1995), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13834.pdf. -[^9]: Robert Parry, "Iraqgate: Confession and Cover-up," *Extra!* (FAIR), 1995, as reposted at https://scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0212/S00074.htm. -[^10]: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, "Most wanted Chilean arms dealer concealed ties to companies with help from Panama's offshore industry," September 2022, https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2022/09/most-wanted-chilean-arms-dealer-concealed-ties-to-companies-with-help-from-panamas-offshore-industry/. -[^11]: "Suprema rechaza extradición Cardoen," Emol, August 24, 2020, https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2020/08/24/995884/Suprema-rechaza-extradicion-Cardoen.html. +[^7]: Declaration of Howard R. Teicher (corrective), *United States v. Carlos Cardoen et al.*, No. 93-241-CR-Highsmith (S.D. Fla.), dated October 3, 1996, with the United States' notice of filing served November 8, 1996, paragraphs 2 to 7, https://archive.org/details/utf-893cr-241-de-679. +[^8]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Swissco Management Group, Inc.; Order Denying Permission To Apply for or Use Export Licenses," dated September 11, 1995, 60 Federal Register 48964-48965 (September 21, 1995), FR Doc. 95-23363, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-09-21/pdf/95-23363.pdf. +[^9]: Justin Hibbard, "The Chilean Connection," *San Francisco Chronicle Magazine*, March 2, 2003, https://www.sfgate.com/magazine/article/THE-CHILEAN-CONNECTION-Carlos-Cardoen-arms-2667085.php. +[^10]: CIPER Chile, Alberto Arellano and Francisca Skoknic, "Los secretos de Carlos Cardoen en Panamá y la alerta por una de sus sociedades que fue vinculada a la venta de armas," September 14, 2022, https://www.ciperchile.cl/2022/09/14/los-secretos-de-carlos-cardoen-en-panama-y-la-alerta-por-una-de-sus-sociedades-que-fue-vinculada-a-la-venta-de-armas/. Sole source for the CIPER passage. +[^11]: *United States v. Edward A. Johnson*, No. 95-5021 (11th Cir. Apr. 28, 1998), https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/19955021.OPN.pdf. +[^12]: Department of State, Public Notice 2206, 60 Fed. Reg. 30151 (June 7, 1995), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13834.pdf. +[^13]: Robert Parry, "Iraqgate: Confession and Cover-up," *Extra!* (FAIR), 1995, as reposted at https://scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0212/S00074.htm. +[^14]: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, "Most wanted Chilean arms dealer concealed ties to companies with help from Panama's offshore industry," September 2022, https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2022/09/most-wanted-chilean-arms-dealer-concealed-ties-to-companies-with-help-from-panamas-offshore-industry/. +[^15]: "Suprema rechaza extradición Cardoen," Emol, August 24, 2020, https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2020/08/24/995884/Suprema-rechaza-extradicion-Cardoen.html. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Danny Casolaro.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Danny Casolaro.md index f7f4720d..82c9f247 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Danny Casolaro.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Danny Casolaro.md @@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ On August 5, 1991, Casolaro phoned retired Army CID officer Bill McCoy claiming Casolaro arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]] on August 8, 1991, to meet a source who had promised crucial information about the Octopus investigation. On the afternoon of August 9, he met Honeywell engineer William Richard Turner at the hotel, receiving documents Turner had brought. That evening, he was seen at the Heatherfields cocktail lounge with an unidentified man described by witnesses as "maybe Arab or Iranian." Later that night, he told adjacent-room tenant Mike Looney that his source had failed to appear. He purchased coffee at a convenience store around 10:00 p.m.; those were his last confirmed movements.[^1] +Casolaro asked his cousin, Dr. [[Louis Petrillo]], a New York psychologist and part-time author, to help him find an agent, and in September 1990 Petrillo arranged for him to meet a New York City literary agent.[^4] Petrillo attended the brunch in New York with a Creative Artists Agency representative and the December 17, 1990 meeting with [[Time Warner]] and [[Little, Brown and Company]] representatives.[^4] On August 7, 1991, Casolaro spoke by telephone with Petrillo. In a letter dated August 17, 1991, Petrillo wrote that Casolaro sounded "enthusiastic" and was "looking forward to meeting with a 'source,'" and that in the preceding months he had spoken frequently with his cousin and had seen no "symptoms or character traits" that could be associated with a potential for suicide.[^4] When investigators later spoke with Petrillo, he said he now believed Casolaro "could very well have committed suicide," and that he was prepared to change the conclusions of his August 17, 1991 letter. He also told investigators that Casolaro was absorbing huge amounts of information and had trouble organizing it.[^4] This Dr. Louis Petrillo is a different man from Louis F. Petrillo, the president of Bayshore Bank of Florida in Miami. + Before leaving for Martinsburg, Casolaro had warned his brother Anthony: if anything happened to him there, "it would not be an accident."[^1] ### Death and Autopsy @@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ In 2024, Martinsburg police released records under a Freedom of Information Act The [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]]'s September 1992 report noted that Casolaro had "encountered dangerous individuals associated with organized crime and the world of covert intelligence operations" and recommended further investigation into the circumstances of his death. The committee found no evidence that DOJ had sought to influence the local West Virginia investigation.[^2] -The Bua Report, completed in March 1993, concluded that the physical evidence "strongly supported" the suicide finding, that DOJ had not influenced the local investigation, and that Casolaro had possessed "ample reason to commit suicide," being unemployed, financially dependent on family, facing a balloon mortgage, and unable to sell his book.[^4] +The Bua Report, completed in March 1993, concluded that the physical evidence "strongly supported" the suicide finding, that DOJ had not influenced the local investigation, and that Casolaro had possessed "ample reason to commit suicide," being unemployed, financially dependent on family, facing a balloon mortgage, and unable to sell his book.[^5] FBI task force members assigned to examine Casolaro's death privately "questioned the conclusion of suicide" and recommended further investigation; expressing doubt about the ruling reportedly "risked one's career" within the Bureau as of December 1992. FBI documents related to Casolaro remain partially withheld from public release under national security exemptions, while the Bureau simultaneously claims the files are missing - a contradiction noted by MuckRock journalists who filed FOIA requests.[^1] @@ -75,9 +77,9 @@ Casolaro's investigation intersected with the drug-trafficking networks document ### The research files -Casolaro's research files, photographed by [[Christian Hansen]] at the Missouri State Historical Society and published on the Internet Archive, include a folder labelled "Promotional Material" of corporate and weapons literature, hand-numbered "BD|AI|PM-01" onward. Its items are a brochure for the Inter-Probe modular energy transfer catalyzer (PM-01), a printed page numbered 207 on fuel air munitions (PM-02), a [[Brunswick Corporation]] defense division cover sheet and drawing for the Rifleman's Assault Weapon for urban warfare dated October 1976 (PM-03), a sales sheet of the defense division of the Chilean firm [[Industrias Cardoen]] (PM-04) and a fax of the resumes of the associates of [[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]], whose fax counters run 141 P01 to 141 P12 (PM-05) and whose page headers carry the date June 20, 1990 and times from 16:53 to 17:01.[^5] In the order of the photographs the folder runs PM-04, PM-02, PM-03, PM-05, PM-01.[^5] The packet names [[Carter Cornick]], [[Eugene Propper]], [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.|E. Lawrence Barcella]], [[Francis J. McNeil]], [[James B. Motley]] (a vice president of [[Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation]]), [[Mayer Nudell]] and a former CIA counterterrorism chief whose entry carries no name.[^5] The files also contain a folder of 1980s newspaper and magazine material on [[Frank Terpil]] and [[Edwin Wilson]], folders of Wackenhut annual reports, correspondence, profiles and newsletters, and, in a folder of Department of Defense publications, a magazine article by David Corn on Barcella and the Pan Am 103 bombing.[^6] +Casolaro's research files, photographed by [[Christian Hansen]] at the Missouri State Historical Society and published on the Internet Archive, include a folder labelled "Promotional Material" of corporate and weapons literature, hand-numbered "BD|AI|PM-01" onward. Its items are a brochure for the Inter-Probe modular energy transfer catalyzer (PM-01), a printed page numbered 207 on fuel air munitions (PM-02), a [[Brunswick Corporation]] defense division cover sheet and drawing for the Rifleman's Assault Weapon for urban warfare dated October 1976 (PM-03), a sales sheet of the defense division of the Chilean firm [[Industrias Cardoen]] (PM-04) and a fax of the resumes of the associates of [[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]], whose fax counters run 141 P01 to 141 P12 (PM-05) and whose page headers carry the date June 20, 1990 and times from 16:53 to 17:01.[^6] In the order of the photographs the folder runs PM-04, PM-02, PM-03, PM-05, PM-01.[^6] The packet names [[Carter Cornick]], [[Eugene Propper]], [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.|E. Lawrence Barcella]], [[Francis J. McNeil]], [[James B. Motley]] (a vice president of [[Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation]]), [[Mayer Nudell]] and a former CIA counterterrorism chief whose entry carries no name.[^6] The files also contain a folder of 1980s newspaper and magazine material on [[Frank Terpil]] and [[Edwin Wilson]], folders of Wackenhut annual reports, correspondence, profiles and newsletters, and, in a folder of Department of Defense publications, a magazine article by David Corn on Barcella and the Pan Am 103 bombing.[^7] -The INSLAW folder of the research files includes a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* report of February 19, 1991 that names Industrias Cardoen and its owner [[Carlos Cardoen]]. It states that [[Ari Ben-Menashe]], in an affidavit filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia, said that Cardoen told him in January 1989 that Cardoen had brokered a deal between Earl Brian and an Iraqi military intelligence representative for the use of PROMIS, and that the sale was consummated in Santiago, Chile.[^7] Brian called the allegations "nonsense," according to the report.[^7] The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] dates the affidavit February 17, 1991.[^8] +The INSLAW folder of the research files includes a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* report of February 19, 1991 that names Industrias Cardoen and its owner [[Carlos Cardoen]]. It states that [[Ari Ben-Menashe]], in an affidavit filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia, said that Cardoen told him in January 1989 that Cardoen had brokered a deal between Earl Brian and an Iraqi military intelligence representative for the use of PROMIS, and that the sale was consummated in Santiago, Chile.[^8] Brian called the allegations "nonsense," according to the report.[^8] The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] dates the affidavit February 17, 1991.[^9] ### Bibliography @@ -88,8 +90,9 @@ The INSLAW folder of the research files includes a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* rep [^1]: Ridgeway, James, and Doug Vaughan. "The Last Days of Danny Casolaro." *Village Voice*, October 15, 1991; West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Second Autopsy Report, Dr. Frost, January 1992; Martinsburg Police Department records released under FOIA to Zachary Treitz and Christian Hansen, 2024; "FBI Cites Mystery FOIA Exemption to Withhold Danny Casolaro Death Video," *MuckRock*, February 2018. [^2]: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary. *The INSLAW Affair: Investigative Report.* House Report 102-857, 102nd Congress, 2nd Session, September 10, 1992. [^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty." -[^4]: 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. -[^5]: Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," Internet Archive items casolaro-notebooks (PromotionalMaterial.pdf) and PromotionalMaterial, https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. -[^6]: Danny Casolaro papers, folders "CIA Frank Terpil Renegades," "Wackenhut - Newsletters" and "DOD PUBLICATIONS," https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files (the Corn item is headed "SPECIAL EDITION - TERRORISM / Did It Blow Up Flight 103?"). -[^7]: *St. Louis Post-Dispatch*, February 19, 1991, "Stolen Software Scattered: Affidavits Allege Sales To Iraqis And Israelis," clipping in the INSLAW folder, https://archive.org/download/casolaro-notebooks/InslawIi_djvu.txt. Sole source for the affidavit's contents as reported there. -[^8]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (March 1993), pp. 73-74. +[^4]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (U.S. Department of Justice, March 1993), pp. 137 (August 7, 1991 call, August 17, 1991 letter, later interview), 146 (September 1990 agent meeting; "part-time author"), 148 to 149 (December 1990 New York meetings) and 154 (his account of Casolaro's state of mind). https://archive.org/details/InslawPROMISBuaReport. Sole source for the passages so cited. +[^5]: 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. +[^6]: Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," Internet Archive items casolaro-notebooks (PromotionalMaterial.pdf) and PromotionalMaterial, https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. +[^7]: Danny Casolaro papers, folders "CIA Frank Terpil Renegades," "Wackenhut - Newsletters" and "DOD PUBLICATIONS," https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files (the Corn item is headed "SPECIAL EDITION - TERRORISM / Did It Blow Up Flight 103?"). +[^8]: *St. Louis Post-Dispatch*, February 19, 1991, "Stolen Software Scattered: Affidavits Allege Sales To Iraqis And Israelis," clipping in the INSLAW folder, https://archive.org/download/casolaro-notebooks/InslawIi_djvu.txt. Sole source for the affidavit's contents as reported there. +[^9]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (March 1993), pp. 73-74. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr..md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr..md index ba696f38..c01150bb 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr..md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr..md @@ -55,17 +55,17 @@ relations: with: "[[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]]" role: "defense coordinator, Tampa money-laundering case" start: 1988 - fn: 8 + fn: 11 - type: partner_of with: "[[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]]" start: 1988 - fn: 8 + fn: 11 - type: member_of with: "[[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]]" role: "active consultant named in 1988; associate listed in the 1990 resume packet" start: 1988 end: 1990 - fn: 6 + fn: 9 - type: partner_of with: "[[Katten Muchin Zavis & Dombroff]]" start: 1991 @@ -73,19 +73,20 @@ relations: - type: employed_by with: "[[Paul Hastings]]" role: "partner, Washington office, white-collar and government contract matters" - fn: 2 + start: 1994 + fn: 31 - type: appointed with: "[[House October Surprise Task Force]]" role: "chief counsel" start: 1992 end: 1993 - fn: 13 + fn: 16 - type: reported_to with: "[[Lee Hamilton]]" role: "chief counsel to the task force chairman" start: 1992 end: 1993 - fn: 13 + fn: 16 --- E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr. (May 23, 1945 to November 4, 2010) was a [[Washington, D.C.]] lawyer and former federal prosecutor. He built the government's case against [[Edwin Wilson]], helped coordinate the defense of the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] (BCCI) after its 1988 indictment in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], and served as chief counsel of the [[House October Surprise Task Force]], the bipartisan panel co-chaired by Rep. [[Lee Hamilton]] (D-Indiana) and Rep. [[Henry Hyde]] (R-Illinois) that investigated the [[October Surprise]] allegations that the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] campaign had negotiated with [[Iran]] to delay the 1980 hostage release.[^1] @@ -105,72 +106,72 @@ Barcella also worked on the inquiries into the 1983 bombings of the American emb ### Private practice (1986 to 1991) -He left federal service in 1986 and went into private practice in Washington, initially at a firm where the lawyer for [[Barbara Studley]] also worked.[^3] His private work covered internal investigations for corporations and the defense of clients charged with securities fraud, antitrust violations, tax evasion and money laundering.[^1] A letter of April 28, 1987 to the House Iran-Contra committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]], on the letterhead of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]] in Washington and captioned "Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT," refers to a telephone conference between Ballen and [[Paul L. Perito]], and its signature block ends with the name Koszorus above the enclosure notation.[^4] The Courant reported that Barcella went into private practice in June 1986 "initially at the same firm where Koszorus, Studley's lawyer, worked," without naming the firm, and that Barcella said he did not know Koszorus before joining it.[^3] +He left federal service in 1986 and went into private practice in Washington.[^3] His private work covered internal investigations for corporations and the defense of clients charged with securities fraud, antitrust violations, tax evasion and money laundering.[^1] A letter of April 28, 1987 from [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]] to the House Iran-Contra committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]], on the letterhead of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]] in Washington and captioned "Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT," refers to a telephone conference between Ballen and [[Paul L. Perito]] and encloses a copy of the memorandum from [[Barbara Studley]]'s file regarding [[Oliver North]].[^4] The Courant reported that Barcella went into private practice in June 1986 "initially at the same firm where Koszorus, Studley's lawyer, worked," without naming the firm, and that Barcella said he did not know Koszorus before joining it.[^3] His client [[Lyn Nofziger]], a political adviser to President Reagan, was represented by Barcella from 1987 and was convicted of illegal lobbying in 1988. A federal appeals court overturned that conviction the following year.[^1][^3] From 1988 Barcella represented [[Melvyn Paisley]], a former Pentagon official who was later convicted in the wide-ranging "Ill Wind" contracting investigation.[^3] Around 1990 he represented [[Jose Blandon]], a former senior intelligence officer in Panama and political foe of [[Manuel Noriega]].[^3] -[[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]] had been formed in December 1987 by Paul Laxalt and Robert B. Washington Jr.[^5] A business column in the *Chicago Tribune* of July 23, 1991 reported that the Chicago-based [[Katten Muchin Zavis & Dombroff]] (then Katten Muchin & Zavis) had added Barcella, "a former assistant U.S. attorney in Washington and partner at Washington, Perito & Dubuc," to its Washington office.[^5] +[[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]] was announced on December 22, 1987 by [[Paul Laxalt]] and Robert B. Washington Jr., partners in the dissolving Finley, Kumble, and was organized under District of Columbia law in January 1988 by thirty-one partners of Finley Kumble's Washington office and others.[^5][^6] A Paul Perito was described in July 1991 as one of the name partners of Washington, Perito & Dubuc and head of its white-collar litigation group, moving with a half-dozen other lawyers to the Washington office of [[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]]; the bankruptcy court found that the firm ceased practice in August 1991.[^6][^7] Frank Koszorus Jr. was described in April 1989 as a partner of the firm.[^8] A business column in the *Chicago Tribune* of July 23, 1991 reported that the Chicago-based [[Katten Muchin Zavis & Dombroff]] (then Katten Muchin & Zavis) had added Barcella, "a former assistant U.S. attorney in Washington and partner at Washington, Perito & Dubuc," to its Washington office.[^5] ### Counter Terrorism Consultants (1988 to 1990) -In August 1988 [[Carter Cornick]], a retired FBI terrorism official, and [[Eugene Propper]], a former prosecutor in the Letelier case, announced [[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]], which offered governments, airlines and event sponsors counterterrorism strategies and the management of kidnappings and hijackings. Barcella, then with Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc, was to be called on for legal consultation on matters such as extradition procedures. The announcement named Robert Scherrer and Barcella as active consultants, and said that the four men had worked together on the Letelier case and on the investigation of Wilson, in which Barcella had obtained information that Wilson was shipping explosives to Libya.[^6] +In August 1988 [[Carter Cornick]], a retired FBI terrorism official, and [[Eugene Propper]], a former prosecutor in the Letelier case, announced [[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]], which offered governments, airlines and event sponsors counterterrorism strategies and the management of kidnappings and hijackings. Barcella, then with Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc, was to be called on for legal consultation on matters such as extradition procedures. The announcement named Robert Scherrer and Barcella as active consultants, and said that the four men had worked together on the Letelier case and on the investigation of Wilson, in which Barcella had obtained information that Wilson was shipping explosives to Libya.[^9] -A resume packet circulated by the firm, by then named CounterTerrorism Consultants, L.P., with a fax header of 1990, lists Barcella among its associates. The others listed were Cornick, Propper, [[Robert Scherrer]], an unnamed former senior CIA counterterrorism officer, [[Francis J. McNeil|Frank McNeil]], [[James B. Motley]] of [[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] Advanced Technologies Corporation, and [[Mayer Nudell]], a former foreign service officer.[^7] +A resume packet circulated by the firm, by then named CounterTerrorism Consultants, L.P., with a fax header of 1990, lists Barcella among its associates. The others listed were Cornick, Propper, [[Robert Scherrer]], an unnamed former senior CIA counterterrorism officer, [[Francis J. McNeil|Frank McNeil]], [[James B. Motley]] of [[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] Advanced Technologies Corporation, and [[Mayer Nudell]], a former foreign service officer.[^10] ### BCCI (1988 to 1990) -Barcella was brought onto the BCCI case shortly after the October 1988 indictment of the bank in Tampa. [[Lawrence Wechsler]], with whom he had worked at the Department of Justice, recruited him "to coordinate the bank's defense." The Senate subcommittee chaired by [[John Kerry]] listed him, with [[Raymond Banoun]] and Wechsler, among the former federal prosecutors in BCCI's Washington "cadre of professional help," which also included [[Clark Clifford]]. The report stated that "the full extent of Barcella's activities on behalf of BCCI remains unknown" and recorded the following.[^8] +Barcella was brought onto the BCCI case shortly after the October 1988 indictment of the bank in Tampa. [[Lawrence Wechsler]], with whom he had worked at the Department of Justice, recruited him "to coordinate the bank's defense." The Senate subcommittee chaired by [[John Kerry]] listed him, with [[Raymond Banoun]] and Wechsler, among the former federal prosecutors in BCCI's Washington "cadre of professional help," which also included [[Clark Clifford]]. The report stated that "the full extent of Barcella's activities on behalf of BCCI remains unknown" and recorded the following.[^11] -In 1988 Barcella tried to persuade his firm's lead partner, former senator [[Paul Laxalt]], to meet BCCI's chief executive, [[Swaleh Naqvi]], in [[London]] and to lobby for the bank on Capitol Hill. The subcommittee "has been unable to determine what, if any, services Senator Laxalt performed on behalf of BCCI."[^8] In 1989 and 1990 he joined [[John Vardaman]] of [[Williams & Connolly]] and [[Robert Altman]] in warning the journalist [[Larry Gurwin]], who was writing about BCCI and [[First American Bank|First American]] for *[[Regardie's]]* magazine, that it would be improper to link the two institutions. Barcella called Gurwin's allegations "absurd."[^8] In early 1990, after members of Congress criticized the bank's plea bargain as too lenient, he met Senator [[Dennis DeConcini]], one of the critics, "in an effort to persuade him that BCCI was not the corrupt institution that he and others had claimed."[^8] +In 1988 Barcella tried to persuade his firm's lead partner, former senator Paul Laxalt, to meet BCCI's chief executive, [[Swaleh Naqvi]], in [[London]] and to lobby for the bank on Capitol Hill. The subcommittee "has been unable to determine what, if any, services Senator Laxalt performed on behalf of BCCI."[^11] In 1989 and 1990 he joined [[John Vardaman]] of [[Williams & Connolly]] and [[Robert Altman]] in warning the journalist [[Larry Gurwin]], who was writing about BCCI and [[First American Bank|First American]] for *[[Regardie's]]* magazine, that it would be improper to link the two institutions. Barcella called Gurwin's allegations "absurd."[^11] In early 1990, after members of Congress criticized the bank's plea bargain as too lenient, he met Senator [[Dennis DeConcini]], one of the critics, "in an effort to persuade him that BCCI was not the corrupt institution that he and others had claimed."[^11] One 1992 newspaper account gave a different start date, saying that in 1990 Barcella "was hired to represent" the bank.[^3] -In mid-December 1989 Barcella and Wechsler represented BCCI in meetings with the Tampa prosecutors at which the bank offered to plead guilty to money laundering in return for an end to its exposure for offenses then known to the government. The agreement was reached in January 1990.[^9] After the United States Attorney in Tampa, [[Robert Genzman]], told Florida regulators on January 31, 1990, that his office took no position on BCCI's state license, the Senate report recorded that "BCCI's lawyers, principally former federal prosecutors Lawrence Wechsler, Lawrence Barcella, and Raymond Banoun, dissatisfied with this result, decided to talk to others in the Justice Department to bring about a different result."[^9] Two weeks later [[Charles Saphos]] of the Criminal Division agreed to write to the state regulators. His letter of February 13, 1990, asked that BCCI be permitted to operate, and the Florida comptroller, [[Gerald Lewis]], answered it the next day.[^9] Genzman's first assistant, [[Greg Kehoe]], testified that "[they] tried to go behind my back."[^9] The Senate report described Kehoe as "the Justice Department official with whom BCCI lawyers, including Barcella, negotiated the bank's plea agreement in Tampa."[^8] +In mid-December 1989 Barcella and Wechsler represented BCCI in meetings with the Tampa prosecutors at which the bank offered to plead guilty to money laundering in return for an end to its exposure for offenses then known to the government. The agreement was reached in January 1990.[^12] After the United States Attorney in Tampa, [[Robert Genzman]], told Florida regulators on January 31, 1990, that his office took no position on BCCI's state license, the Senate report recorded that "BCCI's lawyers, principally former federal prosecutors Lawrence Wechsler, Lawrence Barcella, and Raymond Banoun, dissatisfied with this result, decided to talk to others in the Justice Department to bring about a different result."[^12] Two weeks later [[Charles Saphos]] of the Criminal Division agreed to write to the state regulators. His letter of February 13, 1990, asked that BCCI be permitted to operate, and the Florida comptroller, [[Gerald Lewis]], answered it the next day.[^12] Genzman's first assistant, [[Greg Kehoe]], testified that "[they] tried to go behind my back."[^12] The Senate report described Kehoe as "the Justice Department official with whom BCCI lawyers, including Barcella, negotiated the bank's plea agreement in Tampa."[^11] ### Antigua (1989) -In April 1989 a network of Israeli arms traffickers operating out of [[Miami]] shipped 500 Israeli-made machine guns through the Caribbean island of [[Antigua and Barbuda|Antigua]] for members of the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellin cartel]]. One of the weapons was later used in the assassination of the Colombian presidential candidate [[Luis Carlos Galan]]. The principals included [[Yair Klein]], [[Pinchas Shahar]] and [[Maurice Sarfati]]. A subsequent investigation for the government of Antigua, conducted by Barcella, left many questions unanswered.[^10] The shipment grew out of a "melon farm" that Sarfati set up on Antigua in 1983, financed by a $2 million loan from the [[Overseas Private Investment Corporation]]. BCCI's Miami office wrote to the lender on June 14, 1983, that Sarfati was "one of our valued customers."[^10] +In April 1989 a network of Israeli arms traffickers operating out of [[Miami]] shipped 500 Israeli-made machine guns through the Caribbean island of [[Antigua and Barbuda|Antigua]] for members of the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellin cartel]]. One of the weapons was later used in the assassination of the Colombian presidential candidate [[Luis Carlos Galan]]. The principals included [[Yair Klein]], [[Pinchas Shahar]] and [[Maurice Sarfati]]. A subsequent investigation for the government of Antigua, conducted by Barcella, left many questions unanswered.[^13] The shipment grew out of a "melon farm" that Sarfati set up on Antigua in 1983, financed by a $2 million loan from the [[Overseas Private Investment Corporation]]. BCCI's Miami office wrote to the lender on June 14, 1983, that Sarfati was "one of our valued customers."[^13] ### Hiring by the House (1992) -House Resolution 258, adopted on February 5, 1992, created a task force of thirteen members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, appointed by the Speaker, to investigate allegations that the 1980 Reagan campaign had communicated with Iranians to delay the release of the hostages. The House agreed to the resolution by a recorded vote of 247 to 158.[^11] +House Resolution 258, adopted on February 5, 1992, created a task force of thirteen members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, appointed by the Speaker, to investigate allegations that the 1980 Reagan campaign had communicated with Iranians to delay the release of the hostages. The House agreed to the resolution by a recorded vote of 247 to 158.[^14] -The task force adopted its rules on March 11, 1992. House Resolution 258 authorized the chairman, in consultation with the ranking Republican member, to employ attorneys, investigators and consultants and allowed the task force to require its staff to enter nondisclosure agreements. Rule 9 of the rules ("Staff, Detailees, and Consultants") addressed the hiring of staff and the security procedures for classified material.[^12] The final report states that Barcella "was hired as Chief Counsel," and that his services were retained because of his experience as a federal prosecutor and as a white-collar criminal defense counsel. The staff biography in the report describes him as "presently a partner in the Washington office of Katten, Muchin, Zavis and Dombroff," states that he served in the United States Attorney's Office in Washington from 1970 to 1986, and states that since then he "has represented a variety of national and international clients in complex criminal matters and internal investigations."[^13] +The task force adopted its rules on March 11, 1992. House Resolution 258 authorized the chairman, in consultation with the ranking Republican member, to employ attorneys, investigators and consultants and allowed the task force to require its staff to enter nondisclosure agreements. Rule 9 of the rules ("Staff, Detailees, and Consultants") addressed the hiring of staff and the security procedures for classified material.[^15] The final report states that Barcella "was hired as Chief Counsel," and that his services were retained because of his experience as a federal prosecutor and as a white-collar criminal defense counsel. The staff biography in the report describes him as "presently a partner in the Washington office of Katten, Muchin, Zavis and Dombroff," states that he served in the United States Attorney's Office in Washington from 1970 to 1986, and states that since then he "has represented a variety of national and international clients in complex criminal matters and internal investigations."[^16] -Hamilton, as chairman, selected Barcella, and a May 29, 1992 press account dated the hiring to March 1992. Hamilton said in that account, "I was looking for someone that had a large amount of international experience, had done a lot of investigative-type law practice, who had worked as a prosecutor and, of course, whose reputation was very good." The same account stated that in the summer of 1985, while an assistant United States attorney, Barcella had given a legal opinion clearing a private $5 million shipment of Soviet-bloc rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers to the Nicaraguan contras. The shipment was arranged by [[John Singlaub]] and Barbara Studley, who had created [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]]. In telephone interviews that month, Barcella "refused to explain" how the opinion came about.[^3] Studley, in a deposition quoted in the same account, answered the question of who in the Justice Department approved the shipment with "Larry Barcella signed it"; her lawyer, Frank Koszorus Jr., said he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^3] +Hamilton, as chairman, selected Barcella, and a May 29, 1992 press account dated the hiring to March 1992. Hamilton said in that account, "I was looking for someone that had a large amount of international experience, had done a lot of investigative-type law practice, who had worked as a prosecutor and, of course, whose reputation was very good." The same account stated that in the summer of 1985, while an assistant United States attorney, Barcella had given a legal opinion clearing a private $5 million shipment of Soviet-bloc rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers to the Nicaraguan contras. The shipment was arranged by [[John Singlaub]] and Barbara Studley, who had created [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]]. In telephone interviews that month, Barcella "refused to explain" how the opinion came about.[^3] Studley, in a deposition quoted in the same account, answered the question of who in the Justice Department approved the shipment with "Larry Barcella signed it"; her lawyer, Frank Koszorus Jr., said he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^3] Barcella said in the same account that in preparing the opinion he contacted the Office of Munitions Control at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and the Justice Department's office of internal security, that "I was told that under the facts that had been run down to me, it didn't seem to be a violation of U.S. law," and that "I orally passed that back to the person that had made the request of me." He said he did not remember signing anything, that it was the only request for a legal opinion on an arms shipment he could recall in fifteen years as an assistant United States attorney, and that he could not remember whether he cleared it through diGenova, who said, "I never authorized any such thing."[^3] -Asked about the opinion in May 1992, Barcella said, "It was a simple situation where somebody in the government came to me," and said he did not identify the official who sought it. Asked about his past contacts with intelligence agencies, he said, "I don't see where that causes a problem," and "I'm going to do as thorough and independent and professional an investigation as I can." [[Joseph diGenova]], the United States Attorney in Washington in those years, first said, "Assistant U.S. attorneys do not issue legal opinions on arms shipments," and "Larry would never have done that." A week later diGenova said, "Larry was sought out by a lot of people in intelligence and by a lot of people in the marshals service and the FBI who knew that he was creative." diGenova said that Barcella, through his anti-terrorism work, knew [[Oliver North]]; Barcella said he had met North once and that North was not the official who sought the opinion.[^3] Hamilton said he had learned of the opinion after the newspaper's inquiries, and when asked whether he would look into it, said, "I will investigate all aspects of criticisms of staff, including Larry or anybody else."[^3] +Asked about the opinion in May 1992, Barcella said, "It was a simple situation where somebody in the government came to me," and said he did not identify the official who sought it. Asked about his past contacts with intelligence agencies, he said, "I don't see where that causes a problem," and "I'm going to do as thorough and independent and professional an investigation as I can." [[Joseph diGenova]], the United States Attorney in Washington in those years, first said, "Assistant U.S. attorneys do not issue legal opinions on arms shipments," and "Larry would never have done that." A week later diGenova said, "Larry was sought out by a lot of people in intelligence and by a lot of people in the marshals service and the FBI who knew that he was creative." diGenova said that Barcella, through his anti-terrorism work, knew Oliver North; Barcella said he had met North once and that North was not the official who sought the opinion.[^3] Hamilton said he had learned of the opinion after the newspaper's inquiries, and when asked whether he would look into it, said, "I will investigate all aspects of criticisms of staff, including Larry or anybody else."[^3] -Studley's October 30, 1985 memorandum to North, an exhibit to the deposition of [[Daniel O. Graham]], refers to a shipment that left on June 20, 1985, and ends: "General John K. Singlaub has been advised of this information."[^14] The congressional report states that a purchase Singlaub arranged for [[Adolfo Calero]] through a European dealer arrived in Central America on July 8, 1985.[^15] Graham testified on May 26, 1987 that he had arranged a meeting between Studley and [[William J. Casey]] at Langley toward the end of 1985; Singlaub testified in 1987 that he had set up that meeting.[^3][^14] +Studley's October 30, 1985 memorandum to North, an exhibit to the deposition of [[Daniel O. Graham]], refers to a shipment that left on June 20, 1985, and ends: "General John K. Singlaub has been advised of this information."[^17] The congressional report states that a purchase Singlaub arranged for [[Adolfo Calero]] through a European dealer arrived in Central America on July 8, 1985.[^18] Graham testified on May 26, 1987 that he had arranged a meeting between Studley and [[William J. Casey]] at Langley toward the end of 1985; Singlaub testified in 1987 that he had set up that meeting.[^3][^17] ### House October Surprise Task Force (1992 to 1993) -The task force's chairman was Hamilton and its ranking Republican was Hyde. The Democrats were [[Stephen Solarz]], [[Sam Gejdenson]], [[Mervyn Dymally]], [[Robert Torricelli]], [[Howard Berman]], [[Edward Feighan]] and [[Ted Weiss]]. The Republicans were [[Jim Leach]], [[Olympia Snowe]], [[Doug Bereuter]] and [[Porter Goss]].[^13] Barcella and [[Richard J. Leon]], the chief minority counsel, selected the legal staff.[^13] +The task force's chairman was Hamilton and its ranking Republican was Hyde. The Democrats were [[Stephen Solarz]], [[Sam Gejdenson]], [[Mervyn Dymally]], [[Robert Torricelli]], [[Howard Berman]], [[Edward Feighan]] and [[Ted Weiss]]. The Republicans were [[Jim Leach]], [[Olympia Snowe]], [[Doug Bereuter]] and [[Porter Goss]].[^16] Barcella and [[Richard J. Leon]], the chief minority counsel, selected the legal staff.[^16] -The majority staff included [[Michael F. Zeldin]] as deputy chief counsel, the former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer [[Sotiris Planzos]], and two lawyers from the Katten office, [[Nancy Luque]] and [[Anne Pings]]. The minority staff included Greg Kehoe, deputy chief minority counsel, who had been first assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Florida and joined the task force on June 18, 1992.[^13] The Senate report, published in December 1992, stated that Barcella "has been hired by the House Foreign Affairs Committee" and that Kehoe was "on leave from the Justice Department to assist Barcella in his investigation."[^8] +The majority staff included [[Michael F. Zeldin]] as deputy chief counsel, the former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer [[Sotiris Planzos]], and two lawyers from the Katten office, [[Nancy Luque]] and [[Anne Pings]]. The minority staff included Greg Kehoe, deputy chief minority counsel, who had been first assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Florida and joined the task force on June 18, 1992.[^16] The Senate report, published in December 1992, stated that Barcella "has been hired by the House Foreign Affairs Committee" and that Kehoe was "on leave from the Justice Department to assist Barcella in his investigation."[^11] -On October 2, 1992, the House considered House Resolution 585, which authorized the task force to file its final report with the Clerk after adjournment sine die and before noon on January 3, 1993, and limited its expenses to the amounts in House Resolution 512. Representative [[Anthony C. Beilenson]] (D-California), introducing the resolution, said its purpose was to make clear that the investigation "may continue after we adjourn, but no later than the end of this year," and that the budget would be no higher than $1.35 million. In the same debate a member speaking for the resolution said that Hamilton and Hyde had told the Rules Committee that the work would be finished "by probably the middle of November."[^16] The task force approved its report on December 10, 1992. The transmittal letter to Speaker [[Thomas S. Foley]] is dated January 3, 1993, and cites House Resolutions 258 and 585.[^13] +On October 2, 1992, the House considered House Resolution 585, which authorized the task force to file its final report with the Clerk after adjournment sine die and before noon on January 3, 1993, and limited its expenses to the amounts in House Resolution 512. Representative [[Anthony C. Beilenson]] (D-California), introducing the resolution, said its purpose was to make clear that the investigation "may continue after we adjourn, but no later than the end of this year," and that the budget would be no higher than $1.35 million. In the same debate a member speaking for the resolution said that Hamilton and Hyde had told the Rules Committee that the work would be finished "by probably the middle of November."[^19] The task force approved its report on December 10, 1992. The transmittal letter to Speaker [[Thomas S. Foley]] is dated January 3, 1993, and cites House Resolutions 258 and 585.[^16] -The report concludes that the allegations were either "wholly insufficient or no credible evidence exists to substantiate" them.[^13] Its transmittal letter says the report "was approved unanimously by the Task Force on December 10, 1992." Dymally later told [[Robert Parry]] that he knew of no such vote on that date or any other. Hamilton told Parry that he would not have claimed a unanimous vote if there had not been one. A House Foreign Affairs Committee spokesman, [[David Barnes]], wrote to Parry that "From the records we have there is no evidence of a recorded vote."[^17] The printed report states that Dymally "has declined to sign the report."[^13] +The report concludes that the allegations were either "wholly insufficient or no credible evidence exists to substantiate" them.[^16] Its transmittal letter says the report "was approved unanimously by the Task Force on December 10, 1992." Dymally later told [[Robert Parry]] that he knew of no such vote on that date or any other. Hamilton told Parry that he would not have claimed a unanimous vote if there had not been one. A House Foreign Affairs Committee spokesman, [[David Barnes]], wrote to Parry that "From the records we have there is no evidence of a recorded vote."[^20] The printed report states that Dymally "has declined to sign the report."[^16] -The report states that the task force "interviewed and/or deposed more than 230 people."[^13] The report describes the October Surprise Group as "a group of individuals who provided foreign policy and defense advice to the campaign," and lists ten members: [[Richard V. Allen]], [[Fred C. Ikle]], [[Charles M. Kupperman]], [[John R. Lehman, Jr.]], [[Thomas H. Moore]], [[Robert G. Neumann]], [[Eugene V. Rostow]], [[Laurence Silberman]], [[William R. Van Cleave]] and [[Seymour Weiss]].[^13] Parry wrote that Barcella and [[Michael Ledeen]] were personal friends, that Barcella had sold Ledeen a house and that the two shared a housekeeper, citing Peter Maas's book *Manhunt* for a 1982 night visit by Ledeen to Barcella, during the Wilson investigation, about two associates who had come under suspicion in the Wilson case, [[Ted Shackley]] and [[Erich von Marbod]].[^18] Parry wrote that the secret draft report named six informal members of the group, among them Ledeen, and that "the final report deleted the names of six informal members" of the group. The six were Ledeen, [[Richard G. Stilwell|Richard Stilwell]], [[William Middendorf]], [[Richard Perle]], General [[Louis Walt]] and Admiral [[James Holloway]].[^18] +The report states that the task force "interviewed and/or deposed more than 230 people."[^16] The report describes the October Surprise Group as "a group of individuals who provided foreign policy and defense advice to the campaign," and lists ten members: [[Richard V. Allen]], [[Fred C. Ikle]], [[Charles M. Kupperman]], [[John R. Lehman, Jr.]], [[Thomas H. Moore]], [[Robert G. Neumann]], [[Eugene V. Rostow]], [[Laurence Silberman]], [[William R. Van Cleave]] and [[Seymour Weiss]].[^16] Parry wrote that Barcella and [[Michael Ledeen]] were personal friends, that Barcella had sold Ledeen a house and that the two shared a housekeeper, citing Peter Maas's book *Manhunt* for a 1982 night visit by Ledeen to Barcella, during the Wilson investigation, about two associates who had come under suspicion in the Wilson case, [[Ted Shackley]] and [[Erich von Marbod]].[^21] Parry wrote that the secret draft report named six informal members of the group, among them Ledeen, and that "the final report deleted the names of six informal members" of the group. The six were Ledeen, [[Richard G. Stilwell|Richard Stilwell]], [[William Middendorf]], [[Richard Perle]], General [[Louis Walt]] and Admiral [[James Holloway]].[^21] -Parry reported that Barcella told him, years after the report, that so much incriminating evidence arrived in the final month of the inquiry that he asked Hamilton to extend the investigation three months, and that Hamilton declined.[^19] Barcella said Hamilton "declined to go through the necessary reauthorization of the task force and instead ordered him to proceed with the final report."[^20] In Meldon's 2008 article, with a Parry addendum, Barcella is quoted as saying that Hamilton cited the complexity of getting the task force reauthorized in a new Congress.[^21] Hamilton told Parry in 2010, as Parry reported in 2013, that he might have explained the problem of the authorization running out at the end of the session: "All I could have done is go before the next Congress and request reauthorization."[^22] Hamilton told Parry in 2010 that he had no recollection of such a proposal, and in 2011 that he had no recollection of Barcella's request.[^19][^20] Hamilton's January 24, 1993 New York Times op-ed, titled "Case Closed," stated that the task force's staff "conducted over 230 formal interviews and depositions." A 2008 article by [[Jerry Meldon]], with an addendum by Parry, quoted the op-ed as saying that the report "should put the controversy to rest once and for all." The addendum says that Barcella recommended the extension to Hamilton.[^21] +Parry reported that Barcella told him, years after the report, that so much incriminating evidence arrived in the final month of the inquiry that he asked Hamilton to extend the investigation three months, and that Hamilton declined.[^22] Barcella said Hamilton "declined to go through the necessary reauthorization of the task force and instead ordered him to proceed with the final report."[^23] In Meldon's 2008 article, with a Parry addendum, Barcella is quoted as saying that Hamilton cited the complexity of getting the task force reauthorized in a new Congress.[^24] Hamilton told Parry in 2010, as Parry reported in 2013, that he might have explained the problem of the authorization running out at the end of the session: "All I could have done is go before the next Congress and request reauthorization."[^25] Hamilton told Parry in 2010 that he had no recollection of such a proposal, and in 2011 that he had no recollection of Barcella's request.[^22][^23] Hamilton's January 24, 1993 New York Times op-ed, titled "Case Closed," stated that the task force's staff "conducted over 230 formal interviews and depositions." A 2008 article by [[Jerry Meldon]], with an addendum by Parry, quoted the op-ed as saying that the report "should put the controversy to rest once and for all." The addendum says that Barcella recommended the extension to Hamilton.[^24] -The Russian report was requested by Hamilton on October 21, 1992, and reached the task force on January 11, 1993.[^23] Parry identified it as provided by [[Sergey V. Stepashin]], chairman of the Supreme Soviet's Committee on Defense and Security Issues. As Parry described it, the report said that the 1980 hostage negotiations amounted to a competition between the Carter administration and the Reagan campaign.[^20] Hamilton presided over a press conference on January 13, 1993, dismissing the allegations.[^21] Parry wrote that Hamilton told him, "I don't recall seeing it." Barcella first said he did not recall whether he showed Hamilton the report, then wrote, "I do specifically recall discussing it with Lee."[^23] Barcella told Parry that the task force did not want to be bothered with trying to get the report declassified.[^21] -In a memo dated December 8, 1992, which Parry quotes, Barcella instructed his deputies "to put some language in, as a trap door" in case later disclosures disproved parts of it or complaints arose about selective omission of evidence. The memo language quoted by Parry states that "This report does not and could not reflect every single lead that was investigated."[^18][^24] +The Russian report was requested by Hamilton on October 21, 1992, and reached the task force on January 11, 1993.[^26] Parry identified it as provided by [[Sergey V. Stepashin]], chairman of the Supreme Soviet's Committee on Defense and Security Issues. As Parry described it, the report said that the 1980 hostage negotiations amounted to a competition between the Carter administration and the Reagan campaign.[^23] Hamilton presided over a press conference on January 13, 1993, dismissing the allegations.[^24] Parry wrote that Hamilton told him, "I don't recall seeing it." Barcella first said he did not recall whether he showed Hamilton the report, then wrote, "I do specifically recall discussing it with Lee."[^26] Barcella told Parry that the task force did not want to be bothered with trying to get the report declassified.[^24] +In a memo dated December 8, 1992, which Parry quotes, Barcella instructed his deputies "to put some language in, as a trap door" in case later disclosures disproved parts of it or complaints arose about selective omission of evidence. The memo language quoted by Parry states that "This report does not and could not reflect every single lead that was investigated."[^21][^27] -Parry wrote in 1996 that Barcella and Hamilton pressed Dymally to withdraw a dissent. According to sources who saw it, the dissent argued that "just because phones ring and planes fly doesn't mean that someone is there to answer the phone or is on the plane."[^25] In the same article Parry wrote that Barcella and his law firm had earned more than $2 million from BCCI, that the Laxalt and BCCI links were left out of the public report, and that the conflict "was handled simply by purging any reference to BCCI and Barcella's associates from the final report."[^25] In 2005 Parry wrote that Barcella told him he did not believe his work for BCCI created a conflict of interest, and that the Senate report said Barcella worked directly with Laxalt on the BCCI account.[^18] Parry also wrote that Henry Hyde denounced the allegations as a "myth" in a House special order on February 3, 1993.[^25] +Parry wrote in 1996 that Barcella and Hamilton pressed Dymally to withdraw a dissent. According to sources who saw it, the dissent argued that "just because phones ring and planes fly doesn't mean that someone is there to answer the phone or is on the plane."[^28] In the same article Parry wrote that Barcella and his law firm had earned more than $2 million from BCCI, that the Laxalt and BCCI links were left out of the public report, and that the conflict "was handled simply by purging any reference to BCCI and Barcella's associates from the final report."[^28] In 2005 Parry wrote that Barcella told him he did not believe his work for BCCI created a conflict of interest, and that the Senate report said Barcella worked directly with Laxalt on the BCCI account.[^21] Parry also wrote that Henry Hyde denounced the allegations as a "myth" in a House special order on February 3, 1993.[^28] ### Later career (1993 to 2010) -The alumni magazine of Dartmouth published a cover profile in March 1993 that listed Barcella as a partner of Katten, Muchin, Zavis & Dombroff. The profile described his private clients as including BCCI and Reagan's former press secretary, who was charged with ethics violations.[^26] Parry reported that the Clinton administration considered Barcella "at the top of the list" for under-secretary of the Treasury for law enforcement, and that others in the administration opposed the appointment.[^27] +The alumni magazine of Dartmouth published a cover profile in March 1993 that listed Barcella as a partner of Katten, Muchin, Zavis & Dombroff. The profile described his private clients as including BCCI and Reagan's former press secretary, who was charged with ethics violations.[^29] Parry reported that the Clinton administration considered Barcella "at the top of the list" for under-secretary of the Treasury for law enforcement, and that others in the administration opposed the appointment.[^30] -At his death he was a partner in the Washington office of [[Paul Hastings]], Janofsky and Walker, where he specialized in cases involving bribery, political corruption, fraud and government contract violations.[^2] +At his death he was a partner in the Washington office of Paul Hastings, Janofsky and Walker, where he specialized in cases involving bribery, political corruption, fraud and government contract violations.[^2] The supplemental statement of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker for the six months ending September 30, 1994, filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act for the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary, lists Barcella as having become a partner of the firm on July 18, 1994, with Christopher A. Barreca as a partner from July 26, 1994; the statement was sworn by Koszorus, who had signed the firm's registration papers for the embassy in March 1993.[^31] ### Dispute with Parry -In an e-mail to Parry in 2010, Barcella wrote: "You're no longer merely cherry-picking facts and misrepresenting events, but flat out lying." He wrote that he would not go "line by line" through Parry's work.[^23] +In an e-mail to Parry in 2010, Barcella wrote: "You're no longer merely cherry-picking facts and misrepresenting events, but flat out lying." He wrote that he would not go "line by line" through Parry's work.[^26] ### Death @@ -181,27 +182,31 @@ Barcella died of bladder cancer on November 4, 2010, at a hospital near his home [^1]: Hevesi, Dennis. "E. Lawrence Barcella, Prosecutor of Terrorism Cases, Dies at 65." *The New York Times*, November 17, 2010 (corrected November 23, 2010). https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/us/18barcella.html (archived: http://web.archive.org/web/20240709144843/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/us/18barcella.html) [^2]: Shapiro, T. Rees. "E. Lawrence Barcella Jr., lawyer." *The Washington Post*, November 9, 2010. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110905919.html (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/2020/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110905919.html) [^3]: Bixby, Lyn. "Head of Iran Hostage Probe Linked to Arms Deal." *Hartford Courant*, May 29, 1992; reprinted as "A Surprise in 'October Surprise' Investigation: Congress' Lead Investigator Linked to Contra-Arms Deal," *The Seattle Times*, May 29, 1992. https://www.courant.com/1992/05/29/head-of-iran-hostage-probe-linked-to-arms-deal/ and https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920529/1494391/a-surprise-in-october-surprise-investigation----congress-lead-investigator-linked-to-contra-arms-deal -[^4]: Letter from Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey to Kenneth Ballen, April 28, 1987, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234); signature block as indexed in the 1988 published volume of the report, p. 1040 ("Koszorus, Enclosure cc: Charles M. Kerr, Esq."). +[^4]: Letter from Frank Koszorus Jr., Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, to Kenneth Ballen, April 28, 1987, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234), printed p. 1040. Typed name "Frank Koszorus, Jr." beneath the handwritten signature; "Enclosure"; "cc: Charles M. Kerr, Esq." [^5]: "Kinder, gentler profession urged," business column, *Chicago Tribune*, July 23, 1991. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/07/23/kinder-gentler-profession-urged/ Firm formation: Karlyn Barker and Kathleen Day, "Robert Washington, Laxalt Team Up to Replace Failed Law Firm," *The Washington Post*, December 23, 1987. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/12/23/robert-washington-laxalt-team-up-to-replace-failed-law-firm/71c2b588-772c-47c4-acdb-68bc9bdfe123/ -[^6]: "A group of top former FBI agents and federal prosecutors," *United Press International*, August 2, 1988. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/08/02/A-group-of-top-former-FBI-agents-and-federal/9684730900658/ -[^7]: CounterTerrorism Consultants, L.P., "Proudly Presents the Resumes of its Associates," fax copy (header 1990), pp. 141 P01 to P12, in the Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. Sole source for the passages so cited. -[^8]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 17, "BCCI's Lawyers and Lobbyists." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/17law.htm -[^9]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair,* ch. 8, "BCCI and Law Enforcement: The Justice Department and the U.S. Customs Service." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/08just.htm -[^10]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair,* ch. 4, "BCCI's Criminality." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/04crime.htm -[^11]: U.S. House of Representatives, *Journal of the House*, February 5, 1992, pp. T 9.18 to T 9.19 (H. Res. 258 agreed to, 247 yeas, 158 nays). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/HJOURNAL-1992/pdf/HJOURNAL-1992-02-05-para9-18.pdf -[^12]: Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980, *Rules of the Task Force*, adopted March 11, 1992 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1992), Rule 9. https://archive.org/details/RulesOfTheOctoberSurpriseTaskForce -[^13]: U.S. House of Representatives, October Surprise Task Force, *Joint Report of the Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980*, H. Rept. 102-1102, 102nd Congress, 2nd Session, transmittal letter dated January 3, 1993 (Part I, sections "Task Force Organization and Structure" and "Staff"; Task Force Members; the October Surprise Group discussion in the chapter on Reagan campaign activities). https://archive.org/details/6199732-Joint-Report-of-the-October-Surprise-Task-Force -[^14]: Graham Exhibit 1 and deposition of Daniel O. Graham, May 26, 1987, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). -[^15]: Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, ch. 2, p. 51 (HathiTrust full view, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=txu.059173017837367&seq=75). -[^16]: U.S. House of Representatives, *Congressional Record*, October 2, 1992 (H. Res. 585, "Providing for completion of activities of Task Force to investigate certain allegations concerning holding of Americans as hostages in Iran in 1980"; text of the resolution and floor statements of Representative Beilenson and another member speaking for it). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_cr/h921002-october.htm -[^17]: Parry, Robert. "Dymally and the Unanimous Vote," *Consortium News*, June 17, 2010 (article on the task force report's cover letter). https://consortiumnews.com/2010/061710.html Sole source for the Dymally, Barnes and Hamilton statements as reported by Parry. -[^18]: Parry, Robert. "A Lawyer & National Security Cover-ups," *Consortium News*, May 4, 2005. https://consortiumnews.com/2005/050405.html Sole source for the trap door memo, the Ledeen and October Surprise Group claims, and the Laxalt account, as reported by Parry. -[^19]: Parry, Robert. "Inside the October Surprise Cover-up," *Consortium News*, July 12, 2011. https://consortiumnews.com/2011/07/12/inside-the-october-surprise-cover-up/ Sole source for the extension request and the Hamilton response as reported by Parry. -[^20]: Parry, Robert. "The October Surprise Mysteries," *Consortium News*, October 22, 2012. https://consortiumnews.com/2012/10/22/the-october-surprise-mysteries/ Sole source for the Barcella and Hamilton statements, the Stepashin identification and the January 11, 1993 transmittal as reported by Parry. -[^21]: Meldon, Jerry. "Dr. Hamilton and Mr. Hyde," *Consortium News*, March 27, 2008, with addendum from Robert Parry. https://consortiumnews.com/2008/032608c.html Sole source for the quoted phrase "should put the controversy to rest once and for all" attributed to the op-ed and for the addendum account of the extension and the declassification remark. Hamilton, Lee H., "DIALOGUE: Last Word on the October Surprise?; Case Closed," *The New York Times*, January 24, 1993, Section 4, p. 17. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/24/opinion/dialogue-last-word-on-the-october-surprise-case-closed.html -[^22]: Parry, Robert. "Second Thoughts on October Surprise," *Consortium News*, June 8, 2013. https://consortiumnews.com/2013/06/08/second-thoughts-on-october-surprise/ Sole source for the Hamilton statement as reported by Parry. -[^23]: Parry, Robert. "The Russian Report," *Consortium News*, August 5, 2010. https://consortiumnews.com/2010/080510.html Sole source for the Hamilton and Barcella statements about the Russian report and the e-mail quoted. Request date and transmittal per the Parry translation page, https://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/russianreport1980.html -[^24]: Parry, Robert. "October Surprise X-Files: The Ladies' Room Secrets," *Consortium News*, 1996. https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/xfile2.html Sole source for the memo quotation as reported by Parry. -[^25]: Parry, Robert. "October Surprise X-Files (Part 8): Lies Spun into History," *Consortium News*, 1996. https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/xfile8.html Sole source for the Dymally dissent, the BCCI and Laxalt omissions, and the Hyde special order as reported by Parry. -[^26]: "Lawrence Barcella '67," cover story, *Dartmouth Alumni Magazine*, March 1993. https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1993/3/1/lawrence-barcella-67 -[^27]: Parry, Robert. "Clinton & a BCCI Lawyer," *Consortium News* (undated archive article, 1993). https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/story3.html Sole source for the Treasury consideration as reported by Parry. +[^6]: In re Washington, Perito & Dubuc, 154 B.R. 853 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. June 2, 1993), statement of facts, paragraphs 1 to 3, 18, 19 and 21. https://static.case.law/br/154/cases/0853-01.json +[^7]: Sharon Walsh and Saundra Torry, "Washington, Perito Law Firm Losing Additional Attorneys; Name Partner Among Those Leaving," *The Washington Post*, July 20, 1991. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1991/07/20/washington-perito-law-firm-losing-additional-attorneys/0a7d8d2e-2958-4283-9860-874855bd0ca6/ +[^8]: "Frank Koszorús, Jr. Selected as U.S. Public Delegate to Paris Human Rights Conference," *Fraternity-Testvériség*, 1989 (67. évfolyam), issue of April 1, 1989, no. 2. https://library.hungaricana.hu/en/view/TestverisegFraternity_USAHUN_1989/?pg=45 +[^9]: "A group of top former FBI agents and federal prosecutors," *United Press International*, August 2, 1988. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/08/02/A-group-of-top-former-FBI-agents-and-federal/9684730900658/ +[^10]: CounterTerrorism Consultants, L.P., "Proudly Presents the Resumes of its Associates," fax copy (header 1990), pp. 141 P01 to P12, in the Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. Sole source for the passages so cited. +[^11]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 17, "BCCI's Lawyers and Lobbyists." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/17law.htm +[^12]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair,* ch. 8, "BCCI and Law Enforcement: The Justice Department and the U.S. Customs Service." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/08just.htm +[^13]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair,* ch. 4, "BCCI's Criminality." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/04crime.htm +[^14]: U.S. House of Representatives, *Journal of the House*, February 5, 1992, pp. T 9.18 to T 9.19 (H. Res. 258 agreed to, 247 yeas, 158 nays). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/HJOURNAL-1992/pdf/HJOURNAL-1992-02-05-para9-18.pdf +[^15]: Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980, *Rules of the Task Force*, adopted March 11, 1992 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1992), Rule 9. https://archive.org/details/RulesOfTheOctoberSurpriseTaskForce +[^16]: U.S. House of Representatives, October Surprise Task Force, *Joint Report of the Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980*, H. Rept. 102-1102, 102nd Congress, 2nd Session, transmittal letter dated January 3, 1993 (Part I, sections "Task Force Organization and Structure" and "Staff"; Task Force Members; the October Surprise Group discussion in the chapter on Reagan campaign activities). https://archive.org/details/6199732-Joint-Report-of-the-October-Surprise-Task-Force +[^17]: Graham Exhibit 1 and deposition of Daniel O. Graham, May 26, 1987, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). +[^18]: Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, ch. 2, p. 51 (HathiTrust full view, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=txu.059173017837367&seq=75). +[^19]: U.S. House of Representatives, *Congressional Record*, October 2, 1992 (H. Res. 585, "Providing for completion of activities of Task Force to investigate certain allegations concerning holding of Americans as hostages in Iran in 1980"; text of the resolution and floor statements of Representative Beilenson and another member speaking for it). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_cr/h921002-october.htm +[^20]: Parry, Robert. "Dymally and the Unanimous Vote," *Consortium News*, June 17, 2010 (article on the task force report's cover letter). https://consortiumnews.com/2010/061710.html Sole source for the Dymally, Barnes and Hamilton statements as reported by Parry. +[^21]: Parry, Robert. "A Lawyer & National Security Cover-ups," *Consortium News*, May 4, 2005. https://consortiumnews.com/2005/050405.html Sole source for the trap door memo, the Ledeen and October Surprise Group claims, and the Laxalt account, as reported by Parry. +[^22]: Parry, Robert. "Inside the October Surprise Cover-up," *Consortium News*, July 12, 2011. https://consortiumnews.com/2011/07/12/inside-the-october-surprise-cover-up/ Sole source for the extension request and the Hamilton response as reported by Parry. +[^23]: Parry, Robert. "The October Surprise Mysteries," *Consortium News*, October 22, 2012. https://consortiumnews.com/2012/10/22/the-october-surprise-mysteries/ Sole source for the Barcella and Hamilton statements, the Stepashin identification and the January 11, 1993 transmittal as reported by Parry. +[^24]: Meldon, Jerry. "Dr. Hamilton and Mr. Hyde," *Consortium News*, March 27, 2008, with addendum from Robert Parry. https://consortiumnews.com/2008/032608c.html Sole source for the quoted phrase "should put the controversy to rest once and for all" attributed to the op-ed and for the addendum account of the extension and the declassification remark. Hamilton, Lee H., "DIALOGUE: Last Word on the October Surprise?; Case Closed," *The New York Times*, January 24, 1993, Section 4, p. 17. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/24/opinion/dialogue-last-word-on-the-october-surprise-case-closed.html +[^25]: Parry, Robert. "Second Thoughts on October Surprise," *Consortium News*, June 8, 2013. https://consortiumnews.com/2013/06/08/second-thoughts-on-october-surprise/ Sole source for the Hamilton statement as reported by Parry. +[^26]: Parry, Robert. "The Russian Report," *Consortium News*, August 5, 2010. https://consortiumnews.com/2010/080510.html Sole source for the Hamilton and Barcella statements about the Russian report and the e-mail quoted. Request date and transmittal per the Parry translation page, https://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/russianreport1980.html +[^27]: Parry, Robert. "October Surprise X-Files: The Ladies' Room Secrets," *Consortium News*, 1996. https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/xfile2.html Sole source for the memo quotation as reported by Parry. +[^28]: Parry, Robert. "October Surprise X-Files (Part 8): Lies Spun into History," *Consortium News*, 1996. https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/xfile8.html Sole source for the Dymally dissent, the BCCI and Laxalt omissions, and the Hyde special order as reported by Parry. +[^29]: "Lawrence Barcella '67," cover story, *Dartmouth Alumni Magazine*, March 1993. https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1993/3/1/lawrence-barcella-67 +[^30]: Parry, Robert. "Clinton & a BCCI Lawyer," *Consortium News* (undated archive article, 1993). https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/story3.html Sole source for the Treasury consideration as reported by Parry. +[^31]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 4772, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Supplemental Statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994, Attachment 1 and signature page. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Supplemental-Statement-19940930-DHFIFJ02.pdf Exhibit B signed by Koszorus as "Attorney," March 1, 1993: https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Exhibit-AB-19930301-D1Y3N102.pdf diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jeffrey Epstein.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jeffrey Epstein.md index dc8433fc..b0546227 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jeffrey Epstein.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jeffrey Epstein.md @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ relations: start: 1997 end: 2007 role: "trustee" - fn: 55 + fn: 59 - type: head_of with: "[[Liquid Funding]]" role: "chairman" @@ -73,43 +73,43 @@ relations: - type: founded with: "[[Florida Science Foundation]]" role: "work-release employer during the Palm Beach sentence" - fn: 33 + fn: 37 - type: founded with: "[[Gratitude America]]" start: 2012 role: "private charity; paid Leon Botstein 37,500 dollars a quarter in 2016" - fn: 70 + fn: 74 - type: funded with: "[[Harvard University]]" start: 1998 end: 2007 role: "9,179,000 dollars in 22 gifts" - fn: 55 + fn: 59 - type: funded with: "[[World Transhumanist Association]]" start: 2010 role: "20,000 dollars" - fn: 60 + fn: 64 - type: funded with: "[[Machine Intelligence Research Institute]]" start: 2009 role: "50,000 dollars to the Singularity Institute through the C.O.U.Q. Foundation" - fn: 60 + fn: 64 - type: appointed with: "[[Darren Indyke]]" start: 2019-08-08 role: "co-executor under the will" - fn: 121 + fn: 125 - type: appointed with: "[[Richard Kahn]]" start: 2019-08-08 role: "co-executor under the will" - fn: 121 + fn: 125 - type: appointed with: "[[Boris Nikolic]]" start: 2019-08-08 role: "backup executor under the will" - fn: 121 + fn: 125 - type: investigated with: "[[Palm Beach Police Department]]" reverse: true @@ -119,74 +119,74 @@ relations: with: "[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]" reverse: true start: 2006 - fn: 33 + fn: 37 - type: investigated with: "[[Southern District of Florida]]" reverse: true start: 2006 end: 2008 role: "U.S. Attorney's Office; draft 60-count indictment, resolved by non-prosecution agreement" - fn: 33 + fn: 37 - type: prosecuted with: "[[Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office]]" reverse: true start: 2006 end: 2008 role: "state solicitation charges" - fn: 30 + fn: 34 - type: prosecuted with: "[[Southern District of New York]]" reverse: true start: 2019 end: 2019 role: "United States v. Epstein, 19 Cr. 490" - fn: 112 + fn: 116 - type: represented with: "[[Jay Lefkowitz]]" reverse: true start: 2007 end: 2008 role: "lead negotiator of the non-prosecution agreement" - fn: 33 + fn: 37 - type: represented with: "[[Kenneth Starr]]" reverse: true start: 2007 end: 2008 - fn: 33 + fn: 37 - type: represented with: "[[Gerald Lefcourt]]" reverse: true start: 2007 - fn: 38 + fn: 42 - type: represented with: "[[Jack Goldberger]]" reverse: true - fn: 31 + fn: 35 - type: represented with: "[[Martin Weinberg]]" reverse: true start: 2011 end: 2019 - fn: 86 + fn: 90 - type: represented with: "[[Reid Weingarten]]" reverse: true start: 2019 end: 2019 - fn: 113 + fn: 117 - type: represented with: "[[Marc Fernich]]" reverse: true start: 2019 end: 2019 - fn: 113 + fn: 117 - type: relative_of with: "[[Mark Epstein]]" role: "brother" - fn: 90 + fn: 94 created: 2026-06-18 -updated: 2026-10-03 +updated: 2026-10-08 --- Jeffrey Epstein (January 20, 1953 to August 10, 2019) was an American financier and convicted sex offender who, with his companion [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], ran a sex-trafficking operation that recruited and abused dozens of underage girls across his residences in [[Manhattan]], [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]], [[New Mexico]], the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and [[Paris]]. He built a social and financial network that encompassed technology billionaires ([[Peter Thiel]], [[Bill Gates]], [[Elon Musk]], [[Reid Hoffman]], [[Mark Zuckerberg]]), heads of state and politicians ([[Bill Clinton]], [[Ehud Barak]], [[Prince Andrew]], [[Donald Trump]]), diplomats and intelligence officials ([[William Burns]], [[Vitaly Churkin]]), financiers and executives ([[Leslie Wexner]], [[Leon Black]], [[Tom Pritzker]], [[Howard Lutnick]]), and prominent scientists ([[Martin Nowak]], [[Marvin Minsky]], [[George Church]], [[Stephen Hawking]]) brokered through the literary agent [[John Brockman]]. The source of his fortune was never satisfactorily explained, his long association with [[Robert Maxwell|Robert Maxwell's]] daughter raised documented intelligence questions, and his death in federal custody in 2019 was ruled a suicide over disputes that have not been resolved.[^1][^2][^3] @@ -245,171 +245,173 @@ Epstein's Boeing 727, the [[Lolita Express]], and additional aircraft were flown The 727 was registered N908JE to [[JEGE, Inc.]], of which Epstein was president, sole director and sole shareholder, from January 2001 until the registration was cancelled on October 5, 2019; Epstein was named chief executive on JEGE's Part 125 operating certificate, and Darren Indyke signed its 2013 re-registration. The Gulfstream N909JE was held by [[Hyperion Air, Inc.]], also wholly his. Other aircraft were held by [[Hyperion Air|Hyperion Air LLC]], JEGE, LLC, Plan D LLC and Air Ghislaine Inc. (renamed Shmitka Air Inc. and then [[Air Ghislaine, Inc.|Freedom Air International Inc.]] in 2010), with Visoski signing filings as manager or director of aviation; Hyperion Air LLC bought back a Sikorsky helicopter on June 13, 2019, three weeks before Epstein's arrest. The 2007 draft federal indictment identified each charged flight by the corporate owner of the aircraft, and according to NBC News a May 2007 prosecution memorandum proposed charging JEGE, Inc. and Hyperion Air, Inc. alongside Epstein; the non-prosecution agreement ended the federal case, and both companies continued to hold his aircraft until after his death.[^25][^26][^27] +On October 1, 2012, a message from Francisco D'Agostino to [[Todd Meister]] stated: "Hey! We will land at 12:15PM in St. Thomas FBO: Alliance Aviation. Tail # N3FD." Meister forwarded the message to Epstein the same day with the note "Here is the info below on landing time etc."[^28] Meister also sent it to Lesley Groff, who wrote to Epstein, copying Visoski, that Meister "called to confirm he will be going to the island tomorrow with his Venezuelan friend and that Larry is to pick them up in the helicopter upon arrival."[^29] A message of 7:38 AM on October 2 to Meister, sender redacted, stated that Visoski "is definitely aware of your arrival today and will be there with the helicopter to pick you guys up."[^30] The FAA's deregistered file lists two earlier aircraft under N3FD, a Wittman W-8 cancelled in 1994 and an Extra EA300/200 cancelled in March 2005 on export to Germany, and lists the mark as reserved since July 21, 2022; no aircraft was registered under it in October 2012.[^31] The FBO is the [[St. Thomas Jet Center]]. + A bound contact directory, the "little black book," held roughly 1,900 entries of names, telephone numbers, and addresses spanning finance, politics, royalty, science, and entertainment. A former house manager at the Palm Beach property, [[Alfredo Rodriguez]], copied the directory and offered it for sale, calling it "the Holy Grail or Golden Nugget." The complaint against him, filed December 1, 2009, bears the name of Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana]], the line prosecutor on the Epstein investigation; it records that Rodriguez offered the material through a cooperating witness to an "associate" who was an undercover FBI employee, and that he had given it to no "law enforcement agency or any of the civil attorneys." The charged obstruction ran from January 18, 2007, while the federal grand jury investigation was open, to November 3, 2009. He pleaded guilty and Judge [[Kenneth Marra]] sentenced him on June 21, 2010 to eighteen months. At Maxwell's 2021 trial a copy of the directory was admitted as Government Exhibit 52 after authentication by the earlier Palm Beach house manager [[Juan Alessi]]. Redacted versions of the directory and of the flight manifests circulated publicly and were cited in reporting and litigation to identify members of Epstein's social circle.[^17][^24] -The documentary record expanded sharply after Epstein's death. The unsealing of the Giuffre v. Maxwell record, which began on August 9, 2019 and continued in tranches through January 2024 under Judge [[Loretta Preska]], the staged Justice Department releases of 2025 and 2026, and the [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Oversight Committee]] productions added emails, calendars, depositions, and photographs to the logs and the directory. The combined record widened the list of documented contacts while leaving intact the distinction between appearing in Epstein's logs or address book and participating in his crimes.[^22][^23][^28] +The documentary record expanded sharply after Epstein's death. The unsealing of the Giuffre v. Maxwell record, which began on August 9, 2019 and continued in tranches through January 2024 under Judge [[Loretta Preska]], the staged Justice Department releases of 2025 and 2026, and the [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Oversight Committee]] productions added emails, calendars, depositions, and photographs to the logs and the directory. The combined record widened the list of documented contacts while leaving intact the distinction between appearing in Epstein's logs or address book and participating in his crimes.[^22][^23][^32] ### The Palm Beach Investigation and the State Case -The Palm Beach investigation produced a sworn probable cause affidavit on May 1, 2006 in which Detective [[Joseph Recarey]] recommended four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation, all second-degree felonies. State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] instead convened a grand jury, which on July 19, 2006 returned one count of felony solicitation of prostitution after hearing two of the girls. Police Chief [[Michael Reiter]] said in a 2009 civil deposition that Krischer had first told him "Let's go for it" because Epstein was "somebody we have to stop," and that "it was pretty clear to me that Mr. Krischer did not want to prosecute this case"; Krischer later told the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] that "there were witness problems." Reiter gave his evidence to the FBI. Krischer also told the office that [[Alan Dershowitz]], brought in by Epstein's local counsel, had threatened: "We're going to destroy your witnesses; don't go to court because we're going to destroy those girls." According to Krischer, Dershowitz so "tainted the waters" that Epstein also hired the local attorney [[Jack Goldberger]], with whom Krischer had "a working relationship"; the husband of Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]] was Goldberger's law partner.[^29][^30][^31] +The Palm Beach investigation produced a sworn probable cause affidavit on May 1, 2006 in which Detective [[Joseph Recarey]] recommended four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation, all second-degree felonies. State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] instead convened a grand jury, which on July 19, 2006 returned one count of felony solicitation of prostitution after hearing two of the girls. Police Chief [[Michael Reiter]] said in a 2009 civil deposition that Krischer had first told him "Let's go for it" because Epstein was "somebody we have to stop," and that "it was pretty clear to me that Mr. Krischer did not want to prosecute this case"; Krischer later told the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] that "there were witness problems." Reiter gave his evidence to the FBI. Krischer also told the office that [[Alan Dershowitz]], brought in by Epstein's local counsel, had threatened: "We're going to destroy your witnesses; don't go to court because we're going to destroy those girls." According to Krischer, Dershowitz so "tainted the waters" that Epstein also hired the local attorney [[Jack Goldberger]], with whom Krischer had "a working relationship"; the husband of Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]] was Goldberger's law partner.[^33][^34][^35] -On September 21, 2007, three days before the federal agreement was signed, Krischer wrote to the federal line prosecutor: "Glad we could get this worked out for reasons I won't put in writing. After this is resolved I would love to buy you a cup at Starbucks and have a conversation." Emails among Krischer, Belohlavek and a federal prosecutor from September 19 to 25, 2007 coordinated a meeting schedule with Epstein's attorneys. In December 2010, two and a half years after the state plea, an Epstein correspondent wrote to him that "krischer spoke to the governor before he left for Korea," that Krischer had lunched with a New York criminal defense lawyer, and that "we may want to think about using him with the registration stuff unless we are too invested with Kirkland. probably help us with Krischer."[^22][^32] +On September 21, 2007, three days before the federal agreement was signed, Krischer wrote to the federal line prosecutor: "Glad we could get this worked out for reasons I won't put in writing. After this is resolved I would love to buy you a cup at Starbucks and have a conversation." Emails among Krischer, Belohlavek and a federal prosecutor from September 19 to 25, 2007 coordinated a meeting schedule with Epstein's attorneys. In December 2010, two and a half years after the state plea, an Epstein correspondent wrote to him that "krischer spoke to the governor before he left for Korea," that Krischer had lunched with a New York criminal defense lawyer, and that "we may want to think about using him with the registration stuff unless we are too invested with Kirkland. probably help us with Krischer."[^22][^36] ### The 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement -The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the [[Southern District of Florida]] investigated Epstein in 2006 and 2007 and prepared a 53-page, 60-count draft federal indictment. Instead of prosecuting, the U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] negotiated the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], signed September 24, 2007, under which Epstein pleaded guilty to two Florida state charges, soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution, was sentenced to 18 months, served about 13 in the Palm Beach County stockade with work-release privileges, and registered as a sex offender. The agreement also granted federal immunity to named co-conspirators and was concealed from the victims.[^17][^22][^33] +The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the [[Southern District of Florida]] investigated Epstein in 2006 and 2007 and prepared a 53-page, 60-count draft federal indictment. Instead of prosecuting, the U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] negotiated the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], signed September 24, 2007, under which Epstein pleaded guilty to two Florida state charges, soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution, was sentenced to 18 months, served about 13 in the Palm Beach County stockade with work-release privileges, and registered as a sex offender. The agreement also granted federal immunity to named co-conspirators and was concealed from the victims.[^17][^22][^37] -The agreement's co-conspirator clause provided that "the [[United States]] also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff, or Nadia Marcinkova." On September 24, 2007 Epstein's lawyer [[Jay Lefkowitz]] asked the prosecutor to "do whatever you can to keep this from becoming public," and the office instructed the official briefing Chief Reiter not to tell him "about the money issue." Acosta met Lefkowitz for breakfast on October 12, 2007, after the signing, and Lefkowitz's follow-up letter thanked him for assuring that his office would not contact the identified victims.[^22][^34] +The agreement's co-conspirator clause provided that "the [[United States]] also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff, or Nadia Marcinkova." On September 24, 2007 Epstein's lawyer [[Jay Lefkowitz]] asked the prosecutor to "do whatever you can to keep this from becoming public," and the office instructed the official briefing Chief Reiter not to tell him "about the money issue." Acosta met Lefkowitz for breakfast on October 12, 2007, after the signing, and Lefkowitz's follow-up letter thanked him for assuring that his office would not contact the identified victims.[^22][^38] -Lefkowitz and co-counsel [[Kenneth Starr]] were partners at [[Kirkland & Ellis]], the firm where Acosta had practiced in Washington before joining the [[George W. Bush]] Justice Department. From August 2005 to January 2009 Lefkowitz was also Bush's part-time Special Envoy for Human Rights in [[North Korea]]. On July 6, 2007, eleven weeks before the signing, Dershowitz and [[Gerald Lefcourt]] wrote to First Assistant [[Jeffrey Sloman]], Criminal Division chief [[Matthew Menchel]] and the line prosecutors citing the Harvard psychologist [[Steven Pinker]]'s opinion that their narrow reading of 18 U.S.C. 2422(b) was "the sole rational reading." On his retirement from Kirkland in March 2026 Lefkowitz said that "knowing what we all know now, I would not have taken on the Epstein matter," and a firm spokesperson said: "To say the least, we deeply regret the firm's 2007 representation of Jeffrey Epstein."[^33][^35][^36][^37][^38] +Lefkowitz and co-counsel [[Kenneth Starr]] were partners at [[Kirkland & Ellis]], the firm where Acosta had practiced in Washington before joining the [[George W. Bush]] Justice Department. From August 2005 to January 2009 Lefkowitz was also Bush's part-time Special Envoy for Human Rights in [[North Korea]]. On July 6, 2007, eleven weeks before the signing, Dershowitz and [[Gerald Lefcourt]] wrote to First Assistant [[Jeffrey Sloman]], Criminal Division chief [[Matthew Menchel]] and the line prosecutors citing the Harvard psychologist [[Steven Pinker]]'s opinion that their narrow reading of 18 U.S.C. 2422(b) was "the sole rational reading." On his retirement from Kirkland in March 2026 Lefkowitz said that "knowing what we all know now, I would not have taken on the Epstein matter," and a firm spokesperson said: "To say the least, we deeply regret the firm's 2007 representation of Jeffrey Epstein."[^37][^39][^40][^41][^42] -The prosecution team kept working on the federal case after the signing. On February 14, 2008 Villafana wrote to the FBI case agents that she had not yet sent the indictment and "was just asking for input on who to include and who to exclude." On May 16, 2008 Sloman wrote to her, "We got approved," explaining: "Alex called to tell me. He said the ltr needs to be tweaked which we'll do on Monday. I wouldn't call the FBI yet." In March 2011, JPMorgan's investment bank general counsel reported to the bank's general counsel, [[Stephen Cutler]], a former Director of Enforcement at the SEC, that Lefkowitz, who "represented Epstein in state plea/fed NPA process," believed "any pre-plea conduct is subsumed within plea/NPA"; Cutler later testified that the bank "would have seen the non-pros agreement" sometime before 2011.[^39][^40][^41] +The prosecution team kept working on the federal case after the signing. On February 14, 2008 Villafana wrote to the FBI case agents that she had not yet sent the indictment and "was just asking for input on who to include and who to exclude." On May 16, 2008 Sloman wrote to her, "We got approved," explaining: "Alex called to tell me. He said the ltr needs to be tweaked which we'll do on Monday. I wouldn't call the FBI yet." In March 2011, JPMorgan's investment bank general counsel reported to the bank's general counsel, [[Stephen Cutler]], a former Director of Enforcement at the SEC, that Lefkowitz, who "represented Epstein in state plea/fed NPA process," believed "any pre-plea conduct is subsumed within plea/NPA"; Cutler later testified that the bank "would have seen the non-pros agreement" sometime before 2011.[^43][^44][^45] -A 51-page "Epstein Investigation Timeline," marked privileged and as containing grand jury material and stamped Exhibit A-1, records the negotiation from the prosecutors' side. Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter had written to Krischer in May 2006 urging him to proceed on the probable cause affidavits or to recuse himself. In September 2007 Acosta, [[Drew Oosterbaan]], Sloman, Villafana and John McMillan met Starr, Lefkowitz and [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]]; on September 20 an internal email reported that Lefkowitz wanted to remove the registration requirement, and on September 23 Acosta told Lefkowitz to deal directly with Lourie and Villafana. On November 29, 2007 a forwarded exchange between Sloman and [[Andrew Lourie]] recorded that the defense "originally agreed to plead to the state felony that they thought was unregisterable (but did not tell us knowing we thought it was), but then discovered they were wrong and tried to get out of it. They tried several times to knock down the jail time after agreeing to the time." According to the chronology, in a telephone call in early January 2008 Lefkowitz admitted to Acosta that he had never intended Epstein to plead guilty to an offense requiring sex offender registration. After the Criminal Division rejected Epstein's appeal in May 2008, Villafana asked to indict, and Sloman and Acosta advised that Epstein would be given the chance to perform. On June 9, 2009, with Epstein on work release, she sent a memorandum titled "Request to Provide Notification of Breach," an indictment package was signed again for presentation on June 16, and on June 12 she wrote to Jack Goldberger about a violation of the agreement. The chronology ends with the formal office-wide recusal of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]] in July and August 2011.[^42] +A 51-page "Epstein Investigation Timeline," marked privileged and as containing grand jury material and stamped Exhibit A-1, records the negotiation from the prosecutors' side. Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter had written to Krischer in May 2006 urging him to proceed on the probable cause affidavits or to recuse himself. In September 2007 Acosta, [[Drew Oosterbaan]], Sloman, Villafana and John McMillan met Starr, Lefkowitz and [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]]; on September 20 an internal email reported that Lefkowitz wanted to remove the registration requirement, and on September 23 Acosta told Lefkowitz to deal directly with Lourie and Villafana. On November 29, 2007 a forwarded exchange between Sloman and [[Andrew Lourie]] recorded that the defense "originally agreed to plead to the state felony that they thought was unregisterable (but did not tell us knowing we thought it was), but then discovered they were wrong and tried to get out of it. They tried several times to knock down the jail time after agreeing to the time." According to the chronology, in a telephone call in early January 2008 Lefkowitz admitted to Acosta that he had never intended Epstein to plead guilty to an offense requiring sex offender registration. After the Criminal Division rejected Epstein's appeal in May 2008, Villafana asked to indict, and Sloman and Acosta advised that Epstein would be given the chance to perform. On June 9, 2009, with Epstein on work release, she sent a memorandum titled "Request to Provide Notification of Breach," an indictment package was signed again for presentation on June 16, and on June 12 she wrote to Jack Goldberger about a violation of the agreement. The chronology ends with the formal office-wide recusal of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]] in July and August 2011.[^46] -Epstein served his sentence in the custody of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] under Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], who approved him for work release. From October 2008 he spent "12 hours a day purportedly working at the '[[Florida Science Foundation]],' an entity Epstein had recently incorporated that was co-located at the West Palm Beach office of one of Epstein's attorneys." The foundation paid the sheriff's office 128,136 dollars during his incarceration, money reported to have paid off-duty deputies assigned to him while he was there; later reporting on sheriff's records described him leaving the jail up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. In August 2019, after a letter from Bradshaw, Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] ordered the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] to investigate; its May 2021 reports found no evidence that Krischer or Belohlavek "committed any crimes, accepted any bribes or gifts, or did anything improper," and found that Epstein "received differential treatment" in sheriff's custody that was not criminal.[^33][^43][^44] +Epstein served his sentence in the custody of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] under Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], who approved him for work release. From October 2008 he spent "12 hours a day purportedly working at the '[[Florida Science Foundation]],' an entity Epstein had recently incorporated that was co-located at the West Palm Beach office of one of Epstein's attorneys." The foundation paid the sheriff's office 128,136 dollars during his incarceration, money reported to have paid off-duty deputies assigned to him while he was there; later reporting on sheriff's records described him leaving the jail up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. In August 2019, after a letter from Bradshaw, Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] ordered the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] to investigate; its May 2021 reports found no evidence that Krischer or Belohlavek "committed any crimes, accepted any bribes or gifts, or did anything improper," and found that Epstein "received differential treatment" in sheriff's custody that was not criminal.[^37][^47][^48] -Federal prosecutors had researched the sheriff's work-release rules from November 2007, seven months before the plea, and in July 2008 Villafana corresponded with "Col. M. Gauger" of the sheriff's office "re Epstein work release." On November 20, 2008, after learning that Epstein was on work release, she asked to indict him, and her criminal chief replied that Sloman agreed with the approach and next steps. On December 3, 2008 she wrote to her supervisors that "Goldberger and Krisher [sic] . . . have been scheming to get Epstein out on work release" and that Epstein was paying off-duty deputies "between $3000 and $4100 per week" for "protection"; on December 11 she wrote to the sheriff's Corrections Division that his application gave, as the Florida Science Foundation's telephone number, the number of Goldberger's law firm, and "the Sheriff's Office neither acknowledged nor responded." The sheriff's Extra Duty Permits System carried the detail as Permit No. 7804, "FL Science Foundation - Plain Clothed Position," and deputies' July 2009 overtime reports describe the assignment as "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein," with midday escorts from the office to 358 El Brillo Way and back.[^42][^45][^46] +Federal prosecutors had researched the sheriff's work-release rules from November 2007, seven months before the plea, and in July 2008 Villafana corresponded with "Col. M. Gauger" of the sheriff's office "re Epstein work release." On November 20, 2008, after learning that Epstein was on work release, she asked to indict him, and her criminal chief replied that Sloman agreed with the approach and next steps. On December 3, 2008 she wrote to her supervisors that "Goldberger and Krisher [sic] . . . have been scheming to get Epstein out on work release" and that Epstein was paying off-duty deputies "between $3000 and $4100 per week" for "protection"; on December 11 she wrote to the sheriff's Corrections Division that his application gave, as the Florida Science Foundation's telephone number, the number of Goldberger's law firm, and "the Sheriff's Office neither acknowledged nor responded." The sheriff's Extra Duty Permits System carried the detail as Permit No. 7804, "FL Science Foundation - Plain Clothed Position," and deputies' July 2009 overtime reports describe the assignment as "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein," with midday escorts from the office to 358 El Brillo Way and back.[^46][^49][^50] -The civil settlements that followed were written into the criminal agreement. Epstein's November 2009 settlement with Virginia Roberts, later Virginia Giuffre, suing as Jane Doe No. 102 before Judge Marra, paid her 500,000 dollars, released Epstein's agents and employees and "any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant," and recited that it "is pursuant to and is in fulfillment of Jeffrey Epstein's obligations to Virginia Roberts" under "the Non-Prosecution Agreement, its Addendum, and its Affirmation." Epstein agreed "to continue to abide by Judge Marra's July 31, 2009 No Contact Order."[^47] +The civil settlements that followed were written into the criminal agreement. Epstein's November 2009 settlement with Virginia Roberts, later Virginia Giuffre, suing as Jane Doe No. 102 before Judge Marra, paid her 500,000 dollars, released Epstein's agents and employees and "any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant," and recited that it "is pursuant to and is in fulfillment of Jeffrey Epstein's obligations to Virginia Roberts" under "the Non-Prosecution Agreement, its Addendum, and its Affirmation." Epstein agreed "to continue to abide by Judge Marra's July 31, 2009 No Contact Order."[^51] ### The Agreement in Court and in Review -The deal's leniency became the subject of the [[Miami Herald]] series "Perversion of Justice" by the reporter [[Julie K. Brown]] in 2018, which revived the case. In February 2019 Judge Marra ruled that prosecutors had violated the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] by hiding the agreement from victims. The Justice Department then recused the Southern District of Florida from the litigation and assigned the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia to defend it. On April 15, 2021 the en banc [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] denied Courtney Wild's mandamus petition, holding that the Act gives victims no freestanding pre-charge remedy while declining to decide whether the rights attach before charges; the Supreme Court denied certiorari on February 22, 2022.[^22][^48][^49] +The deal's leniency became the subject of the [[Miami Herald]] series "Perversion of Justice" by the reporter [[Julie K. Brown]] in 2018, which revived the case. In February 2019 Judge Marra ruled that prosecutors had violated the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] by hiding the agreement from victims. The Justice Department then recused the Southern District of Florida from the litigation and assigned the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia to defend it. On April 15, 2021 the en banc [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] denied Courtney Wild's mandamus petition, holding that the Act gives victims no freestanding pre-charge remedy while declining to decide whether the rights attach before charges; the Supreme Court denied certiorari on February 22, 2022.[^22][^52][^53] -The Office of Professional Responsibility had declined in May 2011 to investigate a claim by Professor [[Paul Cassell]] that "improper influences" produced the agreement, citing its policy of not investigating matters that "could have been addressed in the course of litigation, unless a court has made a specific finding of misconduct." It opened a review on February 6, 2019 after a December 3, 2018 letter from Senator [[Ben Sasse]]. Acosta, who had become U.S. Secretary of Labor under Donald Trump, resigned in July 2019. The office's November 2020 report found that Acosta had not committed professional misconduct and "did not find evidence that his decision was based on corruption or other impermissible considerations, such as Epstein's wealth, status, or associations," but concluded that resolving the case through the agreement "constitutes poor judgment," that "the NPA was a flawed mechanism," and that the government's conduct "gave victims and the public the misimpression that the government had colluded with Epstein's counsel to keep the NPA secret from the victims." It found that the supervisors other than Acosta had "left the USAO, were transitioning to other jobs, or were absent at critical junctures."[^33][^50] +The Office of Professional Responsibility had declined in May 2011 to investigate a claim by Professor [[Paul Cassell]] that "improper influences" produced the agreement, citing its policy of not investigating matters that "could have been addressed in the course of litigation, unless a court has made a specific finding of misconduct." It opened a review on February 6, 2019 after a December 3, 2018 letter from Senator [[Ben Sasse]]. Acosta, who had become U.S. Secretary of Labor under Donald Trump, resigned in July 2019. The office's November 2020 report found that Acosta had not committed professional misconduct and "did not find evidence that his decision was based on corruption or other impermissible considerations, such as Epstein's wealth, status, or associations," but concluded that resolving the case through the agreement "constitutes poor judgment," that "the NPA was a flawed mechanism," and that the government's conduct "gave victims and the public the misimpression that the government had colluded with Epstein's counsel to keep the NPA secret from the victims." It found that the supervisors other than Acosta had "left the USAO, were transitioning to other jobs, or were absent at critical junctures."[^37][^54] -Before the report was final, the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the [[Southern District of New York]] reviewed the draft and on August 21, 2020 asked for two wording changes, which the Office of Professional Responsibility accepted: "at least one victim known to be a minor" became "at least one victim believed to be a minor," described as "more accurately reflect[ing] our position in the bail arguments regarding Epstein," and a statement that investigators "were aware" Epstein used hidden cameras in his New York residence to record his sexual encounters became that they "had learned" it.[^51] +Before the report was final, the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the [[Southern District of New York]] reviewed the draft and on August 21, 2020 asked for two wording changes, which the Office of Professional Responsibility accepted: "at least one victim known to be a minor" became "at least one victim believed to be a minor," described as "more accurately reflect[ing] our position in the bail arguments regarding Epstein," and a statement that investigators "were aware" Epstein used hidden cameras in his New York residence to record his sexual encounters became that they "had learned" it.[^55] -Menchel had left the office in August 2007, weeks before the signing, for [[Kobre & Kim]]; according to reporting on the full report, he had offered the 2007 plea terms to an Epstein lawyer he had formerly dated. Epstein estate records released by the House Oversight Committee in October 2025 show appointments, calls, and dinners between Menchel and Epstein in 2011, 2013, and 2017. Menchel has said he had no business relationship with Epstein "at any point, not before, during or after my tenure," and has denied skiing with him.[^33][^52] +Menchel had left the office in August 2007, weeks before the signing, for [[Kobre & Kim]]; according to reporting on the full report, he had offered the 2007 plea terms to an Epstein lawyer he had formerly dated. Epstein estate records released by the House Oversight Committee in October 2025 show appointments, calls, and dinners between Menchel and Epstein in 2011, 2013, and 2017. Menchel has said he had no business relationship with Epstein "at any point, not before, during or after my tenure," and has denied skiing with him.[^37][^56] -When Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the co-conspirator clause, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|Second Circuit]] held in 2024 that under United States v. Annabi it bound only the Southern District of Florida, noting that the circuits "have been split on this issue for decades" and that the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division had told the Office of Professional Responsibility she "played no role" in the agreement; the Supreme Court denied certiorari on October 6, 2025. None of the four named women has been charged by any district. Among the files released in 2026 is a May 6, 2020 email in which a [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] prosecutor listed the office's internal memoranda, including a co-conspirator memo delivered in the week after Epstein's death, an 86-page "co-conspirator update memo" and a 13-page "corporate prosecution memo" described as "never discussed." Groff's lawyer said she was never told she was considered a co-conspirator.[^13][^34][^53][^54] +When Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the co-conspirator clause, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|Second Circuit]] held in 2024 that under United States v. Annabi it bound only the Southern District of Florida, noting that the circuits "have been split on this issue for decades" and that the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division had told the Office of Professional Responsibility she "played no role" in the agreement; the Supreme Court denied certiorari on October 6, 2025. None of the four named women has been charged by any district. Among the files released in 2026 is a May 6, 2020 email in which a [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] prosecutor listed the office's internal memoranda, including a co-conspirator memo delivered in the week after Epstein's death, an 86-page "co-conspirator update memo" and a 13-page "corporate prosecution memo" described as "never discussed." Groff's lawyer said she was never told she was considered a co-conspirator.[^13][^38][^57][^58] ### The Science Network and the Eugenics Ambition -From the late 1990s Epstein financed and embedded himself in elite science through the literary agent John Brockman and his [[Edge Foundation]], whose annual "billionaires' dinner" Epstein attended and helped underwrite, and through targeted university gifts. He gave [[Harvard University]] 9,179,000 dollars between 1998 and 2007, of which 8,443,000 dollars came in 22 gifts before his 2006 arrest and 736,000 dollars came between the arrest and the 2008 conviction. The largest, 6.5 million dollars in 2003, established the [[Program for Evolutionary Dynamics]] under Martin Nowak, who gave Epstein an office and, according to Harvard's May 2020 internal review, key-card access and more than 40 visits after his 2008 conviction. The program's own original web text stated that it "was established in 2003 by Harvard University President [[Larry Summers|Lawrence H. Summers]] following an imaginative proposal by Jeffrey Epstein and [[Benedict Gross]]." Contemporary press reports described the gift as part of a 30 million dollar pledge; Harvard's review "found no Harvard record of such a pledge," and Epstein's own foundation website continued in 2020 to claim a 35 million dollar gift. Epstein had been admitted in September 2005 as a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Psychology on the recommendation of its chair, [[Stephen Kosslyn]], who had received 200,000 dollars from Epstein between 1998 and 2002 and did not disclose it.[^55][^56] +From the late 1990s Epstein financed and embedded himself in elite science through the literary agent John Brockman and his [[Edge Foundation]], whose annual "billionaires' dinner" Epstein attended and helped underwrite, and through targeted university gifts. He gave [[Harvard University]] 9,179,000 dollars between 1998 and 2007, of which 8,443,000 dollars came in 22 gifts before his 2006 arrest and 736,000 dollars came between the arrest and the 2008 conviction. The largest, 6.5 million dollars in 2003, established the [[Program for Evolutionary Dynamics]] under Martin Nowak, who gave Epstein an office and, according to Harvard's May 2020 internal review, key-card access and more than 40 visits after his 2008 conviction. The program's own original web text stated that it "was established in 2003 by Harvard University President [[Larry Summers|Lawrence H. Summers]] following an imaginative proposal by Jeffrey Epstein and [[Benedict Gross]]." Contemporary press reports described the gift as part of a 30 million dollar pledge; Harvard's review "found no Harvard record of such a pledge," and Epstein's own foundation website continued in 2020 to claim a 35 million dollar gift. Epstein had been admitted in September 2005 as a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Psychology on the recommendation of its chair, [[Stephen Kosslyn]], who had received 200,000 dollars from Epstein between 1998 and 2002 and did not disclose it.[^59][^60] -Epstein cultivated scientists including Marvin Minsky of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], the geneticist George Church, the physicist [[Lawrence Krauss]], and the cognitive scientist Steven Pinker. He funded Minsky's April 2002 St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium and a December 2011 conference, and in March 2006, four months before his indictment, the "Confronting Gravity" conference in St. Thomas organized by Krauss, with about twenty physicists including Stephen Hawking and three Nobel laureates, and a barbecue on Little St. James.[^18][^57][^58] +Epstein cultivated scientists including Marvin Minsky of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], the geneticist George Church, the physicist [[Lawrence Krauss]], and the cognitive scientist Steven Pinker. He funded Minsky's April 2002 St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium and a December 2011 conference, and in March 2006, four months before his indictment, the "Confronting Gravity" conference in St. Thomas organized by Krauss, with about twenty physicists including Stephen Hawking and three Nobel laureates, and a barbecue on Little St. James.[^18][^61][^62] -After President [[Drew Faust]] barred further Epstein gifts no later than November 2008, donors Epstein introduced gave Harvard 9.5 million dollars between 2010 and 2015: 7.5 million dollars for Nowak's program (500,000 dollars from the [[Falconwood Foundation]] in 2010, and 7 million dollars from Leon Black, [[Debra Black]] and the [[Black Family Foundation]] in 2011, 2014 and 2015) and 2 million dollars from Black for Church. Epstein's accountant arranged gift letters permitting Nowak to spend the Black money on rent, and Harvard development staff thanked Epstein in December 2014 "for trying to expedite this gift." Epstein had been a trustee of the Black Family Foundation from 1997 until, according to Black's representative, July 2007; Black's representative told Harvard that "none of the funds were provided by Mr. Epstein." On October 16, 2015, an itinerary sent to Epstein for a Cambridge visit listed a 2 p.m. meeting at Nowak's institute with the Harvard mathematician [[Shing-Tung Yau]]; on October 20, 2015, the physicist [[Andrew Strominger]] wrote to Epstein that a Black Hole Center with [[Avi Loeb]] "needs a 50 million endowment," and on February 17, 2016, Yau asked Epstein's assistant whether Epstein's friends would fund a black hole center, which "will take twenty million dollars."[^59] Black also gave 2 million dollars to Krauss's Origins Project at [[Arizona State University]] in 2014 and 2015, where one accounting entry listed Epstein's employer as "Leon D. Black, [[Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation|Enhanced Education]]," and, by the account of internal [[MIT Media Lab]] emails, 5.5 million dollars to the Media Lab in 2014 at Epstein's direction.[^55][^60][^61][^62] +After President [[Drew Faust]] barred further Epstein gifts no later than November 2008, donors Epstein introduced gave Harvard 9.5 million dollars between 2010 and 2015: 7.5 million dollars for Nowak's program (500,000 dollars from the [[Falconwood Foundation]] in 2010, and 7 million dollars from Leon Black, [[Debra Black]] and the [[Black Family Foundation]] in 2011, 2014 and 2015) and 2 million dollars from Black for Church. Epstein's accountant arranged gift letters permitting Nowak to spend the Black money on rent, and Harvard development staff thanked Epstein in December 2014 "for trying to expedite this gift." Epstein had been a trustee of the Black Family Foundation from 1997 until, according to Black's representative, July 2007; Black's representative told Harvard that "none of the funds were provided by Mr. Epstein." On October 16, 2015, an itinerary sent to Epstein for a Cambridge visit listed a 2 p.m. meeting at Nowak's institute with the Harvard mathematician [[Shing-Tung Yau]]; on October 20, 2015, the physicist [[Andrew Strominger]] wrote to Epstein that a Black Hole Center with [[Avi Loeb]] "needs a 50 million endowment," and on February 17, 2016, Yau asked Epstein's assistant whether Epstein's friends would fund a black hole center, which "will take twenty million dollars."[^63] Black also gave 2 million dollars to Krauss's Origins Project at [[Arizona State University]] in 2014 and 2015, where one accounting entry listed Epstein's employer as "Leon D. Black, [[Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation|Enhanced Education]]," and, by the account of internal [[MIT Media Lab]] emails, 5.5 million dollars to the Media Lab in 2014 at Epstein's direction.[^59][^64][^65][^66] -Epstein's interest in genetics and population converged with a stated ambition to spread his own DNA. The 2019 New York Times report documented that he told scientists of plans to impregnate women at Zorro Ranch to seed the human race with his genome, and that he was drawn to [[transhumanism]] and [[eugenics]]. In 2010, after his conviction, Epstein gave 20,000 dollars to the [[World Transhumanist Association]] (Humanity+), and in 2009 his C.O.U.Q. Foundation gave 50,000 dollars to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, now the [[Machine Intelligence Research Institute]]. In 2014 he and Church formed an investment company, Georgarage, incorporated in Delaware by Darren Indyke, after Church sent Epstein a ten-stage, 10 million dollar investment plan that included "Supercentenarianstudy.com," reversing aging and "cold-resistant elephants." Epstein discussed Georgarage stakes in the xenotransplant company eGenesis, the gene-editing company Androcyte (where, its founder said, Epstein proposed becoming board chairman), and a California sequencing firm; no investment was completed. Androcyte's assets passed in 2017 to BetterHumans, which describes itself as "the world's first specifically-transhumanist bio-medical research organization." In 2013 Epstein's cells were sampled into Church's Personal Genome Project and cell lines were created, over staff objections to an attempt to expedite his sample. After his 2019 arrest, Church apologized for continued contact.[^18][^60][^63][^64] +Epstein's interest in genetics and population converged with a stated ambition to spread his own DNA. The 2019 New York Times report documented that he told scientists of plans to impregnate women at Zorro Ranch to seed the human race with his genome, and that he was drawn to [[transhumanism]] and [[eugenics]]. In 2010, after his conviction, Epstein gave 20,000 dollars to the [[World Transhumanist Association]] (Humanity+), and in 2009 his C.O.U.Q. Foundation gave 50,000 dollars to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, now the [[Machine Intelligence Research Institute]]. In 2014 he and Church formed an investment company, Georgarage, incorporated in Delaware by Darren Indyke, after Church sent Epstein a ten-stage, 10 million dollar investment plan that included "Supercentenarianstudy.com," reversing aging and "cold-resistant elephants." Epstein discussed Georgarage stakes in the xenotransplant company eGenesis, the gene-editing company Androcyte (where, its founder said, Epstein proposed becoming board chairman), and a California sequencing firm; no investment was completed. Androcyte's assets passed in 2017 to BetterHumans, which describes itself as "the world's first specifically-transhumanist bio-medical research organization." In 2013 Epstein's cells were sampled into Church's Personal Genome Project and cell lines were created, over staff objections to an attempt to expedite his sample. After his 2019 arrest, Church apologized for continued contact.[^18][^64][^67][^68] -Epstein's publicists worked to attach his name to the institutions he funded. In mid-2013 his publicist asked Nowak's program for links because "a link on Harvard's network would be very helpful," and in 2014 obtained a "Friends" page on the program's website on which Epstein was the only entry, because "it would be very helpful in terms of Google results if his name were attached to a Harvard.edu url." In a 2012 email a person whose name is redacted in the Justice Department release told Epstein that press releases about Nowak's work had been placed with major outlets, with more planned on Church and others, in an effort to push "the bad stuff" off the first page of search results; Epstein replied that "ther[e] should be an article a day or every two days." In 2015 an Epstein foundation letter falsely told the [[John Templeton Foundation]] that Enhanced Education had funded Nowak's program since 2003, securing matching conditions for a 1.5 million dollar grant; Harvard's review found that Nowak and his administrator "provided false information."[^55][^63] +Epstein's publicists worked to attach his name to the institutions he funded. In mid-2013 his publicist asked Nowak's program for links because "a link on Harvard's network would be very helpful," and in 2014 obtained a "Friends" page on the program's website on which Epstein was the only entry, because "it would be very helpful in terms of Google results if his name were attached to a Harvard.edu url." In a 2012 email a person whose name is redacted in the Justice Department release told Epstein that press releases about Nowak's work had been placed with major outlets, with more planned on Church and others, in an effort to push "the bad stuff" off the first page of search results; Epstein replied that "ther[e] should be an article a day or every two days." In 2015 an Epstein foundation letter falsely told the [[John Templeton Foundation]] that Enhanced Education had funded Nowak's program since 2003, securing matching conditions for a 1.5 million dollar grant; Harvard's review found that Nowak and his administrator "provided false information."[^59][^67] -The MIT Media Lab director [[Joi Ito]] resigned on September 7, 2019 over revelations, reported by [[Ronan Farrow]], that the lab had concealed Epstein's donations. Farrow reported, citing internal documents and the former development associate [[Signe Swenson]], that Epstein was listed as "disqualified" in MIT's donor database and that the Media Lab recorded his gifts as anonymous. MIT's investigators at [[Goodwin Procter]] wrote that "neither Epstein nor his foundations was ever coded as 'disqualified,'" a code it said denotes dormant donors, while confirming that MIT's senior team (General Counsel R. Gregory Morgan, Vice President Jeffrey Newton and Treasurer Israel Ruiz) approved the anonymous-gift framework in June 2013: "We do not want his name appearing on any list of supporters or donors in any form."[^61][^65] +The MIT Media Lab director [[Joi Ito]] resigned on September 7, 2019 over revelations, reported by [[Ronan Farrow]], that the lab had concealed Epstein's donations. Farrow reported, citing internal documents and the former development associate [[Signe Swenson]], that Epstein was listed as "disqualified" in MIT's donor database and that the Media Lab recorded his gifts as anonymous. MIT's investigators at [[Goodwin Procter]] wrote that "neither Epstein nor his foundations was ever coded as 'disqualified,'" a code it said denotes dormant donors, while confirming that MIT's senior team (General Counsel R. Gregory Morgan, Vice President Jeffrey Newton and Treasurer Israel Ruiz) approved the anonymous-gift framework in June 2013: "We do not want his name appearing on any list of supporters or donors in any form."[^65][^69] ### The Post-Conviction Network -After the 2008 plea Epstein rebuilt his social and business standing and continued to broker access among the wealthy and powerful. On December 2, 2010, seventeen months after his release, he hosted a small dinner for Prince Andrew, who was staying at the Manhattan house; the publicist [[Peggy Siegal]] organized it and listed the guests as Andrew, [[Woody Allen]] and [[Soon-Yi Previn]], [[Katie Couric]] and [[George Stephanopoulos]], describing the house as "one [of] the largest single dwellings in New York."[^66] +After the 2008 plea Epstein rebuilt his social and business standing and continued to broker access among the wealthy and powerful. On December 2, 2010, seventeen months after his release, he hosted a small dinner for Prince Andrew, who was staying at the Manhattan house; the publicist [[Peggy Siegal]] organized it and listed the guests as Andrew, [[Woody Allen]] and [[Soon-Yi Previn]], [[Katie Couric]] and [[George Stephanopoulos]], describing the house as "one [of] the largest single dwellings in New York."[^70] -The [[Wall Street Journal]] reporting on his recovered calendars documented post-conviction meetings with [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Kathryn Ruemmler]], Tom Pritzker and William Burns. Burns met Epstein three times in 2014 while serving as [[Deputy Secretary of State]]; the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] spokeswoman [[Tammy Kupperman Thorp]] said in 2023 that Burns remembered "meeting Epstein once briefly in New York." Ruemmler, the [[Barack Obama]] administration's [[White House Counsel]] from 2011 to 2014, had more than three dozen appointments with Epstein between 2014 and 2019; Epstein's staff asked him twice whether young women should be kept out of the townhouse while she was there. On January 8, 2015 she wrote to Epstein: "John Brennan gave me the CIA Agency Medal (the CIA's highest award) this morning. How cool is that?" Ruemmler told the Journal: "I regret ever knowing Jeffrey Epstein." Chomsky had 270,000 dollars moved through Epstein's office.[^67][^68][^69] +The [[Wall Street Journal]] reporting on his recovered calendars documented post-conviction meetings with [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Kathryn Ruemmler]], Tom Pritzker and William Burns. Burns met Epstein three times in 2014 while serving as [[Deputy Secretary of State]]; the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] spokeswoman [[Tammy Kupperman Thorp]] said in 2023 that Burns remembered "meeting Epstein once briefly in New York." Ruemmler, the [[Barack Obama]] administration's [[White House Counsel]] from 2011 to 2014, had more than three dozen appointments with Epstein between 2014 and 2019; Epstein's staff asked him twice whether young women should be kept out of the townhouse while she was there. On January 8, 2015 she wrote to Epstein: "John Brennan gave me the CIA Agency Medal (the CIA's highest award) this morning. How cool is that?" Ruemmler told the Journal: "I regret ever knowing Jeffrey Epstein." Chomsky had 270,000 dollars moved through Epstein's office.[^71][^72][^73] -Epstein's charity [[Gratitude America]], whose operating account was at [[Deutsche Bank]] Trust Company Americas, paid the president of [[Bard College]], [[Leon Botstein]], in quarterly checks; one dated August 1, 2016, for 37,500 dollars payable to "Leon Botstein," bears the memo "3rd Quarterly Payment of 4." Deutsche Bank later produced the check images to federal prosecutors in New York. Bard said the 150,000 dollars was compensation for a year on the foundation's board as a music expert, and Botstein said he gave it to the college as part of a one million dollar gift that year: "I didn't benefit personally at all."[^70] +Epstein's charity [[Gratitude America]], whose operating account was at [[Deutsche Bank]] Trust Company Americas, paid the president of [[Bard College]], [[Leon Botstein]], in quarterly checks; one dated August 1, 2016, for 37,500 dollars payable to "Leon Botstein," bears the memo "3rd Quarterly Payment of 4." Deutsche Bank later produced the check images to federal prosecutors in New York. Bard said the 150,000 dollars was compensation for a year on the foundation's board as a music expert, and Botstein said he gave it to the college as part of a one million dollar gift that year: "I didn't benefit personally at all."[^74] -In an iMessage exchange of August 23, 2018 exported from a device whose owner's name is redacted, the contact saved as "Steve Bannon" wrote, "Do u have access that's not the front door," adding that "they have 24/7 surveillance on u," and, asked who was watching, "Don't know but real folks costing lot of coin." The account holder proposed meeting at "301 East 66," adding "I don't like he regency as it is totally wired" and "There is also a rear entrance on 67"; that evening he wrote, "Your girlfriend Ruemmler is coming over," proposed "a private screening of dharma for the power players. . . . Non of my fingerprints," referring to [[Errol Morris]]'s documentary on Bannon, and later wrote: "your girlfriend is outraged. . I suggested to her he pardon everyone, say this is not good for the country , and then fake the heart attack." [[Steve Bannon]] confirmed to the New York Times in 2021 that he had recorded more than 15 hours of interviews with Epstein for a documentary that was never released.[^71] +In an iMessage exchange of August 23, 2018 exported from a device whose owner's name is redacted, the contact saved as "Steve Bannon" wrote, "Do u have access that's not the front door," adding that "they have 24/7 surveillance on u," and, asked who was watching, "Don't know but real folks costing lot of coin." The account holder proposed meeting at "301 East 66," adding "I don't like he regency as it is totally wired" and "There is also a rear entrance on 67"; that evening he wrote, "Your girlfriend Ruemmler is coming over," proposed "a private screening of dharma for the power players. . . . Non of my fingerprints," referring to [[Errol Morris]]'s documentary on Bannon, and later wrote: "your girlfriend is outraged. . I suggested to her he pardon everyone, say this is not good for the country , and then fake the heart attack." [[Steve Bannon]] confirmed to the New York Times in 2021 that he had recorded more than 15 hours of interviews with Epstein for a documentary that was never released.[^75] -On August 8, 2016, in reply to Epstein's question "who attends," Pritzker sent him the membership of the [[Aspen Strategy Group]]: "Nye, Scowcroft and Nick Burns run it (Scowcroft being replaced by Condi). Members include Patraeus, Albright, Slaughter, Donalon (Obama [[NSA]]), Hadley (Bush NSA), Sullivan (NSA Hillary), Bill Burns (State #2), Kurt Campbell, Hoss Carwright (#2 Jt Chiefs), Harman, Ignatius, Sanger, Nunn, Reed, Sawers (MI6), Sherman (iran deal), Work (current #2 DoD). It seems to now be taking on an aura." [[John Sawers]] had been chief of MI6.[^72] +On August 8, 2016, in reply to Epstein's question "who attends," Pritzker sent him the membership of the [[Aspen Strategy Group]]: "Nye, Scowcroft and Nick Burns run it (Scowcroft being replaced by Condi). Members include Patraeus, Albright, Slaughter, Donalon (Obama [[NSA]]), Hadley (Bush NSA), Sullivan (NSA Hillary), Bill Burns (State #2), Kurt Campbell, Hoss Carwright (#2 Jt Chiefs), Harman, Ignatius, Sanger, Nunn, Reed, Sawers (MI6), Sherman (iran deal), Work (current #2 DoD). It seems to now be taking on an aura." [[John Sawers]] had been chief of MI6.[^76] -Justice Department releases record a dinner on August 2, 2015 at the Baume restaurant in [[Palo Alto]], which the organizers bought out, whose confirmed attendees were [[Ed Boyden]], Reid Hoffman, Mark Zuckerberg, [[Priscilla Chan]], Peter Thiel, Epstein, Elon Musk and Joi Ito. On August 12, 2010 a correspondent whose name is redacted asked Epstein for "suggestions for an old guy. super smart / well connected that wants to continue legacy of 'old school' secret society?"; on February 6, 2016 Epstein wrote to another redacted correspondent that "peter thiel LOVED the secret socieity idea. . he has done alot of work on the concept. all failed so far," and received the reply ":-) let's do it."[^73][^74] +Justice Department releases record a dinner on August 2, 2015 at the Baume restaurant in [[Palo Alto]], which the organizers bought out, whose confirmed attendees were [[Ed Boyden]], Reid Hoffman, Mark Zuckerberg, [[Priscilla Chan]], Peter Thiel, Epstein, Elon Musk and Joi Ito. On August 12, 2010 a correspondent whose name is redacted asked Epstein for "suggestions for an old guy. super smart / well connected that wants to continue legacy of 'old school' secret society?"; on February 6, 2016 Epstein wrote to another redacted correspondent that "peter thiel LOVED the secret socieity idea. . he has done alot of work on the concept. all failed so far," and received the reply ":-) let's do it."[^77][^78] -JPMorgan records produced in the Virgin Islands case show Epstein arranging introductions for [[Jes Staley]] to Ehud Barak, [[Peter Mandelson]] and Bill Gates, and referring Pritzker to the bank; in January 2008, months before Epstein's plea, Staley had his assistant arrange a meeting between Barak and JPMorgan executives through [[Jamie Dimon]]'s office. Epstein arranged two consulting arrangements for Larry Summers from 2013, a paid advisory seat with the Mongolian president's office worth up to 100,000 dollars a year and a Kazakhstan economic-policy engagement for which Epstein proposed "3-5 million per year"; Summers formed LHSummers Economic Consulting LLC two months after Epstein raised the idea, and an Epstein foundation paid 14,000 dollars for his 2014 first-class airfare to Kazakhstan.[^12][^39][^75] +JPMorgan records produced in the Virgin Islands case show Epstein arranging introductions for [[Jes Staley]] to Ehud Barak, [[Peter Mandelson]] and Bill Gates, and referring Pritzker to the bank; in January 2008, months before Epstein's plea, Staley had his assistant arrange a meeting between Barak and JPMorgan executives through [[Jamie Dimon]]'s office. Epstein arranged two consulting arrangements for Larry Summers from 2013, a paid advisory seat with the Mongolian president's office worth up to 100,000 dollars a year and a Kazakhstan economic-policy engagement for which Epstein proposed "3-5 million per year"; Summers formed LHSummers Economic Consulting LLC two months after Epstein raised the idea, and an Epstein foundation paid 14,000 dollars for his 2014 first-class airfare to Kazakhstan.[^12][^43][^79] -Howard Lutnick, who in 1998 bought 11 East 71st Street from an entity that had bought it from Epstein in 1996, signed an investment contract in the advertising company Adfin four days after a December 24, 2012 lunch on Little St. James, with Epstein signing for [[Southern Trust Company]]. A calendar alert of December 20, 2012 asked: "can Howard Lutnick do lunch Sat or Sun on JE's island?" In October 2025 Lutnick said he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005. An FBI Guardian complaint form dated April 23, 2021 and filed under the Epstein child-sex-trafficking case number records an October 2020 call from a caller describing himself as a former Cantor Fitzgerald compliance employee, who alleged money laundering by Lutnick through [[BGC Partners|BGC Financial]] and [[Cantor Fitzgerald]], claimed to hold documents linking Lutnick to Epstein and Maxwell, and alleged that "Epstein also sold Lutnick a house for $10 dollars through a trust fund." The FBI's own database query for Lutnick returned 26 results in New York case files, including a closed money-laundering case and a RICO real-estate control file, and three suspicious activity reports; the form notes that "queries were not conducted on Epstein and Maxwell due to the sensitive nature of the case." The caller's allegations are recorded in the form as his statements, without findings.[^76][^77] +Howard Lutnick, who in 1998 bought 11 East 71st Street from an entity that had bought it from Epstein in 1996, signed an investment contract in the advertising company Adfin four days after a December 24, 2012 lunch on Little St. James, with Epstein signing for [[Southern Trust Company]]. A calendar alert of December 20, 2012 asked: "can Howard Lutnick do lunch Sat or Sun on JE's island?" In October 2025 Lutnick said he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005. An FBI Guardian complaint form dated April 23, 2021 and filed under the Epstein child-sex-trafficking case number records an October 2020 call from a caller describing himself as a former Cantor Fitzgerald compliance employee, who alleged money laundering by Lutnick through [[BGC Partners|BGC Financial]] and [[Cantor Fitzgerald]], claimed to hold documents linking Lutnick to Epstein and Maxwell, and alleged that "Epstein also sold Lutnick a house for $10 dollars through a trust fund." The FBI's own database query for Lutnick returned 26 results in New York case files, including a closed money-laundering case and a RICO real-estate control file, and three suspicious activity reports; the form notes that "queries were not conducted on Epstein and Maxwell due to the sensitive nature of the case." The caller's allegations are recorded in the form as his statements, without findings.[^80][^81] -The political relationships were older and equally documented. Bill Clinton flew on the 727 more than two dozen times in the early 2000s, including a 2002 trip to Africa connected to the [[Clinton Foundation]], while denying any knowledge of Epstein's crimes or any visit to Little St. James. Prince Andrew, the [[Duke of York]], was photographed with Virginia Giuffre in 2001, settled her 2021 civil suit for a reported sum in 2022 without admitting liability, and was stripped of his royal and military titles between 2022 and 2025; an FBI New York email of June 8, 2020 asked about the status of the "MLAT request for Prince Andrew." Donald Trump socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s before a falling out, a relationship documented in flight logs, contemporaneous quotes, and a disputed 2003 birthday letter.[^67][^78][^79] +The political relationships were older and equally documented. Bill Clinton flew on the 727 more than two dozen times in the early 2000s, including a 2002 trip to Africa connected to the [[Clinton Foundation]], while denying any knowledge of Epstein's crimes or any visit to Little St. James. Prince Andrew, the [[Duke of York]], was photographed with Virginia Giuffre in 2001, settled her 2021 civil suit for a reported sum in 2022 without admitting liability, and was stripped of his royal and military titles between 2022 and 2025; an FBI New York email of June 8, 2020 asked about the status of the "MLAT request for Prince Andrew." Donald Trump socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s before a falling out, a relationship documented in flight logs, contemporaneous quotes, and a disputed 2003 birthday letter.[^71][^82][^83] ### Carbyne and Ehud Barak -Epstein invested in the Israeli emergency-response company Reporty Homeland Security, renamed Carbyne in 2018 and chaired by Ehud Barak, through SUM (E.B.) Limited Partnership, whose general partner was Ergo (E.B. 2014) Ltd. In February 2019 SUM held warrants to buy 61,251 more preferred shares for 3.5 million dollars, raising its stake "from about 13% to about 26.33%, on a fully diluted basis"; the exercise was funded by Southern Trust (2.4 million dollars) and [[NJF Capital]], formerly Montilla International Corporation (1.2 million dollars), and wired through [[Bank Leumi]]. When the bank's anti-money-laundering review asked for the "controlling person" of the limited partners, Indyke asked Epstein on March 14, 2019 whether he could confirm that Epstein was the controlling person of Southern Trust, and Epstein replied "Yes." Barak wrote to Epstein on March 11 that the disclosure demands reflected "the Israeli banks paranoia after they paid the penalties they've paid to the US authorities for past mistakes," adding: "According to our experience it was never leaked out of the banks. Just kept with them as an insurance policy."[^80] +Epstein invested in the Israeli emergency-response company Reporty Homeland Security, renamed Carbyne in 2018 and chaired by Ehud Barak, through SUM (E.B.) Limited Partnership, whose general partner was Ergo (E.B. 2014) Ltd. In February 2019 SUM held warrants to buy 61,251 more preferred shares for 3.5 million dollars, raising its stake "from about 13% to about 26.33%, on a fully diluted basis"; the exercise was funded by Southern Trust (2.4 million dollars) and [[NJF Capital]], formerly Montilla International Corporation (1.2 million dollars), and wired through [[Bank Leumi]]. When the bank's anti-money-laundering review asked for the "controlling person" of the limited partners, Indyke asked Epstein on March 14, 2019 whether he could confirm that Epstein was the controlling person of Southern Trust, and Epstein replied "Yes." Barak wrote to Epstein on March 11 that the disclosure demands reflected "the Israeli banks paranoia after they paid the penalties they've paid to the US authorities for past mistakes," adding: "According to our experience it was never leaked out of the banks. Just kept with them as an insurance policy."[^84] -On January 1, 2019, with Epstein copied, Barak sent [[Jabor Al Thani]] a presentation of Carbyne, "public safety company of which I'm the chairman and leading investor," for the security of the 2022 World Cup in [[Qatar]]: "We can work through a European company of your choice and minimize Israeli profile." Jabor Al Thani asked for help with "any anti-drone services or technologies" and named the country manager of a Qatari security services company as his contact; Barak made Carbyne's chief executive, [[Amir Elichai]], the point of contact. On May 21, 2018 Epstein had written to Peter Thiel: "FYI trae is meeting carbyne Ehud Barak co." In February 2019 [[Nicole Junkermann]], a co-investor, wrote to Epstein that "Carbyne invested 1.5 m (1m you and 0.5m me) net of fees is 3.9m your share, Ehud carry 1.5 m and my share 2m," in a message that also concerned a separate "China" matter which she asked whether Barak could help with.[^81][^82][^83] +On January 1, 2019, with Epstein copied, Barak sent [[Jabor Al Thani]] a presentation of Carbyne, "public safety company of which I'm the chairman and leading investor," for the security of the 2022 World Cup in [[Qatar]]: "We can work through a European company of your choice and minimize Israeli profile." Jabor Al Thani asked for help with "any anti-drone services or technologies" and named the country manager of a Qatari security services company as his contact; Barak made Carbyne's chief executive, [[Amir Elichai]], the point of contact. On May 21, 2018 Epstein had written to Peter Thiel: "FYI trae is meeting carbyne Ehud Barak co." In February 2019 [[Nicole Junkermann]], a co-investor, wrote to Epstein that "Carbyne invested 1.5 m (1m you and 0.5m me) net of fees is 3.9m your share, Ehud carry 1.5 m and my share 2m," in a message that also concerned a separate "China" matter which she asked whether Barak could help with.[^85][^86][^87] On November 8, 2017, as reporting broke on the lawyer [[David Boies]]'s use of former Israeli intelligence operatives, Epstein wrote to Barak: "boies said he got to the mossad guys through you? true?" and then, "Did Boies ask you to help Obtain former mossad agents to do dirty investigations. ? this is getting a lot of press." Barak replied the next morning: "Call me.. [redacted] in Paris." Barak said in February 2026: "I regret meeting him."[^14][^16] ### Vitaly Churkin -Epstein's iMessage exchanges with Vitaly Churkin, Russia's Permanent Representative to the [[United Nations]], run from November 2015 to January 10, 2017. Epstein wrote in December 2015 "Oil now at the 36 $ level I suggested," and in February 2016 "Good work on Syria , markets will continue bad." He offered Churkin meals with Barak and Summers, introduced "my very close friend Tom Pritzker," and mentioned that "thorbjorn jagland will be staying with me," a reference to [[Thorbjørn Jagland]], then Secretary General of the [[Council of Europe]]. He arranged work for Churkin's son: "Any maxim help is confidential," then "First job confirmed to start day after Labor Day," and later "Maxim is scoring good grades . Thought u should know." On August 29, 2016 Epstein hosted a lunch for Barak, [[Tom Barrack]] and Churkin. Their last exchange arranged a lunch on January 10, 2017. Churkin died in New York on February 20, 2017; Epstein's office scheduled calls and a meeting with his son through August 2017.[^84] +Epstein's iMessage exchanges with Vitaly Churkin, Russia's Permanent Representative to the [[United Nations]], run from November 2015 to January 10, 2017. Epstein wrote in December 2015 "Oil now at the 36 $ level I suggested," and in February 2016 "Good work on Syria , markets will continue bad." He offered Churkin meals with Barak and Summers, introduced "my very close friend Tom Pritzker," and mentioned that "thorbjorn jagland will be staying with me," a reference to [[Thorbjørn Jagland]], then Secretary General of the [[Council of Europe]]. He arranged work for Churkin's son: "Any maxim help is confidential," then "First job confirmed to start day after Labor Day," and later "Maxim is scoring good grades . Thought u should know." On August 29, 2016 Epstein hosted a lunch for Barak, [[Tom Barrack]] and Churkin. Their last exchange arranged a lunch on January 10, 2017. Churkin died in New York on February 20, 2017; Epstein's office scheduled calls and a meeting with his son through August 2017.[^88] ### The Intelligence and Blackmail Question -The recurring claim that Epstein's operation served an intelligence or blackmail function rests on several documented strands and one contested central assertion. The documented strands include Ghislaine Maxwell's intelligence-linked paternity; Epstein's investment with Barak in Carbyne and his attempts to connect Barak with Peter Thiel over [[Palantir Technologies|Palantir]]; the instrumentation of his properties with cameras; and the 2019 search of the townhouse, which recovered a safe containing compact discs, cash, diamonds, and an expired foreign passport with Epstein's photograph under another name. The contested central assertion is the claim, attributed by Vicky Ward to a former senior [[White House]] official, that Acosta had told Trump transition vetters he was given to understand Epstein "belonged to intelligence" and to leave the case alone.[^50][^67] +The recurring claim that Epstein's operation served an intelligence or blackmail function rests on several documented strands and one contested central assertion. The documented strands include Ghislaine Maxwell's intelligence-linked paternity; Epstein's investment with Barak in Carbyne and his attempts to connect Barak with Peter Thiel over [[Palantir Technologies|Palantir]]; the instrumentation of his properties with cameras; and the 2019 search of the townhouse, which recovered a safe containing compact discs, cash, diamonds, and an expired foreign passport with Epstein's photograph under another name. The contested central assertion is the claim, attributed by Vicky Ward to a former senior [[White House]] official, that Acosta had told Trump transition vetters he was given to understand Epstein "belonged to intelligence" and to leave the case alone.[^54][^71] -Acosta denied the account in a voluntary transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee on September 19, 2025, saying he had no knowledge of whether Epstein was connected to any intelligence service. The "belonged to intelligence" quote traces to a single anonymous source. William Barr, Attorney General at the time of Epstein's 2019 arrest and death, was asked about the account in an August 18, 2025 deposition before the committee and answered that he knew of it only from "what's ever been reported in articles over the years." He said he had "no reason to believe he was working for the CIA or any intelligence agency, and I'm dubious about claims like that," answered "No" when asked whether Epstein had been an employee, asset, or informant of any foreign service, and said that "if he was an American asset, as opposed to some businessman who shares stuff with the government, I would've heard about it from the intelligence agency." No declassified document confirms that Epstein worked for any agency of any country.[^50][^85] +Acosta denied the account in a voluntary transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee on September 19, 2025, saying he had no knowledge of whether Epstein was connected to any intelligence service. The "belonged to intelligence" quote traces to a single anonymous source. William Barr, Attorney General at the time of Epstein's 2019 arrest and death, was asked about the account in an August 18, 2025 deposition before the committee and answered that he knew of it only from "what's ever been reported in articles over the years." He said he had "no reason to believe he was working for the CIA or any intelligence agency, and I'm dubious about claims like that," answered "No" when asked whether Epstein had been an employee, asset, or informant of any foreign service, and said that "if he was an American asset, as opposed to some businessman who shares stuff with the government, I would've heard about it from the intelligence agency." No declassified document confirms that Epstein worked for any agency of any country.[^54][^89] -In July 2011 Epstein, through his lawyer [[Martin Weinberg]], had Privacy Act requests pending with both the FBI and the CIA for whatever records the agencies held on him. Weinberg wrote to him on July 18, 2011: "we filled out fbi privacy waiver with VI address last year, we filed CIA [[Freedom of Information Act|FOIA]] - they have it - we need a separate privacy waiver signed in 2011 for them to fully process."[^86] +In July 2011 Epstein, through his lawyer [[Martin Weinberg]], had Privacy Act requests pending with both the FBI and the CIA for whatever records the agencies held on him. Weinberg wrote to him on July 18, 2011: "we filled out fbi privacy waiver with VI address last year, we filed CIA [[Freedom of Information Act|FOIA]] - they have it - we need a separate privacy waiver signed in 2011 for them to fully process."[^90] -The earliest known report to law enforcement came on August 29, 1996, when Maria Farmer reported to the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]]'s Sixth Precinct (complaint No. 1996-0067241, recording that Epstein "did call her and stated he was going to burn victim's painting" and "has keys to victim's apartment") and then by telephone to the FBI. She alleges that she told the Bureau of the recording devices and monitoring equipment Epstein had shown her at the New York house and of a "modeling book" of apparently underage girls kept in his safe, which Maxwell said was used in connection with Victoria's Secret; that she had been assaulted at Epstein's house in [[New Albany, Ohio]], "part of or adjacent to Les Wexner's estate," and held there by "a local Sheriff and other persons connected with Wexner"; and that the FBI hung up on her mid-sentence. FBI agents interviewed her in 2006 during the Florida investigation. The Bureau's record of the 1996 report was released on December 23, 2025. In July 2023 she and Sarah Ransome filed a 600 million dollar Federal Tort Claims Act claim against the FBI, and in May 2025 she sued the United States (No. 1:25-cv-01709-RBW (D.D.C.)). Her complaint also records that in 1992 the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] leased Epstein a New York townhouse and sued him in 1996 after he sublet it at a profit, and that he relied in his defense on communications with an official of the Office of Foreign Missions; certain documents in that case were sealed.[^87][^88][^89] +The earliest known report to law enforcement came on August 29, 1996, when Maria Farmer reported to the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]]'s Sixth Precinct (complaint No. 1996-0067241, recording that Epstein "did call her and stated he was going to burn victim's painting" and "has keys to victim's apartment") and then by telephone to the FBI. She alleges that she told the Bureau of the recording devices and monitoring equipment Epstein had shown her at the New York house and of a "modeling book" of apparently underage girls kept in his safe, which Maxwell said was used in connection with Victoria's Secret; that she had been assaulted at Epstein's house in [[New Albany, Ohio]], "part of or adjacent to Les Wexner's estate," and held there by "a local Sheriff and other persons connected with Wexner"; and that the FBI hung up on her mid-sentence. FBI agents interviewed her in 2006 during the Florida investigation. The Bureau's record of the 1996 report was released on December 23, 2025. In July 2023 she and Sarah Ransome filed a 600 million dollar Federal Tort Claims Act claim against the FBI, and in May 2025 she sued the United States (No. 1:25-cv-01709-RBW (D.D.C.)). Her complaint also records that in 1992 the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] leased Epstein a New York townhouse and sued him in 1996 after he sublet it at a profit, and that he relied in his defense on communications with an official of the Office of Foreign Missions; certain documents in that case were sealed.[^91][^92][^93] -Accounts from victims and household staff describing cameras in the properties, combined with the 2019 recovery of compact discs and the foreign passport from the townhouse safe, are the documented basis for the inference that the operation was instrumented to generate leverage. In December 2009, five months after his release, a correspondent signing "Gmax" wrote to Epstein: "If you call I'd start by saying what ever you saw was fake and part of a blackmail scheme." No recordings of guests have been produced publicly, and no service of any country has acknowledged a relationship with Epstein. What the cameras recorded, and where any recordings went, is not established in the public record.[^17][^50][^90][^91] +Accounts from victims and household staff describing cameras in the properties, combined with the 2019 recovery of compact discs and the foreign passport from the townhouse safe, are the documented basis for the inference that the operation was instrumented to generate leverage. In December 2009, five months after his release, a correspondent signing "Gmax" wrote to Epstein: "If you call I'd start by saying what ever you saw was fake and part of a blackmail scheme." No recordings of guests have been produced publicly, and no service of any country has acknowledged a relationship with Epstein. What the cameras recorded, and where any recordings went, is not established in the public record.[^17][^54][^94][^95] ### The Financial Structures and the Bank Settlements -Epstein's finances ran through entities chartered in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including Financial Trust Company, incorporated in St. Thomas on November 6, 1998, and Southern Trust Company, incorporated on November 18, 2011 as Financial Informatics, Inc. and renamed in September 2012, with assets of about 391 million dollars in 2015. Both obtained territorial tax benefits under the [[Economic Development Commission]] program: Financial Trust from 1999 under a certificate signed by Industrial Development Commission director [[Frandelle Gerard]], amended in 2012 over the signature of EDC chairman [[Albert Bryan]], who also signed Southern Trust's January 24, 2014 certificate. At the November 15, 2012 EDC hearing the company described its business under oath as "cutting edge consulting services" in "biomedical and financial informatics"; the Virgin Islands later alleged that Southern Trust obtained the benefits for a business it never conducted and existed to fund Epstein's criminal activity and properties. His banking ran through JPMorgan Chase, which kept him as a client until 2013, then Deutsche Bank, and also through [[BNY Mellon]]; the June 15, 2007 7.4 million dollar wire to Maxwell for her Sikorsky helicopter came from his Mellon Bank account.[^11][^12][^20][^92][^93] +Epstein's finances ran through entities chartered in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including Financial Trust Company, incorporated in St. Thomas on November 6, 1998, and Southern Trust Company, incorporated on November 18, 2011 as Financial Informatics, Inc. and renamed in September 2012, with assets of about 391 million dollars in 2015. Both obtained territorial tax benefits under the [[Economic Development Commission]] program: Financial Trust from 1999 under a certificate signed by Industrial Development Commission director [[Frandelle Gerard]], amended in 2012 over the signature of EDC chairman [[Albert Bryan]], who also signed Southern Trust's January 24, 2014 certificate. At the November 15, 2012 EDC hearing the company described its business under oath as "cutting edge consulting services" in "biomedical and financial informatics"; the Virgin Islands later alleged that Southern Trust obtained the benefits for a business it never conducted and existed to fund Epstein's criminal activity and properties. His banking ran through JPMorgan Chase, which kept him as a client until 2013, then Deutsche Bank, and also through [[BNY Mellon]]; the June 15, 2007 7.4 million dollar wire to Maxwell for her Sikorsky helicopter came from his Mellon Bank account.[^11][^12][^20][^96][^97] -Southern Trust reported about 184 million dollars in revenue from 2013 to 2017 with no visible clients and one information-technology employee. The territory's 2022 complaint stated that "virtually all" of its income came "from a single source," which paid it 158 million dollars from 2013 to 2017, 85 percent of its revenue. The [[Dechert]] review commissioned by [[Apollo Global Management]] found that Leon Black signed a service agreement with Southern Trust Company, Inc. on February 13, 2013 and paid Epstein 50 million dollars in 2013, 70 million in 2014, 30 million in 2015, nothing in 2016 and 8 million in 2017, a total of 158 million dollars, plus 30.5 million dollars in 2017 loans from BV70 LLC to Plan D LLC; Dechert found no evidence Black paid for anything but "legitimate advice." Senator [[Ron Wyden]]'s staff put Black's share at 166 million dollars, or 90 percent. Black's wires came from [[Bank of America]] accounts; the bank filed its first suspicious activity report on them on February 7, 2020, flagging 156 million dollars as having "no apparent economic, business or lawful purpose." Black's January 20, 2023 settlement with the territory recites that "Jeffrey Epstein used the money Black paid him to partially fund his operations in the Virgin Islands," while disclaiming any admission of liability. Financial Trust also bought 263,257 Apollo shares in the March 2011 initial public offering through a directed-share program; the shares passed to [[Southern Financial LLC]] in 2013.[^11][^12][^94][^95][^96] +Southern Trust reported about 184 million dollars in revenue from 2013 to 2017 with no visible clients and one information-technology employee. The territory's 2022 complaint stated that "virtually all" of its income came "from a single source," which paid it 158 million dollars from 2013 to 2017, 85 percent of its revenue. The [[Dechert]] review commissioned by [[Apollo Global Management]] found that Leon Black signed a service agreement with Southern Trust Company, Inc. on February 13, 2013 and paid Epstein 50 million dollars in 2013, 70 million in 2014, 30 million in 2015, nothing in 2016 and 8 million in 2017, a total of 158 million dollars, plus 30.5 million dollars in 2017 loans from BV70 LLC to Plan D LLC; Dechert found no evidence Black paid for anything but "legitimate advice." Senator [[Ron Wyden]]'s staff put Black's share at 166 million dollars, or 90 percent. Black's wires came from [[Bank of America]] accounts; the bank filed its first suspicious activity report on them on February 7, 2020, flagging 156 million dollars as having "no apparent economic, business or lawful purpose." Black's January 20, 2023 settlement with the territory recites that "Jeffrey Epstein used the money Black paid him to partially fund his operations in the Virgin Islands," while disclaiming any admission of liability. Financial Trust also bought 263,257 Apollo shares in the March 2011 initial public offering through a directed-share program; the shares passed to [[Southern Financial LLC]] in 2013.[^11][^12][^98][^99][^100] -Epstein received the working papers of Black's estate planning during the years of the Southern Trust payments. A "Checklist for Leon Black Estate Planning and Restructuring" dated October 2, 2013 covered the substitution of trust assets for a promissory note, financing against Black's art collection with "Preliminary meetings with Deutsche Bank taken," the decanting of family trusts, the restructuring of Black Family Partners and other family entities, and the creation of foundations for each of Black's children. On January 21, 2014 Ada Clapp of Black Family Partners, 445 Park Avenue, sent Epstein the updated version: "Attached is what I believe you are referring to by the 9 page list. I updated to show progress." On July 24, 2017 Barry J. Cohen forwarded to Epstein a privileged [[Sullivan & Cromwell]] memorandum on "Leon Black Estate Planning," addressed by the firm to Clapp, Cohen and Brad Wechsler, with the note: "Let us know what issues you have."[^97] +Epstein received the working papers of Black's estate planning during the years of the Southern Trust payments. A "Checklist for Leon Black Estate Planning and Restructuring" dated October 2, 2013 covered the substitution of trust assets for a promissory note, financing against Black's art collection with "Preliminary meetings with Deutsche Bank taken," the decanting of family trusts, the restructuring of Black Family Partners and other family entities, and the creation of foundations for each of Black's children. On January 21, 2014 Ada Clapp of Black Family Partners, 445 Park Avenue, sent Epstein the updated version: "Attached is what I believe you are referring to by the 9 page list. I updated to show progress." On July 24, 2017 Barry J. Cohen forwarded to Epstein a privileged [[Sullivan & Cromwell]] memorandum on "Leon Black Estate Planning," addressed by the firm to Clapp, Cohen and Brad Wechsler, with the note: "Let us know what issues you have."[^101] -A forensic accountant retained by the Virgin Islands identified 134 JPMorgan accounts owned by Epstein or related people and entities, including accounts for Maxwell, [[Richard Kahn]], Darren Indyke, [[Harry Beller]] and Nadia Marcinkova. In September 2009 his balances were 142,867,562 dollars on the bank's internal "Wall of Cash" list. He withdrew more than 7 million dollars in cash from JPMorgan accounts from 2002 to 2013. A March 18, 2004 JPMorgan memorandum to Dimon and others described Epstein as "a founding investor in Highbridge," the hedge fund [[Highbridge Capital Management]] that JPMorgan bought into that year. On July 20, 2011 Cutler wrote to Staley and [[Mary Erdoes]] that Epstein "should not be a client." After Epstein left the bank in 2013, Erdoes approved continued dealings with him on Black's business "as long as it was through the client accounts." JPMorgan filed seven suspicious activity reports on him totaling about 4.3 million dollars between 2002 and 2016, none covering May 2003 to September 2008; after his July 2019 arrest it filed reports on August 13, 2019 (469 wires, about 201 million dollars, including payments to women in Russia, Belarus and Turkmenistan through correspondent accounts at Russian banks including [[Sberbank]] and [[Alfa-Bank]]) and September 26, 2019 (4,725 wires, 1,081,819,653 dollars). Deutsche Bank retroactively reported more than 250 million dollars in Epstein wires after his arrest.[^12][^21][^39][^93][^98] +A forensic accountant retained by the Virgin Islands identified 134 JPMorgan accounts owned by Epstein or related people and entities, including accounts for Maxwell, [[Richard Kahn]], Darren Indyke, [[Harry Beller]] and Nadia Marcinkova. In September 2009 his balances were 142,867,562 dollars on the bank's internal "Wall of Cash" list. He withdrew more than 7 million dollars in cash from JPMorgan accounts from 2002 to 2013. A March 18, 2004 JPMorgan memorandum to Dimon and others described Epstein as "a founding investor in Highbridge," the hedge fund [[Highbridge Capital Management]] that JPMorgan bought into that year. On July 20, 2011 Cutler wrote to Staley and [[Mary Erdoes]] that Epstein "should not be a client." After Epstein left the bank in 2013, Erdoes approved continued dealings with him on Black's business "as long as it was through the client accounts." JPMorgan filed seven suspicious activity reports on him totaling about 4.3 million dollars between 2002 and 2016, none covering May 2003 to September 2008; after his July 2019 arrest it filed reports on August 13, 2019 (469 wires, about 201 million dollars, including payments to women in Russia, Belarus and Turkmenistan through correspondent accounts at Russian banks including [[Sberbank]] and [[Alfa-Bank]]) and September 26, 2019 (4,725 wires, 1,081,819,653 dollars). Deutsche Bank retroactively reported more than 250 million dollars in Epstein wires after his arrest.[^12][^21][^43][^97][^102] -After a July 22, 2019 New York Times article on Epstein's ties to Wall Street figures, JPMorgan's global head of financial crimes compliance wrote to two chief compliance officers: "Top of house requested that we expand our analysis to related parties and put together slides.... There is a highbridge angle and one dating back to Bear." The work became an internal review called "Project Jeep," whose 22-page summary of Epstein, Staley and Erdoes emails, circulated internally in October 2019, stated that "Jes Staley appears to have a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, regularly communicating with him and seeking advice from him including while Epstein is incarcerated," and that Epstein "appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew" and "Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government," and "a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]]," the chairman of [[DP World]]. The Virgin Islands argued in June 2023 that it would have asked Dimon whether the "top of house" order came from him, citing another bank email in which "top of the house ok for clients who are convicted felons" ran "to Cutler to Jaime Daimnon [sic]"; JPMorgan answered that the phrase referred to Cutler. Late-produced emails showed that the former Bear Stearns chairman Alan Greenberg had gone to Cutler "for an exception to the felony policy" for Epstein, and JPMorgan acknowledged that legacy Bear Stearns staff including Greenberg "may have attempted to speak with" Cutler about the policy, a decision "made by Mr. Cutler." At a January 7, 2011 meeting the head of the U.S. Private Bank, Catherine Keating, said that "no one on today's call was in favor of having retained him as a client. Seems it was all due to Jes's personal relationship"; twelve days later a JPMorgan Securities employee wrote to Epstein that "Ace would love to speak to Jeffrey." Dimon testified that the bank "did not need introductions to anybody." In August 2023 Judge [[Jed S. Rakoff]] denied the territory's request to compel production of all documents concerning "Project Jeep" or other investigations after Epstein's 2019 arrest.[^99] +After a July 22, 2019 New York Times article on Epstein's ties to Wall Street figures, JPMorgan's global head of financial crimes compliance wrote to two chief compliance officers: "Top of house requested that we expand our analysis to related parties and put together slides.... There is a highbridge angle and one dating back to Bear." The work became an internal review called "Project Jeep," whose 22-page summary of Epstein, Staley and Erdoes emails, circulated internally in October 2019, stated that "Jes Staley appears to have a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, regularly communicating with him and seeking advice from him including while Epstein is incarcerated," and that Epstein "appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew" and "Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government," and "a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]]," the chairman of [[DP World]]. The Virgin Islands argued in June 2023 that it would have asked Dimon whether the "top of house" order came from him, citing another bank email in which "top of the house ok for clients who are convicted felons" ran "to Cutler to Jaime Daimnon [sic]"; JPMorgan answered that the phrase referred to Cutler. Late-produced emails showed that the former Bear Stearns chairman Alan Greenberg had gone to Cutler "for an exception to the felony policy" for Epstein, and JPMorgan acknowledged that legacy Bear Stearns staff including Greenberg "may have attempted to speak with" Cutler about the policy, a decision "made by Mr. Cutler." At a January 7, 2011 meeting the head of the U.S. Private Bank, Catherine Keating, said that "no one on today's call was in favor of having retained him as a client. Seems it was all due to Jes's personal relationship"; twelve days later a JPMorgan Securities employee wrote to Epstein that "Ace would love to speak to Jeffrey." Dimon testified that the bank "did not need introductions to anybody." In August 2023 Judge [[Jed S. Rakoff]] denied the territory's request to compel production of all documents concerning "Project Jeep" or other investigations after Epstein's 2019 arrest.[^103] -Deutsche Bank informally designated Epstein an "Honorary PEP," or politically exposed person, "because of his connections to prominent political figures," and a January 2015 compliance escalation cited his relationships with "a prominent former U.S. politician and a member of a European royal family," whom the New York regulator did not name. In October 2008, while Epstein was serving his Florida sentence, Staley sent him the term sheet for "Micawber," a proposed JPMorgan and [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation|FDIC]] vehicle to borrow from the [[Federal Reserve]] during the financial crisis; the UK Upper Tribunal found Epstein was the only recipient not involved in the proposal. In a June 4, 2026 letter Wyden wrote that unsealed Justice Department files indicated Epstein "reached out to Russian government officials" to help Black with women with whom Black had settlements or nondisclosure agreements, and acted "as a middleman for Black to pay women"; Black's counsel called the inquiry an attempt to "unfairly harass" a private citizen.[^100][^101] +Deutsche Bank informally designated Epstein an "Honorary PEP," or politically exposed person, "because of his connections to prominent political figures," and a January 2015 compliance escalation cited his relationships with "a prominent former U.S. politician and a member of a European royal family," whom the New York regulator did not name. In October 2008, while Epstein was serving his Florida sentence, Staley sent him the term sheet for "Micawber," a proposed JPMorgan and [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation|FDIC]] vehicle to borrow from the [[Federal Reserve]] during the financial crisis; the UK Upper Tribunal found Epstein was the only recipient not involved in the proposal. In a June 4, 2026 letter Wyden wrote that unsealed Justice Department files indicated Epstein "reached out to Russian government officials" to help Black with women with whom Black had settlements or nondisclosure agreements, and acted "as a middleman for Black to pay women"; Black's counsel called the inquiry an attempt to "unfairly harass" a private citizen.[^104][^105] -The post-death litigation produced large settlements. In 2022 Epstein's estate agreed to pay the U.S. Virgin Islands more than 105 million dollars, plus the repayment of 80,576,236 dollars in tax benefits and half the proceeds of Little St. James. In 2023 JPMorgan paid 290 million dollars to victims and 75 million dollars to the Virgin Islands, and Deutsche Bank paid 75 million dollars to victims. Staley, who managed the Epstein banking relationship at JPMorgan before becoming chief executive of Barclays, was banned from senior UK financial roles and fined by the [[Financial Conduct Authority]] in a decision dated May 30, 2023 and published that October, which the Upper Tribunal upheld in June 2025 while reducing the penalty to 1,107,306.92 pounds; the ban took effect with the Authority's Final Notice of July 23, 2025. The [[Epstein Victims' Compensation Program]]'s administrator, [[Jordana Feldman]], announced in 2021 nearly 125 million dollars in payments to 150 eligible claimants; the co-executors' lawyers later put it at 121 million dollars to 136 claimants, and the estate separately settled with 58 women for about 48 million dollars.[^11][^20][^100][^102][^103][^104] +The post-death litigation produced large settlements. In 2022 Epstein's estate agreed to pay the U.S. Virgin Islands more than 105 million dollars, plus the repayment of 80,576,236 dollars in tax benefits and half the proceeds of Little St. James. In 2023 JPMorgan paid 290 million dollars to victims and 75 million dollars to the Virgin Islands, and Deutsche Bank paid 75 million dollars to victims. Staley, who managed the Epstein banking relationship at JPMorgan before becoming chief executive of Barclays, was banned from senior UK financial roles and fined by the [[Financial Conduct Authority]] in a decision dated May 30, 2023 and published that October, which the Upper Tribunal upheld in June 2025 while reducing the penalty to 1,107,306.92 pounds; the ban took effect with the Authority's Final Notice of July 23, 2025. The [[Epstein Victims' Compensation Program]]'s administrator, [[Jordana Feldman]], announced in 2021 nearly 125 million dollars in payments to 150 eligible claimants; the co-executors' lawyers later put it at 121 million dollars to 136 claimants, and the estate separately settled with 58 women for about 48 million dollars.[^11][^20][^104][^106][^107][^108] ### The Virgin Islands Government -According to JPMorgan's 2023 filings in the territory's suit against the bank, Epstein's local affairs were managed by [[Cecile de Jongh]], the office manager of Southern Trust and the wife of Governor [[John de Jongh]] (in office 2007 to 2015), who helped Epstein shape legislation affecting sex-offender monitoring and the Economic Development Commission benefits while Epstein-linked entities paid family expenses. On the day the commission's certificate for Southern Trust was dated, January 24, 2014, Cecile de Jongh asked Epstein to match 15,000 dollars for her husband's final State of the Territory reception and asked Richard Kahn to make out a check to the "Governor's Special Events Fund." The commission's general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was [[Stacey Plaskett]], later the territory's delegate to Congress, who acknowledged receiving about 30,000 dollars in campaign contributions from Epstein and his employees. Epstein's office also handled requests from the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee (10,000 dollars from Southern Trust, December 2014), a Mapp super PAC (75,000 dollars, September 2016), and the Bryan/Roach inaugural committee (25,000 dollars requested, December 2018; payment not shown).[^11][^105][^106] +According to JPMorgan's 2023 filings in the territory's suit against the bank, Epstein's local affairs were managed by [[Cecile de Jongh]], the office manager of Southern Trust and the wife of Governor [[John de Jongh]] (in office 2007 to 2015), who helped Epstein shape legislation affecting sex-offender monitoring and the Economic Development Commission benefits while Epstein-linked entities paid family expenses. On the day the commission's certificate for Southern Trust was dated, January 24, 2014, Cecile de Jongh asked Epstein to match 15,000 dollars for her husband's final State of the Territory reception and asked Richard Kahn to make out a check to the "Governor's Special Events Fund." The commission's general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was [[Stacey Plaskett]], later the territory's delegate to Congress, who acknowledged receiving about 30,000 dollars in campaign contributions from Epstein and his employees. Epstein's office also handled requests from the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee (10,000 dollars from Southern Trust, December 2014), a Mapp super PAC (75,000 dollars, September 2016), and the Bryan/Roach inaugural committee (25,000 dollars requested, December 2018; payment not shown).[^11][^109][^110] -The territory's later Attorney General, [[Denise George]], filed the 2020 suit against the estate and a 2022 suit against JPMorgan, and was removed by Governor Albert Bryan days after the bank suit was filed. According to FBI notes of an October 2, 2023 interview released in January 2026, George said Bryan asked her in 2019 to grant Epstein a waiver of the 21-day travel-notice rule, told her after Epstein's death "He's dead go for it," later pressed her to settle with the estate for 80 million dollars with the attorney [[Henry Smock]] as mediator, and said the estate "just wanted to clear people." Smock had assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of Little St. James and was counsel to the [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority|Economic Development Authority]] board; he later represented Bryan in a sealed 2023 divorce. Bryan's chief legal counsel, [[David Bornn]], a former employee of Epstein's attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]], called George to relay Kellerhals's question about what she was investigating. Bryan has said Epstein received no special privilege from his administration. The territory recovered about 180 million dollars after legal fees and, as of January 2026, had not filed the accounting of the money that a 2024 law requires.[^20][^107][^108] +The territory's later Attorney General, [[Denise George]], filed the 2020 suit against the estate and a 2022 suit against JPMorgan, and was removed by Governor Albert Bryan days after the bank suit was filed. According to FBI notes of an October 2, 2023 interview released in January 2026, George said Bryan asked her in 2019 to grant Epstein a waiver of the 21-day travel-notice rule, told her after Epstein's death "He's dead go for it," later pressed her to settle with the estate for 80 million dollars with the attorney [[Henry Smock]] as mediator, and said the estate "just wanted to clear people." Smock had assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of Little St. James and was counsel to the [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority|Economic Development Authority]] board; he later represented Bryan in a sealed 2023 divorce. Bryan's chief legal counsel, [[David Bornn]], a former employee of Epstein's attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]], called George to relay Kellerhals's question about what she was investigating. Bryan has said Epstein received no special privilege from his administration. The territory recovered about 180 million dollars after legal fees and, as of January 2026, had not filed the accounting of the money that a 2024 law requires.[^20][^111][^112] ### The 2019 Federal Charges -In the spring of 2019, months before the arrest, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York obtained the confidential discovery from Giuffre v. Maxwell by serving a grand jury subpoena on Giuffre's law firm, [[Boies Schiller Flexner]], under an April 9, 2019 order. On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested at [[Teterboro Airport]] in [[New Jersey]] as he returned from Paris, charged by the office under [[Geoffrey Berman]] with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy. The case was assigned to the Public Corruption Unit, which typically handles cases involving public officials; Berman declined to explain the assignment. The prosecutors were [[Alex Rossmiller]], [[Alison Moe]], and [[Maurene Comey]].[^1][^109][^110] +In the spring of 2019, months before the arrest, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York obtained the confidential discovery from Giuffre v. Maxwell by serving a grand jury subpoena on Giuffre's law firm, [[Boies Schiller Flexner]], under an April 9, 2019 order. On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested at [[Teterboro Airport]] in [[New Jersey]] as he returned from Paris, charged by the office under [[Geoffrey Berman]] with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy. The case was assigned to the Public Corruption Unit, which typically handles cases involving public officials; Berman declined to explain the assignment. The prosecutors were [[Alex Rossmiller]], [[Alison Moe]], and [[Maurene Comey]].[^1][^113][^114] -The safe in the townhouse held more than 70,000 dollars in cash, 48 loose diamonds, and an expired foreign passport with a photograph that "appears to depict the defendant, but lists a different name," issued within three years of an expired U.S. passport in Epstein's own name. The word "Austrian" entered the docket through the defense's July 16, 2019 letter, which said the passport "expired 32 years ago." The government replied that the passport "contains numerous ingress and egress stamps, including stamps that reflect use of the passport to enter France, Spain, the [[United Kingdom]], and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s." [[Marc Fernich]], Martin Weinberg, and [[Reid Weingarten]] answered that "Epstein was given the passport at issue by a friend," that "some Jewish-Americans were informally advised at the time to carry identification bearing a non-Jewish name when traveling internationally in case of hijacking," and that the stamps "predating his receipt of the document, do not reflect Mr. Epstein's entries or exits." Press reports described the passport as listing a residence in Saudi Arabia. The dispute was not resolved before Epstein's death.[^111][^112][^113] +The safe in the townhouse held more than 70,000 dollars in cash, 48 loose diamonds, and an expired foreign passport with a photograph that "appears to depict the defendant, but lists a different name," issued within three years of an expired U.S. passport in Epstein's own name. The word "Austrian" entered the docket through the defense's July 16, 2019 letter, which said the passport "expired 32 years ago." The government replied that the passport "contains numerous ingress and egress stamps, including stamps that reflect use of the passport to enter France, Spain, the [[United Kingdom]], and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s." [[Marc Fernich]], Martin Weinberg, and [[Reid Weingarten]] answered that "Epstein was given the passport at issue by a friend," that "some Jewish-Americans were informally advised at the time to carry identification bearing a non-Jewish name when traveling internationally in case of hijacking," and that the stamps "predating his receipt of the document, do not reflect Mr. Epstein's entries or exits." Press reports described the passport as listing a residence in Saudi Arabia. The dispute was not resolved before Epstein's death.[^115][^116][^117] -The government's July 16, 2019 detention supplement disclosed that on or about November 30, 2018, two days after the Miami Herald began its series, Epstein wired 100,000 dollars from a trust account he controlled to an individual named as a potential co-conspirator in the 2007 agreement and featured in the series, and that on or about December 3, 2018 he wired 250,000 dollars from the same account to a second potential co-conspirator protected by the agreement, an employee identified in the indictment as having scheduled victims' encounters with him. Both names were redacted with the court's consent. On July 18, 2019 Judge [[Richard M. Berman]], no relation to the U.S. Attorney, ordered him held without bail. On July 31, 2019 a Southern District prosecutor forwarded a New York magazine article on Epstein's finances to colleagues, asking: "Is our Office looking at Epstein for fraud-related offenses?"[^90][^112][^114] +The government's July 16, 2019 detention supplement disclosed that on or about November 30, 2018, two days after the Miami Herald began its series, Epstein wired 100,000 dollars from a trust account he controlled to an individual named as a potential co-conspirator in the 2007 agreement and featured in the series, and that on or about December 3, 2018 he wired 250,000 dollars from the same account to a second potential co-conspirator protected by the agreement, an employee identified in the indictment as having scheduled victims' encounters with him. Both names were redacted with the court's consent. On July 18, 2019 Judge [[Richard M. Berman]], no relation to the U.S. Attorney, ordered him held without bail. On July 31, 2019 a Southern District prosecutor forwarded a New York magazine article on Epstein's finances to colleagues, asking: "Is our Office looking at Epstein for fraud-related offenses?"[^94][^116][^118] ### The Detention at the Metropolitan Correctional Center -At the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York]], Epstein's cellmate was [[Nicholas Tartaglione]], a former police officer held on capital murder charges; a later internal review stated that administrators housed them together because both had high-profile cases and Tartaglione, "a certified death penalty eligible inmate," was "less likely to assault or otherwise try to harm Mr. Epstein." At about 1:27 a.m. on July 23, 2019 officers found Epstein with "a piece of handmade orange cloth around his neck." When he became responsive he told a responding officer that he thought his cellmate "tried to kill him," that the cellmate had tried "to extort money from him," and that "this has been going on for a week," and that he had told only his lawyer. The psychologist who interviewed him that day recorded that he had not told her this. On July 31 he told the Special Investigative Services lieutenant that "he has never had any issues with Tartaglione," that he was "not threatened" by him and that he "feels safe"; Tartaglione told the same investigator that Epstein had once said "fourteen (14) is legal in most states and I don't understand what's the problem here." The investigation found "insufficient evidence" of an assault, an August 2 threat assessment was "inconclusive" as to whether Epstein harmed himself, fought his cellmate, or was assaulted, and the self-mutilation incident report was later expunged.[^115][^116] +At the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York]], Epstein's cellmate was [[Nicholas Tartaglione]], a former police officer held on capital murder charges; a later internal review stated that administrators housed them together because both had high-profile cases and Tartaglione, "a certified death penalty eligible inmate," was "less likely to assault or otherwise try to harm Mr. Epstein." At about 1:27 a.m. on July 23, 2019 officers found Epstein with "a piece of handmade orange cloth around his neck." When he became responsive he told a responding officer that he thought his cellmate "tried to kill him," that the cellmate had tried "to extort money from him," and that "this has been going on for a week," and that he had told only his lawyer. The psychologist who interviewed him that day recorded that he had not told her this. On July 31 he told the Special Investigative Services lieutenant that "he has never had any issues with Tartaglione," that he was "not threatened" by him and that he "feels safe"; Tartaglione told the same investigator that Epstein had once said "fourteen (14) is legal in most states and I don't understand what's the problem here." The investigation found "insufficient evidence" of an assault, an August 2 threat assessment was "inconclusive" as to whether Epstein harmed himself, fought his cellmate, or was assaulted, and the self-mutilation incident report was later expunged.[^119][^120] -On July 30 a psychologist ordered that Epstein always have a cellmate. His next cellmate, according to the internal review, was an inmate held in protective housing who "was confirmed as proffering with the U.S. Attorney's Office." On August 8 Epstein signed a new will in a meeting with his lawyers, unknown to jail officials. On August 9 about 2,000 pages of the Giuffre v. Maxwell record were unsealed, including his 2016 deposition invoking the Fifth Amendment. That day his cellmate was transferred out and not replaced, and a unit manager let him place an unrecorded call on the legal line, supposedly to his mother, who had died in 2004; the Inspector General found he spoke for about 20 minutes with a woman identified as Individual 1, who declined to be interviewed and whose lawyer said she was in Belarus. One of Epstein's attorneys had earlier asked a senior officer "how Epstein could get an unmonitored call."[^109][^115][^116][^117] +On July 30 a psychologist ordered that Epstein always have a cellmate. His next cellmate, according to the internal review, was an inmate held in protective housing who "was confirmed as proffering with the U.S. Attorney's Office." On August 8 Epstein signed a new will in a meeting with his lawyers, unknown to jail officials. On August 9 about 2,000 pages of the Giuffre v. Maxwell record were unsealed, including his 2016 deposition invoking the Fifth Amendment. That day his cellmate was transferred out and not replaced, and a unit manager let him place an unrecorded call on the legal line, supposedly to his mother, who had died in 2004; the Inspector General found he spoke for about 20 minutes with a woman identified as Individual 1, who declined to be interviewed and whose lawyer said she was in Belarus. One of Epstein's attorneys had earlier asked a senior officer "how Epstein could get an unmonitored call."[^113][^119][^120][^121] ### The Death -On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell; nursing records log CPR compressions from 6:35 a.m. Dr. Kristin Roman performed the autopsy on August 11 and first listed the manner of death as "pending"; Chief Medical Examiner [[Barbara Sampson]] changed it to suicide by hanging days later. The guards [[Tova Noel]] and [[Michael Thomas]] had failed to perform required checks and admitted to falsifying records; they were charged in November 2019, entered deferred-prosecution agreements on May 25, 2021, and the charges were dismissed on December 13, 2021, while the Southern District declined to prosecute other staff who had also falsified records. The DVR recording system serving about half the jail's cameras, including those near the cell, failed on July 29 and 30, was discovered on August 8, and was not repaired; one camera on another system recorded the common area but not the cell door. The forensic pathologist [[Michael Baden]], retained by Epstein's brother [[Mark Epstein]], said the fractures of the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage were more consistent with homicidal strangulation than hanging, while the Medical Examiner stood by the suicide ruling. The Inspector General's June 2023 report attributed the death to the guards' negligence and the jail's failures and "did not uncover evidence contradicting the FBI's determination regarding the absence of criminality." Prison officials cited the August 9 unsealing, "combined with a lack of significant interpersonal connections," among the factors contributing to his death.[^90][^115][^116][^117] +On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell; nursing records log CPR compressions from 6:35 a.m. Dr. Kristin Roman performed the autopsy on August 11 and first listed the manner of death as "pending"; Chief Medical Examiner [[Barbara Sampson]] changed it to suicide by hanging days later. The guards [[Tova Noel]] and [[Michael Thomas]] had failed to perform required checks and admitted to falsifying records; they were charged in November 2019, entered deferred-prosecution agreements on May 25, 2021, and the charges were dismissed on December 13, 2021, while the Southern District declined to prosecute other staff who had also falsified records. The DVR recording system serving about half the jail's cameras, including those near the cell, failed on July 29 and 30, was discovered on August 8, and was not repaired; one camera on another system recorded the common area but not the cell door. The forensic pathologist [[Michael Baden]], retained by Epstein's brother [[Mark Epstein]], said the fractures of the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage were more consistent with homicidal strangulation than hanging, while the Medical Examiner stood by the suicide ruling. The Inspector General's June 2023 report attributed the death to the guards' negligence and the jail's failures and "did not uncover evidence contradicting the FBI's determination regarding the absence of criminality." Prison officials cited the August 9 unsealing, "combined with a lack of significant interpersonal connections," among the factors contributing to his death.[^94][^119][^120][^121] -Documents released in 2026 showed that JPMorgan filed a suspicious activity report on November 22, 2019 on twelve cash deposits by Noel, the largest 5,000 dollars on July 30, 2019; she was not asked about them in her 2021 interview. A search for "latest on epstein in jail" was run on her workstation at 5:42 and 5:52 a.m. on August 10; she said she did not recall it. On August 19, 2019, a jail employee told the FBI that an inmate said Bureau of Prisons after-action staff "were shredding boxes of paperwork"; the records do not show that the dumpster was searched. The Justice Department and FBI memorandum of July 7, 2025 reaffirmed suicide, citing "the August 19, 2019 autopsy findings" (the autopsy was on August 11) and describing Epstein as locked in "at around 10:40 pm" (the Inspector General dates lock-in to about 8 p.m.); its "full raw" video had been assembled in Adobe Premiere under a Windows account "MJCOLE~1," with close to three minutes missing. Maurene Comey was fired without stated cause on July 16, 2025, nine days after the memorandum.[^116][^117][^118][^119][^120] +Documents released in 2026 showed that JPMorgan filed a suspicious activity report on November 22, 2019 on twelve cash deposits by Noel, the largest 5,000 dollars on July 30, 2019; she was not asked about them in her 2021 interview. A search for "latest on epstein in jail" was run on her workstation at 5:42 and 5:52 a.m. on August 10; she said she did not recall it. On August 19, 2019, a jail employee told the FBI that an inmate said Bureau of Prisons after-action staff "were shredding boxes of paperwork"; the records do not show that the dumpster was searched. The Justice Department and FBI memorandum of July 7, 2025 reaffirmed suicide, citing "the August 19, 2019 autopsy findings" (the autopsy was on August 11) and describing Epstein as locked in "at around 10:40 pm" (the Inspector General dates lock-in to about 8 p.m.); its "full raw" video had been assembled in Adobe Premiere under a Windows account "MJCOLE~1," with close to three minutes missing. Maurene Comey was fired without stated cause on July 16, 2025, nine days after the memorandum.[^120][^121][^122][^123][^124] ### The Estate and the Executors -Epstein's will, signed on August 8, 2019, named Indyke and Kahn as executors and [[Boris Nikolic]], formerly chief science adviser to Bill Gates, as backup executor; Nikolic said he "was not consulted in these matters and I have no intent to fulfill these duties, whatsoever." The will left Nowak 5 million dollars, which Nowak said he has not received. The co-executors valued Epstein's Virgin Islands property at 577,672,654 dollars in the August 15, 2019 probate petition; the estate's February 2021 accounting showed about 240.8 million dollars and September 2026 filings 107.6 million dollars. The 1953 Trust, signed two days before his death, leaves 100 million dollars to [[Karyna Shuliak]], 50 million to Indyke and 25 million to Kahn, paid in that order.[^11][^75][^103][^121] +Epstein's will, signed on August 8, 2019, named Indyke and Kahn as executors and [[Boris Nikolic]], formerly chief science adviser to Bill Gates, as backup executor; Nikolic said he "was not consulted in these matters and I have no intent to fulfill these duties, whatsoever." The will left Nowak 5 million dollars, which Nowak said he has not received. The co-executors valued Epstein's Virgin Islands property at 577,672,654 dollars in the August 15, 2019 probate petition; the estate's February 2021 accounting showed about 240.8 million dollars and September 2026 filings 107.6 million dollars. The 1953 Trust, signed two days before his death, leaves 100 million dollars to [[Karyna Shuliak]], 50 million to Indyke and 25 million to Kahn, paid in that order.[^11][^79][^107][^125] -The territory alleged that Epstein entities paid Indyke more than 16 million dollars and Kahn more than 10 million dollars net from 2011 to 2019 through companies it called shells, and that the two held at least 140 bank accounts with Epstein. Indyke testified in March 2026 that Epstein's 40 million dollars invested in 2015 and 2016 in two funds of [[Valar Ventures]], co-founded by Peter Thiel, was worth about 172 million dollars. The estate agreed in February 2026 to pay up to 35 million dollars to settle a victims' class action against the co-executors (Doe 3 v. Indyke, No. 1:24-cv-01204), and in September 2026 federal prosecutors in Manhattan were reported to be investigating both men, who deny knowing of Epstein's crimes. Wyden's August 2026 report stated that federal prosecutors never questioned Indyke, Kahn or Beller, none of whom has been charged.[^11][^12][^103][^122][^123] +The territory alleged that Epstein entities paid Indyke more than 16 million dollars and Kahn more than 10 million dollars net from 2011 to 2019 through companies it called shells, and that the two held at least 140 bank accounts with Epstein. Indyke testified in March 2026 that Epstein's 40 million dollars invested in 2015 and 2016 in two funds of [[Valar Ventures]], co-founded by Peter Thiel, was worth about 172 million dollars. The estate agreed in February 2026 to pay up to 35 million dollars to settle a victims' class action against the co-executors (Doe 3 v. Indyke, No. 1:24-cv-01204), and in September 2026 federal prosecutors in Manhattan were reported to be investigating both men, who deny knowing of Epstein's crimes. Wyden's August 2026 report stated that federal prosecutors never questioned Indyke, Kahn or Beller, none of whom has been charged.[^11][^12][^107][^126][^127] ### Maxwell and the Giuffre Litigation After 2019 -Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in [[New Hampshire]] in July 2020 and convicted in December 2021 on five federal counts including sex trafficking of a minor, and sentenced to 20 years in June 2022. The Giuffre v. Maxwell summary judgment record ordered released in Brown v. Maxwell was unsealed on August 9, 2019; Maxwell's April 2016 deposition was unsealed on July 23, 2020, and further tranches followed through January 2024. On July 23, 2025 the Second Circuit vacated Preska's December 2019 and January 2020 unsealing orders. Virginia Giuffre died by suicide in Australia in April 2025; her memoir, [[Nobody's Girl]], was published posthumously in 2025. She died intestate, and in November 2025 the Supreme Court of Western Australia appointed [[Ian Torrington Blatchford]] interim administrator; his authority extends to the reopened Giuffre v. Maxwell docket, recaptioned in his name on September 3, 2026, to an arbitration involving Dershowitz, and to a defamation suit against the estate by [[Rina Oh]].[^22][^23][^109][^124][^125] +Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in [[New Hampshire]] in July 2020 and convicted in December 2021 on five federal counts including sex trafficking of a minor, and sentenced to 20 years in June 2022. The Giuffre v. Maxwell summary judgment record ordered released in Brown v. Maxwell was unsealed on August 9, 2019; Maxwell's April 2016 deposition was unsealed on July 23, 2020, and further tranches followed through January 2024. On July 23, 2025 the Second Circuit vacated Preska's December 2019 and January 2020 unsealing orders. Virginia Giuffre died by suicide in Australia in April 2025; her memoir, [[Nobody's Girl]], was published posthumously in 2025. She died intestate, and in November 2025 the Supreme Court of Western Australia appointed [[Ian Torrington Blatchford]] interim administrator; his authority extends to the reopened Giuffre v. Maxwell docket, recaptioned in his name on September 3, 2026, to an arbitration involving Dershowitz, and to a defamation suit against the estate by [[Rina Oh]].[^22][^23][^113][^128][^129] -On July 18, 2025, Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]], formerly Trump's personal criminal attorney, entered an appearance in Maxwell's closed criminal case and moved to unseal the grand jury transcripts; Judge [[Paul Engelmayer]] denied the motion on August 11, 2025. Blanche interviewed Maxwell under limited immunity on July 24 and 25, 2025; she said Trump "was always very cordial and very kind to me" and that she did not know how he and Epstein met. On August 1 she was moved to the minimum-security [[Federal Prison Camp Bryan]], and Senator [[Sheldon Whitehouse]] wrote that the transfer "raises questions about whether she has been given special treatment in exchange for political favors."[^126][^127][^128] +On July 18, 2025, Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]], formerly Trump's personal criminal attorney, entered an appearance in Maxwell's closed criminal case and moved to unseal the grand jury transcripts; Judge [[Paul Engelmayer]] denied the motion on August 11, 2025. Blanche interviewed Maxwell under limited immunity on July 24 and 25, 2025; she said Trump "was always very cordial and very kind to me" and that she did not know how he and Epstein met. On August 1 she was moved to the minimum-security [[Federal Prison Camp Bryan]], and Senator [[Sheldon Whitehouse]] wrote that the transfer "raises questions about whether she has been given special treatment in exchange for political favors."[^130][^131][^132] ### The Epstein Files, 2025 and 2026 -On February 27, 2025, Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] released a "first phase" of [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]] that the department itself described as "largely" previously leaked, and on July 7, 2025, the department and the FBI issued an unsigned memorandum stating that their review "revealed no incriminating 'client list'" and that "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." Senator [[Dick Durbin]] wrote on July 18 that, according to information his office received, FBI records staff reviewing some 100,000 Epstein records in March 2025 "were instructed to 'flag' any records in which President Trump was mentioned." Treasury Secretary [[Scott Bessent]] declined Wyden's March 11, June 16 and September 2, 2025 requests for the Treasury's Epstein suspicious-activity file and on January 22, 2026 said it had given the records to the House Oversight Committee instead.[^12][^118][^129][^130] +On February 27, 2025, Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] released a "first phase" of [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]] that the department itself described as "largely" previously leaked, and on July 7, 2025, the department and the FBI issued an unsigned memorandum stating that their review "revealed no incriminating 'client list'" and that "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." Senator [[Dick Durbin]] wrote on July 18 that, according to information his office received, FBI records staff reviewing some 100,000 Epstein records in March 2025 "were instructed to 'flag' any records in which President Trump was mentioned." Treasury Secretary [[Scott Bessent]] declined Wyden's March 11, June 16 and September 2, 2025 requests for the Treasury's Epstein suspicious-activity file and on January 22, 2026 said it had given the records to the House Oversight Committee instead.[^12][^122][^133][^134] -A separate strand concerned the 2003 "birthday book" assembled for Epstein's 50th birthday, which the [[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]] reported in July 2025 contained a bawdy letter bearing Donald Trump's signature; Trump denied authorship and sued the paper, and the House Oversight Committee released the book on September 8, 2025 under an August 25 subpoena to the estate.[^78] +A separate strand concerned the 2003 "birthday book" assembled for Epstein's 50th birthday, which the [[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]] reported in July 2025 contained a bawdy letter bearing Donald Trump's signature; Trump denied authorship and sued the paper, and the House Oversight Committee released the book on September 8, 2025 under an August 25 subpoena to the estate.[^82] -On November 14, 2025, at Trump's request, Bondi assigned [[Jay Clayton]] to investigate Epstein's dealings with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman and JPMorgan Chase. Five days later Trump signed the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]] (H.R. 4405, Pub. L. No. 119-38), which the House had passed 427 to 1 after a discharge petition by Thomas Massie and [[Ro Khanna]], and which permits withholding records that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation." The department missed the December 19, 2025 deadline, disclosed on December 24 that it had found more than a million additional documents, and on January 30, 2026 published the bulk of the material, bringing the total to nearly 3.5 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images; its letter to Congress that day stated that about 200,000 pages had been withheld or redacted under privileges the statute does not list.[^28][^131][^132][^133][^134] +On November 14, 2025, at Trump's request, Bondi assigned [[Jay Clayton]] to investigate Epstein's dealings with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman and JPMorgan Chase. Five days later Trump signed the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]] (H.R. 4405, Pub. L. No. 119-38), which the House had passed 427 to 1 after a discharge petition by Thomas Massie and [[Ro Khanna]], and which permits withholding records that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation." The department missed the December 19, 2025 deadline, disclosed on December 24 that it had found more than a million additional documents, and on January 30, 2026 published the bulk of the material, bringing the total to nearly 3.5 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images; its letter to Congress that day stated that about 200,000 pages had been withheld or redacted under privileges the statute does not list.[^32][^135][^136][^137][^138] -The January 2026 release stated that "notable individuals and politicians were not redacted"; four senators called that "plainly false" in asking the [[Government Accountability Office]] to review the department's redaction and release process, which the GAO agreed to do in late April 2026, days after the department's inspector general opened its own audit. In February and March 2026 NPR and CNN reported that FBI interview records of a woman who accused both Epstein and Trump were missing from the public library; the department said nothing had been deleted, later published three of the interviews as records mistakenly tagged as duplicates, and NPR counted 37 pages still missing. A White House spokeswoman said Trump "has been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein." On January 13, 2026 Massie and Khanna asked Engelmayer to appoint a special master, reporting that the department had "publicly released only 12,285 documents" of "more than 2 million" under review; he denied the motion on January 21, 2026 for want of jurisdiction. On August 11, 2026 Preska authorized the government to release under the Act the Boies Schiller material obtained by the 2019 subpoena, over Maxwell's opposition.[^109][^135][^136][^137][^138] +The January 2026 release stated that "notable individuals and politicians were not redacted"; four senators called that "plainly false" in asking the [[Government Accountability Office]] to review the department's redaction and release process, which the GAO agreed to do in late April 2026, days after the department's inspector general opened its own audit. In February and March 2026 NPR and CNN reported that FBI interview records of a woman who accused both Epstein and Trump were missing from the public library; the department said nothing had been deleted, later published three of the interviews as records mistakenly tagged as duplicates, and NPR counted 37 pages still missing. A White House spokeswoman said Trump "has been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein." On January 13, 2026 Massie and Khanna asked Engelmayer to appoint a special master, reporting that the department had "publicly released only 12,285 documents" of "more than 2 million" under review; he denied the motion on January 21, 2026 for want of jurisdiction. On August 11, 2026 Preska authorized the government to release under the Act the Boies Schiller material obtained by the 2019 subpoena, over Maxwell's opposition.[^113][^139][^140][^141][^142] -The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi on March 4, 2026; Trump removed her on April 2 and named Blanche acting Attorney General. On March 3, 2026 Finance Committee chairman [[Mike Crapo]] objected to Wyden's request to pass the Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act (S. 2746), citing the House review and the Banking Committee's jurisdiction. Wyden's August 4, 2026 report, "Looking the Other Way," stated that Blanche had intervened to block the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] from answering his request about a federal investigation in which Epstein and associates had been targets, and that a 60 Minutes interview Wyden taped on March 26, 2026 was not aired after CBS News fired correspondent [[Sharyn Alfonsi]].[^12][^139][^140][^141][^142] +The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi on March 4, 2026; Trump removed her on April 2 and named Blanche acting Attorney General. On March 3, 2026 Finance Committee chairman [[Mike Crapo]] objected to Wyden's request to pass the Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act (S. 2746), citing the House review and the Banking Committee's jurisdiction. Wyden's August 4, 2026 report, "Looking the Other Way," stated that Blanche had intervened to block the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] from answering his request about a federal investigation in which Epstein and associates had been targets, and that a 60 Minutes interview Wyden taped on March 26, 2026 was not aired after CBS News fired correspondent [[Sharyn Alfonsi]].[^12][^143][^144][^145][^146] -The 2025 and 2026 releases produced resignations and removals without prosecutions. Summers left the [[OpenAI]] board on November 19, 2025, was banned for life by the [[American Economic Association]] on December 2, 2025, and resigned from Harvard on February 25, 2026, the day after The Boston Globe sent the university its questions; Harvard placed Nowak on leave the same day. Pritzker retired as executive chairman of [[Hyatt Hotels Corporation|Hyatt]] on February 17, 2026, and Ruemmler resigned as general counsel of [[Goldman Sachs]].[^75][^143][^144][^145] +The 2025 and 2026 releases produced resignations and removals without prosecutions. Summers left the [[OpenAI]] board on November 19, 2025, was banned for life by the [[American Economic Association]] on December 2, 2025, and resigned from Harvard on February 25, 2026, the day after The Boston Globe sent the university its questions; Harvard placed Nowak on leave the same day. Pritzker retired as executive chairman of [[Hyatt Hotels Corporation|Hyatt]] on February 17, 2026, and Ruemmler resigned as general counsel of [[Goldman Sachs]].[^79][^147][^148][^149] ### Footnotes @@ -440,121 +442,125 @@ The 2025 and 2026 releases produced resignations and removals without prosecutio [^25]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: email chain, "RE: FAA Question," FAA Law Enforcement Assistance Program special agent to federal investigators, August 24 to September 29, 2021, EFTA00021675 to EFTA00021680 (DataSet 8). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00021675.pdf [^26]: United States v. Epstein, draft indictment, S.D. Fla. (unfiled, 2007), paras. 1 to 6, EFTA01703108 to EFTA01703163 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01703108.pdf [^27]: "Epstein files live updates: Trump DOJ releases millions more pages of records," *NBC News,* January 30, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/live-blog/epstein-files-trump-doj-release-live-updates-rcna256639 -[^28]: "New Epstein files include photos, documents with redactions as DOJ releases initial trove of records." *CBS News,* 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/epstein-files-released-2025/ ; "DOJ says it has found over a million additional documents potentially related to Epstein." *CNN,* December 24, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/24/politics/epstein-documents-doj-million ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Files Transparency Act disclosures. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/doj-disclosures -[^29]: Palm Beach Police Department, probable cause affidavit of Detective Joseph Recarey regarding Jeffrey Epstein, sworn May 1, 2006 (redacted). https://archive.org/stream/JeffreyEpstein/Jeffrey%20Epstein%20Redacted%20Probable%20Cause%20Affadavit_djvu.txt -[^30]: "Judge releases Jeffrey Epstein grand jury investigation transcripts," *WUSF / Associated Press,* July 1, 2024. https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-07-01/florida-judge-releases-transcripts-2006-grand-jury-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking -[^31]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, full report on the Southern District of Florida's resolution of the 2006-2008 Epstein investigation, November 2020, as produced in the Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (Prior DOJ Disclosures, Memos and Correspondence). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf -[^32]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: "jagesq" to Jeffrey Epstein, "krischer richardson," December 15, 2010, EFTA01830557 (DataSet 10); Krischer, Belohlavek and USAFLS, "RE: Meeting with Epstein's attorneys," September 19 to 25, 2007, EFTA00215188 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01830557.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00215188.pdf -[^33]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," Executive Summary, November 2020, pp. i-x. https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl ; archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20260623200353id_/https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl -[^34]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426-cr, slip op. at 6, 9-12 (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024), reported at 118 F.4th 256, quoting the NPA at A-178. https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2024/09/17/united_states_v._maxwell.pdf -[^35]: The White House (George W. Bush archives), "Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta," official biography. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/racosta-bio.html -[^36]: U.S. Department of State, "Jay Lefkowitz, Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea," official biography, 2005. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/66929.htm -[^37]: "Jeffrey Epstein's Disgraced Lawyer Jay Lefkowitz Who Secured Sweetheart Deal Leaves Firm," *The Daily Beast,* March 2026. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-disgraced-lawyer-jay-lefkowitz-who-secured-sweetheart-deal-leaves-firm/ -[^38]: Letter of Gerald B. Lefcourt and Alan M. Dershowitz, July 6, 2007, Exhibit 46, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla.), ECF No. 361-46 (Feb. 10, 2016). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.361.46.pdf -[^39]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Plaintiff's Statement of Material Facts, ECF No. 221 (filed July 24, 2023), paras. 123-124, 257, 290-310, 374. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.221.0.pdf -[^40]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Ann Marie Villafana to FBI agents, "RE: Epstein Indictment" and "RE: DOBs," February 14, 2008, EFTA00225102 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00225102.pdf -[^41]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeff Sloman and Ann Marie Villafana, "Re: Did u hear?," May 16, 2008, EFTA00214486 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00214486.pdf -[^42]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, pp. 1, 9 to 10, 12, 19 to 20, 24, 28 to 29, 34, 38, 45, 48, 50 to 51. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf -[^43]: "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000 during incarceration for prostitution charges," *WPTV,* 2019. https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/new-jeffrey-epstein-paid-palm-beach-sheriffs-office-128-000-during-incarceration-for-prostitution -[^44]: "Florida authorities find no evidence of criminal activity in state's handling of Jeffrey Epstein case," *NBC News,* May 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-authorities-no-evidence-criminal-activity-state-s-handling-jeffrey-n1266888 -[^45]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility report on the Southern District of Florida's resolution of the Epstein investigation, November 2020, pp. 116 to 117 (Villafana email of December 3, 2008 and letter of December 11, 2008). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf -[^46]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629, DataSet 10, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System overtime report forms, Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," July 1 to 14, 2009, faxed July 21, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01308629.pdf -[^47]: Settlement Agreement and General Release, Jane Doe No. 102 v. Jeffrey Epstein, No. 09-80656-CIV-Marra/Johnson (S.D. Fla.), filed in Giuffre v. Prince Andrew, No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 32-1 (Oct. 29, 2021). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.564713/gov.uscourts.nysd.564713.32.1.pdf -[^48]: *In re Wild*, No. 19-13843, 994 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. Apr. 15, 2021) (en banc). https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913843.enb.pdf -[^49]: Supreme Court of the United States, docket No. 21-351, order of February 22, 2022 denying certiorari. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-351.html -[^50]: Ward, Vicky. "Jeffrey Epstein's Sick Story Played Out for Years in Plain Sight." *The Daily Beast,* July 9, 2019. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-sick-story-played-out-for-years-in-plain-sight/ ; for Acosta's denial, his voluntary transcribed interview with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, September 19, 2025 (transcript released October 17, 2025): "Alex Acosta, former US attorney who negotiated Epstein's plea deal, appears before House Oversight Committee," *ABC News,* October 2025. https://abcnews.com/Politics/alex-acosta-former-us-attorney-negotiated-epsteins-plea/story?id=125731737 -[^51]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Chief, Public Corruption Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Office of Professional Responsibility, "RE: Draft OPR Report," August 21, 2020, EFTA00077309 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00077309.pdf -[^52]: Debra Cassens Weiss, "Jeffrey Epstein had dinners with top criminal prosecutor in years following favorable deal, documents show," *ABA Journal,* October 20, 2025. https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jeffrey-epstein-had-dinners-with-top-criminal-prosecutor-in-years-following-favorable-deal-documents-show -[^53]: Maxwell v. United States, No. 24-1073 (U.S.), cert. denied (Oct. 6, 2025). https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1073.html -[^54]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: email from an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York, subject "memos," May 6, 2020, EFTA00030339 (DataSet 8). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00030339.pdf -[^55]: Lopez, Diane E., Ara B. Gershengorn, and Martin F. Murphy. *Report Concerning Jeffrey E. Epstein's Connections to Harvard University.* Harvard University Office of the General Counsel and Foley Hoag LLP, May 1, 2020, pp. 3-5, 10-17, 20-23 and nn. 8-10. https://www.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reportconcerning-Jeffrey-Epstein.pdf ; https://ogc.harvard.edu/report-concerning-Epstein -[^56]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein Called Himself A 'Science Philanthropist' And Donated Millions To These Researchers," *BuzzFeed News,* July 11, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-science-donations -[^57]: Neuman, Scott, and Ava Berger. "Epstein paid for a conference of top scientists in 2006. His motives are now clear," *NPR,* March 9, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/09/nx-s1-5721150/epstein-scientists-physics-virgin-islands-conference -[^58]: Minsky, Marvin L., Push Singh, and Aaron Sloman. "The St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium: Designing Architectures for Human-Level Intelligence," *AI Magazine* 25, no. 2 (2004): 113. https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v25i2.1764 ; Brandom, Russell. "AI pioneer accused of having sex with trafficking victim on Jeffrey Epstein's island," *The Verge,* August 9, 2019. https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/9/20798900/marvin-minsky-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-island-court-records-unsealed -[^59]: EFTA00328899, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, Data Set 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00328899.pdf; EFTA00714297, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, Data Set 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00714297.pdf; EFTA00337558, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, Data Set 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00337558.pdf. -[^60]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein's Links To Scientists Are Even More Extensive Than We Thought," *BuzzFeed News,* August 27, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-science-donations-apologies-statements -[^61]: Goodwin Procter LLP. *Report Concerning Jeffrey Epstein's Interactions with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.* January 10, 2020, pp. 5, 10, 28 n. 28. https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/20200121GoodwinProcterReport.pdf -[^62]: "Billionaire Leon Black made a $158 million payment to Jeffrey Epstein. Senators want to know why," *CNN Business,* July 25, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/business/leon-black-jeffrey-epstein-senate-investigation -[^63]: Owermohle, Sarah, and Austin Culpepper. "How Epstein enlisted Harvard scientists to burnish his reputation, and try to make a profit," *CNN,* February 19, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/politics/harvard-epstein-donations-influence-exclusive -[^64]: Molteni, Megan. "Jeffrey Epstein's tissue samples ignited a furor in the Harvard lab of George Church," *STAT,* February 24, 2026. https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/24/epstein-cell-line-george-church-harvard-personal-genome-project/ -[^65]: Farrow, Ronan. "How an Elite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," *The New Yorker,* September 6, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-an-elite-university-research-center-concealed-its-relationship-with-jeffrey-epstein -[^66]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Peggy Siegal and George Stephanopoulos, "Thursday small dinner for Prince Andrew," November and December 2010, EFTA02411832 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02411832.pdf -[^67]: Ponieman, Natan. *Benzinga,* May 2023, on Epstein's private calendar, summarizing the *Wall Street Journal.* https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/05/32134015/private-calendar-reveals-jeffrey-epsteins-meetings-with-cia-director-noamchomsky-and-goldman-sachs ; *The Daily Beast,* May 2023, on Epstein's calendar meetings with Noam Chomsky and William Burns. https://www.thedailybeast.com/epstein-calendar-reveals-meetings-with-noam-chomsky-and-former-cia-chief-william-burns/ ; "The Former Biglaw Partner In Jeffrey Epstein's Private Calendar." *Above the Law,* May 2023, summarizing the *Wall Street Journal.* https://abovethelaw.com/2023/05/the-former-biglaw-partner-in-jeffrey-epsteins-private-calendar/ -[^68]: Hamilton, Katherine. "Jeffrey Epstein Moved Money For Noam Chomsky, Paid Bard President Botstein $150,000, Report Says." *Forbes,* May 17, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/05/17/jeffrey-epstein-moved-money-for-noam-chomsky-paid-bard-president-botstein-150000-report-says/ -[^69]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Kathy Ruemmler to Jeffrey Epstein, January 8, 2015, EFTA02386175 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02386175.pdf -[^70]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01348714, DataSet 10, check image, Gratitude America, Ltd, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, to Leon Botstein, August 1, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01348714.pdf ; EFTA01348725, DataSet 10, check image, February 3, 2016 (Bates DB-SDNY-0035646). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01348725.pdf ; "Leon Botstein received $150,000 from Jeffrey Epstein," *Inside Higher Ed,* May 18, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/05/18/leon-botstein-received-150000-jeffrey-epstein -[^71]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01615267, DataSet 10, iMessage log with the contact "Steve Bannon," August 23, 2018, EFTA01615267 to EFTA01615272. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01615267.pdf ; "'Let me see the videotapes': Mark Epstein wants Steve Bannon's 15 hours of unseen footage of his brother," *NBC News,* 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/mark-epstein-steve-bannon-15-hours-brother-jeffrey-epstein-rcna219630 -[^72]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Tom Pritzker to Jeffrey Epstein, "RE: Re:," August 8, 2016, EFTA01783338 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01783338.pdf -[^73]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: email to Jeffrey Epstein, sender redacted, "Any other," August 12, 2010, EFTA02407727 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02407727.pdf ; Saida Sapieva to Lesley Groff, "CONFIRMED: DINNER: Sunday, 8/2," July 31, 2015, EFTA00344556, and reply chain, EFTA00344564 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00344556.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00344564.pdf ; email chain, Jeffrey Epstein and a redacted correspondent, February 6, 2016, EFTA01738574 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01738574.pdf -[^74]: "Epstein's Silicon Valley ties extended beyond just Musk and Gates." *CNBC,* February 9, 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/09/tech-leaders-epstein-records-silicon-valley-sergey-brin-thiel-sinofsky-reid-hoffman-musk-gates.html -[^75]: Fernandes, Deirdre, and Tricia L. Nadolny. "Introductions to women. Free flights. Business deals. Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Harvard run deeper than previously known," *The Boston Globe,* February 25, 2026. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/25/metro/jeffrey-epstein-harvard-spotlight-report/ -[^76]: Ruetenik, Daniel, and Graham Kates. "Lutnick and Epstein were in business together, Epstein files show." *CBS News,* February 7, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-lutnick-jeffrey-epstein-in-business-together/ -[^77]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: FBI Form FD-71A Guardian Complaint Form, "Alleged Money Laundering by Howard Lutnick via BGC Financial and Cantor Fitzgerald," case 50D-NY-3027571, April 23, 2021, EFTA01249210 (DataSet 9); calendar alert, December 20, 2012, EFTA02152992 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01249210.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02152992.pdf -[^78]: "Birthday letter to Epstein bore Trump's signature, drawing of naked woman, Wall Street Journal reports." *CNN,* July 17, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/politics/epstein-birthday-letter-trump ; "Trump Epstein letter and drawing from 'birthday book' released." *CNBC,* September 8, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/08/trump-epstein-birthday-book-oversight.html -[^79]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: FBI New York internal email on the Prince Andrew MLAT request, June 8, 2020, EFTA00149598 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00149598.pdf -[^80]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: correspondence of Tomer Toor, Darren Indyke, Ehud Barak and Jeffrey Epstein on the exercise of Carbyne warrants, February and March 2019, EFTA02632339 and EFTA02634615 (DataSet 11); Richard Kahn and Darren Indyke on Carbyne financial statements, March 2019, EFTA01035810 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02632339.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02634615.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01035810.pdf -[^81]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Ehud Barak to Jabor Al Thani, copied to Jeffrey Epstein, "Qatar Presentation <> Carbyne 911," January 1, 2019, EFTA02607775, and continuing thread to February 4, 2019, EFTA02628648 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02607775.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02628648.pdf -[^82]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeffrey Epstein to Peter Thiel, May 21, 2018, EFTA01052344 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01052344.pdf -[^83]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeffrey Epstein and Nicole Junkermann, February 18, 2019, EFTA02630791 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02630791.pdf -[^84]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: iMessage logs with the contact "Vitaly Churkin," November 16, 2015 to January 10, 2017, EFTA01619434, EFTA01619438 and EFTA01619444 (DataSet 10); Lesley Groff, "Churkin to join lunch tomorrow as well," August 28, 2016, EFTA02044775 (DataSet 10); scheduling of Maxim Churkin, July and August 2017, EFTA02219806 (DataSet 11) and EFTA00676901 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01619434.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01619438.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01619444.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02044775.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02219806.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00676901.pdf -[^85]: U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, deposition of William P. Barr, August 18, 2025, transcript released September 2025. https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Barr-Transcript.pdf -[^86]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeffrey Epstein to Martin Weinberg, "Re: CIA FOIA Request," July 18, 2011, EFTA00915248; Weinberg to Epstein, same date, EFTA00687827; FBI Privacy Waiver and Certification of Identity, EFTA00624683 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00915248.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00687827.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00624683.pdf -[^87]: Complaint, Farmer v. United States, No. 1:25-cv-01709-RBW (D.D.C. May 29, 2025), paras. 80, 85-126, 176-185, citing United States v. Epstein, 27 F. Supp. 2d 404 (S.D.N.Y. 1998). https://www.jamesmarshlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Doc-1-Complaint-05-29-2025.pdf -[^88]: Maria Farmer and Sarah Ransome, Claim for Damage, Injury, or Death (Standard Form 95), signed July 20, 2023. https://www.jamesmarshlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Farmer-and-Ransome-Jeffrey-Epstein-Notice-of-Claim-FBI-07-20-2023.pdf -[^89]: "Maria Farmer and Marsh Law Firm's Persistent Advocacy Vindicated as FBI Releases Farmer's 1996 Report on Jeffrey Epstein," *Marsh Law Firm,* December 23, 2025. https://www.jamesmarshlaw.com/persistent-advocacy-vindicated/ -[^90]: "NYC medical examiner rejects claim that Jeffrey Epstein's death was a homicide." *CNN,* October 30, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/us/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-fox ; "Jeffrey Epstein autopsy finds broken bones in his neck." *CNN,* August 15, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/15/us/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-broken-neck -[^91]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: "Gmax" to Jeffrey Epstein, December 8, 2009, EFTA02434764 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02434764.pdf -[^92]: Suzanne Carlson, "Epstein estate could be ordered to repay more than $144 million in tax breaks," *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 13, 2020 (ECF No. 158-36 in No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR). http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/epstein-estate-could-be-ordered-to-repay-more-than-144-million-in-tax-breaks/article_b84d9710-14af-5e69-a890-bcf8265cf8f9.html -[^93]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Expert Report of Jorge Amador, ECF No. 238-31 (filed July 25, 2023), report pp. 6, 16-17, 24, 46, 74. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.238.31.pdf -[^94]: Dechert LLP, Memorandum to the Apollo Conflicts Committee, January 22, 2021, Exhibit 99.1 to Apollo Global Management Form 8-K (January 25, 2021), pp. 3 to 5, 16 to 17. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1411494/000119312521016405/d118102dex991.htm -[^95]: Letter from Senator Ron Wyden to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and FBI Director Kash Patel, March 11, 2025. https://www.finance.senate.gov/download/wyden-letter-to-doj-treasury-fbi-on-epsteinpdf?download=1 -[^96]: Settlement Agreement and Release between the Government of the United States Virgin Islands and Leon Black, executed January 20, 2023. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/usvi_black_settlement_agreement_-_executedpdf.pdf -[^97]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01071282, DataSet 9, "Checklist for Leon Black Estate Planning and Restructuring," as of October 2, 2013. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01071282.pdf ; EFTA00982173, DataSet 9, email, Ada Clapp to Jeffrey Epstein, "6.7.13 Checklist for Leon Black Estate Planning and Restructuring-updated 1.14.14," January 21, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00982173.pdf ; EFTA00702518, DataSet 9, email, Barry J. Cohen to Jeffrey Epstein, "S&C: Leon Black Estate Planning," July 24, 2017. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00702518.pdf -[^98]: Deposition of James Dimon, May 26, 2023, No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), transcript pp. 261-269. https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rQOuhi8KqiM0/v0 -[^99]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808715, Court Records, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), letter motion of Motley Rice to Judge Jed S. Rakoff seeking leave to reopen depositions, June 7, 2023 (ECF No. 191). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808715.pdf ; EFTA02808625, Court Records, same case, letter of JPMorgan's counsel in opposition, June 9, 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808625.pdf ; EFTA02814941, Court Records, same case, Order of Judge Jed S. Rakoff, August 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02814941.pdf -[^100]: Staley v The Financial Conduct Authority [2025] UKUT 00203 (TCC), decision released June 26, 2025. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685d21fec2633bd820a92a52/Staley_v_FCA_decision_for_release.pdf -[^101]: New York State Department of Financial Services, Consent Order in the Matter of Deutsche Bank AG et al., July 6, 2020, paras. 26, 33. https://www.dfs.ny.gov/industry_guidance/enforcement_discipline/ea20200706_deutsche_bank ; Letter from Senator Ron Wyden to Chairman James Comer and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, June 4, 2026. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_letter_to_house_oversight_on_leon_black-epstein_060426.pdf -[^102]: "JPMorgan settles with Jeffrey Epstein victims for $290 million." *WHYY,* 2023. https://whyy.org/articles/jpmorgan-settlement/ ; "Ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley fined and banned by UK regulator for Epstein ties." *AP/AOL,* 2023. https://www.aol.com/finance/ex-barclays-ceo-jes-staley-142727090.html -[^103]: Em Steck, "Epstein left millions to his closest advisers. A shrinking estate and new lawsuits may stand in the way," *CNN,* September 21, 2026. https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/21/politics/jeffrey-epstein-estate-lawsuit-vis -[^104]: Financial Conduct Authority, Final Notice to James Edward Staley, July 23, 2025. https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/final-notices/james-edward-staley-2025.pdf -[^105]: "V.I. Officials Enabled Epstein to Act With Impunity, JPMorgan Alleges in Latest Salvo." *St. Thomas Source,* June 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20240721172424/https://stthomassource.com/content/2023/06/16/v-i-officials-enabled-epstein-to-act-with-impunity-jpmorgan-alleges-in-latest-salvo/ -[^106]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Court filings show V.I. First Lady's loyalty to Epstein." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* June 21, 2023. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/court-filings-show-v-i-first-ladys-loyalty-to-epstein/article_c2dca0a7-a243-5365-88c0-389c576ad022.html -[^107]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html -[^108]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Bryan unapologetic for texts with Epstein, doubles down on denial of wrongdoing." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* March 3, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/bryan-unapologetic-for-texts-with-epstein-doubles-down-on-denial-of-wrongdoing/article_8bab46a1-6075-4c7c-abec-6efb19622e62.html -[^109]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 1:15-cv-07433 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1360 with Exhibits 2-9 (Feb. 20, 2026), describing In re Grand Jury Subpoena, No. 19-MC-149 (CM) (April 9, 2019 order); Order, ECF No. 1367 (Aug. 11, 2026); Order, ECF No. 1370 (Sept. 3, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/ian-torrington-blatchford-as-interim-administrator-of-virginia-giuffres/ -[^110]: "Jeffrey Epstein operated a vast sex-trafficking network of underage girls who recruited other victims, prosecutors say." *CNN,* July 8, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/08/us/jeffrey-epstein-monday-court-appearance -[^111]: "Jeffrey Epstein used foreign passport with fake name to enter Saudi Arabia: prosecutors." *NBC News,* July 17, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/jeffrey-epstein-used-foreign-passport-fake-name-enter-saudi-arabia-n1031046 -[^112]: *United States v. Epstein,* No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 23, Letter from AUSA Alison Moe to Judge Richard M. Berman (Supplement to Detention Memorandum), July 16, 2019, pp. 1-3. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649.23.0_2.pdf -[^113]: *United States v. Epstein,* No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 30, Letter from AUSA Alison Moe, July 17, 2019 (quoting ECF No. 24 at 7); ECF No. 31, Letter from Marc Fernich, Martin Weinberg, and Reid Weingarten, July 18, 2019. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/ -[^114]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: internal USANYS email, "FW: Fraud and Blackmail: Jeffrey Epstein's Finances," July 31, 2019, EFTA00086657 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00086657.pdf -[^115]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Federal Bureau of Prisons records of Jeffrey Epstein's detention at MCC New York, July 8 to August 10, 2019, including staff memoranda of July 23, 2019, SIS Inmate Investigative Report NYM-19-0061 (July 31, 2019, pp. EFTA00049239 to 43), and an institution response on cellmate assignments and documentation, EFTA00048963 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00048963.pdf -[^116]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. *Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Custody, Care, and Supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York.* Report 23-085, June 2023, pp. iii to iv, 1 to 6, 14 to 20, 58 to 60. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf -[^117]: Khurshudyan, Isabelle. "Epstein files shed new light on what prison officials were doing the night he died." *CNN,* March 26, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/26/politics/epstein-files-prison-officials-night-he-died ; "Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy: A closer look." *CBS News, 60 Minutes,* January 5, 2020. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-a-closer-look-60-minutes-2020-01-05/ -[^118]: U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, unsigned memorandum on review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein, July 7, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline -[^119]: Eastham, Janet. "'Suspicious' payments to last guard who saw Epstein." *The Telegraph* via *Yahoo News,* March 8, 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/epstein-prison-guard-made-suspicious-132416347.html ; "Hany Farid and WIRED Analyze the Department of Justice's Released Epstein Video, Find Anomalies with Metadata." *UC Berkeley School of Information,* July 2025. https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/news/2025/hany-farid-and-wired-analyze-department-justices-released-epstein-video-find-anomalies ; "Jeffrey Epstein prison video had nearly 3 minutes cut from it: report." *LiveNOW from FOX,* July 2025. https://www.livenowfox.com/news/epstein-prison-video-edit-discrepancy -[^120]: "Maurene Comey, prosecutor in Epstein and Combs cases and daughter of former FBI director, sues after being fired." *CNN,* September 15, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/politics/maurene-comey-justice-department-lawsuit ; Comey v. United States Department of Justice, No. 1:25-cv-07625 (S.D.N.Y.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71348216/comey-v-united-states-department-of-justice/ -[^121]: "Jeffrey Epstein's Executor Is Ex-Science Adviser to Bill Gates." *Bloomberg,* August 19, 2019. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-19/epstein-s-11th-hour-executor-is-ex-science-adviser-to-bill-gates -[^122]: Reuters, "Epstein estate agrees to $35 million settlement in victim class action," *NBC News,* February 20, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epstein-estate-agrees-35-million-settlement-victim-class-action-rcna259863 ; Doe 3 v. Indyke, No. 1:24-cv-01204 (S.D.N.Y.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68260876/doe-3-v-indyke/ -[^123]: Kaelan Deese, "Two Jeffrey Epstein associates under investigation by New York federal prosecutors," *Washington Examiner,* September 23, 2026. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4739210/jeffrey-epstein-associates-under-investigation-new-york-federal-prosecutors/ -[^124]: "Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison." *U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York,* June 28, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse -[^125]: "Court Rules Virginia Giuffre Died Without a Will, Appoints Administrator," *Newsweek,* November 26, 2025. https://www.newsweek.com/court-rules-virginia-giuffre-died-without-will-11110482 -[^126]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 784, 785 (July 18, 2025); ECF No. 809 (Aug. 11, 2025), 794 F. Supp. 3d 215. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/ -[^127]: U.S. Department of Justice, "Interview Transcript, Maxwell, 2025.07.24 (Redacted)." https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.24%20(Redacted).pdf -[^128]: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, letter to William K. Marshall III, Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, August 7, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-08-07-Letter-to-BOP-Maxwell-Transfer.pdf -[^129]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Attorney General Pamela Bondi Releases First Phase of Declassified Epstein Files," Press Release No. 25-201, February 27, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-releases-first-phase-declassified-epstein-files -[^130]: Senator Richard J. Durbin, letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, July 18, 2025. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/2025-07-18-rjd-letter-to-ag-bondi-re-epstein?download=1 -[^131]: "Bondi taps acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to probe Democrats' ties to Epstein," *The Washington Times,* November 14, 2025. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/14/bondi-taps-acting-us-attorney-jay-clayton-probe-democrats-ties/ -[^132]: Epstein Files Transparency Act, Pub. L. No. 119-38, § 2(c)(1)(C), 139 Stat. 656. https://www.congress.gov/119/plaws/publ38/PLAW-119publ38.pdf ; Office of the Clerk, Roll Call 289, November 18, 2025. https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025289 -[^133]: U.S. Department of Justice, Press Release No. 26-84, January 30, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files -[^134]: Pamela J. Bondi and Todd Blanche, letter to Congress, January 30, 2026, p. 4. https://www.justice.gov/letter-to-congress.pdf -[^135]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 20 Cr. 330 (PAE) (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 21, 2026), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 844. https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/Maxwell%2020cr330%20-%20Opinion%20%26%20Order%201.21.26.pdf -[^136]: Senators Jeffrey A. Merkley, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Ray Luján and Richard J. Durbin, letter to Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown, March 11, 2026. https://www.merkley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/GAO-Epstein-Files-Redactions-Review-Letter.pdf -[^137]: "Government watchdog to review DOJ's handling of the Epstein files," *NBC News,* April 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/government-watchdog-review-dojs-handling-epstein-files-rcna342513 -[^138]: "DOJ removed, withheld Epstein files related to accusations about Trump," *NPR,* February 24, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5723968/epstein-files-trump-accusation-maxwell ; "Justice Department posts more Epstein files related to accusations about Trump," *NPR,* March 5, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/05/nx-s1-5737562/justice-department-missing-epstein-files-trump ; *CNN,* February 24, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/24/us/epstein-files-trump-accuser-missing-files-invs -[^139]: Congressional Record, vol. 172, no. 40 (March 3, 2026), pp. S748 ff. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2026-03-03/html/CREC-2026-03-03-pt1-PgS748-2.htm -[^140]: U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, "Wyden Releases New Report on Failure of Wall Street Banks to Blow the Whistle on Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Trafficking and Money Laundering Schemes," August 4, 2026. https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/wyden-releases-new-report-on-failure-of-wall-street-banks-to-blow-the-whistle-on-jeffrey-epsteins-sex-trafficking-and-money-laundering-schemes -[^141]: Dareh Gregorian et al., "House Oversight Committee votes to subpoena Pam Bondi for testimony on Epstein files," *NBC News,* March 4, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/pam-bondi-subpoenaed-testify-epstein-files-house-oversight-committee-rcna261779 -[^142]: "Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general, installs Todd Blanche as acting AG," *CBS News,* April 2, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-pam-bondi-attorney-general/ -[^143]: "Summers Resigns From OpenAI Board Amid Backlash Over Epstein Emails." *The Harvard Crimson,* November 19, 2025. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/11/19/summers-resigns-open-ai/ ; "Larry Summers banned for life from American Economic Association." Associated Press via *Fortune,* December 3, 2025. https://fortune.com/2025/12/03/larry-summers-banned-for-life-from-american-economic-association -[^144]: Chapman, Michelle. "Thomas Pritzker steps down from Hyatt board, saying he deeply regrets association with Epstein." Associated Press via *PBS NewsHour,* February 17, 2026. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/thomas-pritzker-steps-down-from-hyatt-board-saying-he-deeply-regrets-association-with-epstein -[^145]: *CBS News,* February 2026, on Ruemmler's resignation as Goldman Sachs general counsel. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kathryn-ruemmler-resigning-from-goldman-sachs-epstein-files/ +[^28]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00644307, DataSet 9, email from Todd Meister to Jeffrey Epstein, "Fwd: Flight," October 1, 2012, 16:30 UTC, forwarding a message dated October 1, 2012, 12:29:32 PM EDT. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00644307.pdf +[^29]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403872, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, "Todd Meister," October 1, 2012, 19:44 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf ; EFTA00403869, DataSet 9, Meister to Groff, 19:31 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403869.pdf +[^30]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403903, DataSet 9, "Re: Flight," October 2, 2012, 11:38 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403903.pdf +[^31]: Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, DEREG.txt entries 3FD and RESERVED.txt (N3FD reserved July 21, 2022), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=3FD +[^32]: "New Epstein files include photos, documents with redactions as DOJ releases initial trove of records." *CBS News,* 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/epstein-files-released-2025/ ; "DOJ says it has found over a million additional documents potentially related to Epstein." *CNN,* December 24, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/24/politics/epstein-documents-doj-million ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Files Transparency Act disclosures. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/doj-disclosures +[^33]: Palm Beach Police Department, probable cause affidavit of Detective Joseph Recarey regarding Jeffrey Epstein, sworn May 1, 2006 (redacted). https://archive.org/stream/JeffreyEpstein/Jeffrey%20Epstein%20Redacted%20Probable%20Cause%20Affadavit_djvu.txt +[^34]: "Judge releases Jeffrey Epstein grand jury investigation transcripts," *WUSF / Associated Press,* July 1, 2024. https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-07-01/florida-judge-releases-transcripts-2006-grand-jury-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking +[^35]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, full report on the Southern District of Florida's resolution of the 2006-2008 Epstein investigation, November 2020, as produced in the Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (Prior DOJ Disclosures, Memos and Correspondence). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf +[^36]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: "jagesq" to Jeffrey Epstein, "krischer richardson," December 15, 2010, EFTA01830557 (DataSet 10); Krischer, Belohlavek and USAFLS, "RE: Meeting with Epstein's attorneys," September 19 to 25, 2007, EFTA00215188 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01830557.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00215188.pdf +[^37]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," Executive Summary, November 2020, pp. i-x. https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl ; archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20260623200353id_/https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl +[^38]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426-cr, slip op. at 6, 9-12 (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024), reported at 118 F.4th 256, quoting the NPA at A-178. https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2024/09/17/united_states_v._maxwell.pdf +[^39]: The White House (George W. Bush archives), "Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta," official biography. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/racosta-bio.html +[^40]: U.S. Department of State, "Jay Lefkowitz, Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea," official biography, 2005. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/66929.htm +[^41]: "Jeffrey Epstein's Disgraced Lawyer Jay Lefkowitz Who Secured Sweetheart Deal Leaves Firm," *The Daily Beast,* March 2026. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-disgraced-lawyer-jay-lefkowitz-who-secured-sweetheart-deal-leaves-firm/ +[^42]: Letter of Gerald B. Lefcourt and Alan M. Dershowitz, July 6, 2007, Exhibit 46, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla.), ECF No. 361-46 (Feb. 10, 2016). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.361.46.pdf +[^43]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Plaintiff's Statement of Material Facts, ECF No. 221 (filed July 24, 2023), paras. 123-124, 257, 290-310, 374. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.221.0.pdf +[^44]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Ann Marie Villafana to FBI agents, "RE: Epstein Indictment" and "RE: DOBs," February 14, 2008, EFTA00225102 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00225102.pdf +[^45]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeff Sloman and Ann Marie Villafana, "Re: Did u hear?," May 16, 2008, EFTA00214486 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00214486.pdf +[^46]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, pp. 1, 9 to 10, 12, 19 to 20, 24, 28 to 29, 34, 38, 45, 48, 50 to 51. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf +[^47]: "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000 during incarceration for prostitution charges," *WPTV,* 2019. https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/new-jeffrey-epstein-paid-palm-beach-sheriffs-office-128-000-during-incarceration-for-prostitution +[^48]: "Florida authorities find no evidence of criminal activity in state's handling of Jeffrey Epstein case," *NBC News,* May 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-authorities-no-evidence-criminal-activity-state-s-handling-jeffrey-n1266888 +[^49]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility report on the Southern District of Florida's resolution of the Epstein investigation, November 2020, pp. 116 to 117 (Villafana email of December 3, 2008 and letter of December 11, 2008). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf +[^50]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629, DataSet 10, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System overtime report forms, Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," July 1 to 14, 2009, faxed July 21, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01308629.pdf +[^51]: Settlement Agreement and General Release, Jane Doe No. 102 v. Jeffrey Epstein, No. 09-80656-CIV-Marra/Johnson (S.D. Fla.), filed in Giuffre v. Prince Andrew, No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 32-1 (Oct. 29, 2021). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.564713/gov.uscourts.nysd.564713.32.1.pdf +[^52]: *In re Wild*, No. 19-13843, 994 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. Apr. 15, 2021) (en banc). https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913843.enb.pdf +[^53]: Supreme Court of the United States, docket No. 21-351, order of February 22, 2022 denying certiorari. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-351.html +[^54]: Ward, Vicky. "Jeffrey Epstein's Sick Story Played Out for Years in Plain Sight." *The Daily Beast,* July 9, 2019. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-sick-story-played-out-for-years-in-plain-sight/ ; for Acosta's denial, his voluntary transcribed interview with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, September 19, 2025 (transcript released October 17, 2025): "Alex Acosta, former US attorney who negotiated Epstein's plea deal, appears before House Oversight Committee," *ABC News,* October 2025. https://abcnews.com/Politics/alex-acosta-former-us-attorney-negotiated-epsteins-plea/story?id=125731737 +[^55]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Chief, Public Corruption Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Office of Professional Responsibility, "RE: Draft OPR Report," August 21, 2020, EFTA00077309 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00077309.pdf +[^56]: Debra Cassens Weiss, "Jeffrey Epstein had dinners with top criminal prosecutor in years following favorable deal, documents show," *ABA Journal,* October 20, 2025. https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jeffrey-epstein-had-dinners-with-top-criminal-prosecutor-in-years-following-favorable-deal-documents-show +[^57]: Maxwell v. United States, No. 24-1073 (U.S.), cert. denied (Oct. 6, 2025). https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1073.html +[^58]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: email from an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York, subject "memos," May 6, 2020, EFTA00030339 (DataSet 8). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00030339.pdf +[^59]: Lopez, Diane E., Ara B. Gershengorn, and Martin F. Murphy. *Report Concerning Jeffrey E. Epstein's Connections to Harvard University.* Harvard University Office of the General Counsel and Foley Hoag LLP, May 1, 2020, pp. 3-5, 10-17, 20-23 and nn. 8-10. https://www.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reportconcerning-Jeffrey-Epstein.pdf ; https://ogc.harvard.edu/report-concerning-Epstein +[^60]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein Called Himself A 'Science Philanthropist' And Donated Millions To These Researchers," *BuzzFeed News,* July 11, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-science-donations +[^61]: Neuman, Scott, and Ava Berger. "Epstein paid for a conference of top scientists in 2006. His motives are now clear," *NPR,* March 9, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/09/nx-s1-5721150/epstein-scientists-physics-virgin-islands-conference +[^62]: Minsky, Marvin L., Push Singh, and Aaron Sloman. "The St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium: Designing Architectures for Human-Level Intelligence," *AI Magazine* 25, no. 2 (2004): 113. https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v25i2.1764 ; Brandom, Russell. "AI pioneer accused of having sex with trafficking victim on Jeffrey Epstein's island," *The Verge,* August 9, 2019. https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/9/20798900/marvin-minsky-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-island-court-records-unsealed +[^63]: EFTA00328899, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, Data Set 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00328899.pdf; EFTA00714297, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, Data Set 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00714297.pdf; EFTA00337558, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, Data Set 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00337558.pdf. +[^64]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein's Links To Scientists Are Even More Extensive Than We Thought," *BuzzFeed News,* August 27, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-science-donations-apologies-statements +[^65]: Goodwin Procter LLP. *Report Concerning Jeffrey Epstein's Interactions with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.* January 10, 2020, pp. 5, 10, 28 n. 28. https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/20200121GoodwinProcterReport.pdf +[^66]: "Billionaire Leon Black made a $158 million payment to Jeffrey Epstein. Senators want to know why," *CNN Business,* July 25, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/business/leon-black-jeffrey-epstein-senate-investigation +[^67]: Owermohle, Sarah, and Austin Culpepper. "How Epstein enlisted Harvard scientists to burnish his reputation, and try to make a profit," *CNN,* February 19, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/politics/harvard-epstein-donations-influence-exclusive +[^68]: Molteni, Megan. "Jeffrey Epstein's tissue samples ignited a furor in the Harvard lab of George Church," *STAT,* February 24, 2026. https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/24/epstein-cell-line-george-church-harvard-personal-genome-project/ +[^69]: Farrow, Ronan. "How an Elite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," *The New Yorker,* September 6, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-an-elite-university-research-center-concealed-its-relationship-with-jeffrey-epstein +[^70]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Peggy Siegal and George Stephanopoulos, "Thursday small dinner for Prince Andrew," November and December 2010, EFTA02411832 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02411832.pdf +[^71]: Ponieman, Natan. *Benzinga,* May 2023, on Epstein's private calendar, summarizing the *Wall Street Journal.* https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/05/32134015/private-calendar-reveals-jeffrey-epsteins-meetings-with-cia-director-noamchomsky-and-goldman-sachs ; *The Daily Beast,* May 2023, on Epstein's calendar meetings with Noam Chomsky and William Burns. https://www.thedailybeast.com/epstein-calendar-reveals-meetings-with-noam-chomsky-and-former-cia-chief-william-burns/ ; "The Former Biglaw Partner In Jeffrey Epstein's Private Calendar." *Above the Law,* May 2023, summarizing the *Wall Street Journal.* https://abovethelaw.com/2023/05/the-former-biglaw-partner-in-jeffrey-epsteins-private-calendar/ +[^72]: Hamilton, Katherine. "Jeffrey Epstein Moved Money For Noam Chomsky, Paid Bard President Botstein $150,000, Report Says." *Forbes,* May 17, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/05/17/jeffrey-epstein-moved-money-for-noam-chomsky-paid-bard-president-botstein-150000-report-says/ +[^73]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Kathy Ruemmler to Jeffrey Epstein, January 8, 2015, EFTA02386175 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02386175.pdf +[^74]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01348714, DataSet 10, check image, Gratitude America, Ltd, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, to Leon Botstein, August 1, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01348714.pdf ; EFTA01348725, DataSet 10, check image, February 3, 2016 (Bates DB-SDNY-0035646). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01348725.pdf ; "Leon Botstein received $150,000 from Jeffrey Epstein," *Inside Higher Ed,* May 18, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/05/18/leon-botstein-received-150000-jeffrey-epstein +[^75]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01615267, DataSet 10, iMessage log with the contact "Steve Bannon," August 23, 2018, EFTA01615267 to EFTA01615272. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01615267.pdf ; "'Let me see the videotapes': Mark Epstein wants Steve Bannon's 15 hours of unseen footage of his brother," *NBC News,* 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/mark-epstein-steve-bannon-15-hours-brother-jeffrey-epstein-rcna219630 +[^76]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Tom Pritzker to Jeffrey Epstein, "RE: Re:," August 8, 2016, EFTA01783338 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01783338.pdf +[^77]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: email to Jeffrey Epstein, sender redacted, "Any other," August 12, 2010, EFTA02407727 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02407727.pdf ; Saida Sapieva to Lesley Groff, "CONFIRMED: DINNER: Sunday, 8/2," July 31, 2015, EFTA00344556, and reply chain, EFTA00344564 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00344556.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00344564.pdf ; email chain, Jeffrey Epstein and a redacted correspondent, February 6, 2016, EFTA01738574 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01738574.pdf +[^78]: "Epstein's Silicon Valley ties extended beyond just Musk and Gates." *CNBC,* February 9, 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/09/tech-leaders-epstein-records-silicon-valley-sergey-brin-thiel-sinofsky-reid-hoffman-musk-gates.html +[^79]: Fernandes, Deirdre, and Tricia L. Nadolny. "Introductions to women. Free flights. Business deals. Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Harvard run deeper than previously known," *The Boston Globe,* February 25, 2026. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/25/metro/jeffrey-epstein-harvard-spotlight-report/ +[^80]: Ruetenik, Daniel, and Graham Kates. "Lutnick and Epstein were in business together, Epstein files show." *CBS News,* February 7, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-lutnick-jeffrey-epstein-in-business-together/ +[^81]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: FBI Form FD-71A Guardian Complaint Form, "Alleged Money Laundering by Howard Lutnick via BGC Financial and Cantor Fitzgerald," case 50D-NY-3027571, April 23, 2021, EFTA01249210 (DataSet 9); calendar alert, December 20, 2012, EFTA02152992 (DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01249210.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02152992.pdf +[^82]: "Birthday letter to Epstein bore Trump's signature, drawing of naked woman, Wall Street Journal reports." *CNN,* July 17, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/politics/epstein-birthday-letter-trump ; "Trump Epstein letter and drawing from 'birthday book' released." *CNBC,* September 8, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/08/trump-epstein-birthday-book-oversight.html +[^83]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: FBI New York internal email on the Prince Andrew MLAT request, June 8, 2020, EFTA00149598 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00149598.pdf +[^84]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: correspondence of Tomer Toor, Darren Indyke, Ehud Barak and Jeffrey Epstein on the exercise of Carbyne warrants, February and March 2019, EFTA02632339 and EFTA02634615 (DataSet 11); Richard Kahn and Darren Indyke on Carbyne financial statements, March 2019, EFTA01035810 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02632339.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02634615.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01035810.pdf +[^85]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Ehud Barak to Jabor Al Thani, copied to Jeffrey Epstein, "Qatar Presentation <> Carbyne 911," January 1, 2019, EFTA02607775, and continuing thread to February 4, 2019, EFTA02628648 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02607775.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02628648.pdf +[^86]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeffrey Epstein to Peter Thiel, May 21, 2018, EFTA01052344 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01052344.pdf +[^87]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeffrey Epstein and Nicole Junkermann, February 18, 2019, EFTA02630791 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02630791.pdf +[^88]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: iMessage logs with the contact "Vitaly Churkin," November 16, 2015 to January 10, 2017, EFTA01619434, EFTA01619438 and EFTA01619444 (DataSet 10); Lesley Groff, "Churkin to join lunch tomorrow as well," August 28, 2016, EFTA02044775 (DataSet 10); scheduling of Maxim Churkin, July and August 2017, EFTA02219806 (DataSet 11) and EFTA00676901 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01619434.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01619438.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01619444.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02044775.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02219806.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00676901.pdf +[^89]: U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, deposition of William P. Barr, August 18, 2025, transcript released September 2025. https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Barr-Transcript.pdf +[^90]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Jeffrey Epstein to Martin Weinberg, "Re: CIA FOIA Request," July 18, 2011, EFTA00915248; Weinberg to Epstein, same date, EFTA00687827; FBI Privacy Waiver and Certification of Identity, EFTA00624683 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00915248.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00687827.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00624683.pdf +[^91]: Complaint, Farmer v. United States, No. 1:25-cv-01709-RBW (D.D.C. May 29, 2025), paras. 80, 85-126, 176-185, citing United States v. Epstein, 27 F. Supp. 2d 404 (S.D.N.Y. 1998). https://www.jamesmarshlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Doc-1-Complaint-05-29-2025.pdf +[^92]: Maria Farmer and Sarah Ransome, Claim for Damage, Injury, or Death (Standard Form 95), signed July 20, 2023. https://www.jamesmarshlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Farmer-and-Ransome-Jeffrey-Epstein-Notice-of-Claim-FBI-07-20-2023.pdf +[^93]: "Maria Farmer and Marsh Law Firm's Persistent Advocacy Vindicated as FBI Releases Farmer's 1996 Report on Jeffrey Epstein," *Marsh Law Firm,* December 23, 2025. https://www.jamesmarshlaw.com/persistent-advocacy-vindicated/ +[^94]: "NYC medical examiner rejects claim that Jeffrey Epstein's death was a homicide." *CNN,* October 30, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/us/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-fox ; "Jeffrey Epstein autopsy finds broken bones in his neck." *CNN,* August 15, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/15/us/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-broken-neck +[^95]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: "Gmax" to Jeffrey Epstein, December 8, 2009, EFTA02434764 (DataSet 11). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02434764.pdf +[^96]: Suzanne Carlson, "Epstein estate could be ordered to repay more than $144 million in tax breaks," *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 13, 2020 (ECF No. 158-36 in No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR). http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/epstein-estate-could-be-ordered-to-repay-more-than-144-million-in-tax-breaks/article_b84d9710-14af-5e69-a890-bcf8265cf8f9.html +[^97]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Expert Report of Jorge Amador, ECF No. 238-31 (filed July 25, 2023), report pp. 6, 16-17, 24, 46, 74. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.238.31.pdf +[^98]: Dechert LLP, Memorandum to the Apollo Conflicts Committee, January 22, 2021, Exhibit 99.1 to Apollo Global Management Form 8-K (January 25, 2021), pp. 3 to 5, 16 to 17. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1411494/000119312521016405/d118102dex991.htm +[^99]: Letter from Senator Ron Wyden to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and FBI Director Kash Patel, March 11, 2025. https://www.finance.senate.gov/download/wyden-letter-to-doj-treasury-fbi-on-epsteinpdf?download=1 +[^100]: Settlement Agreement and Release between the Government of the United States Virgin Islands and Leon Black, executed January 20, 2023. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/usvi_black_settlement_agreement_-_executedpdf.pdf +[^101]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01071282, DataSet 9, "Checklist for Leon Black Estate Planning and Restructuring," as of October 2, 2013. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01071282.pdf ; EFTA00982173, DataSet 9, email, Ada Clapp to Jeffrey Epstein, "6.7.13 Checklist for Leon Black Estate Planning and Restructuring-updated 1.14.14," January 21, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00982173.pdf ; EFTA00702518, DataSet 9, email, Barry J. Cohen to Jeffrey Epstein, "S&C: Leon Black Estate Planning," July 24, 2017. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00702518.pdf +[^102]: Deposition of James Dimon, May 26, 2023, No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), transcript pp. 261-269. https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rQOuhi8KqiM0/v0 +[^103]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808715, Court Records, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), letter motion of Motley Rice to Judge Jed S. Rakoff seeking leave to reopen depositions, June 7, 2023 (ECF No. 191). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808715.pdf ; EFTA02808625, Court Records, same case, letter of JPMorgan's counsel in opposition, June 9, 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808625.pdf ; EFTA02814941, Court Records, same case, Order of Judge Jed S. Rakoff, August 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02814941.pdf +[^104]: Staley v The Financial Conduct Authority [2025] UKUT 00203 (TCC), decision released June 26, 2025. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685d21fec2633bd820a92a52/Staley_v_FCA_decision_for_release.pdf +[^105]: New York State Department of Financial Services, Consent Order in the Matter of Deutsche Bank AG et al., July 6, 2020, paras. 26, 33. https://www.dfs.ny.gov/industry_guidance/enforcement_discipline/ea20200706_deutsche_bank ; Letter from Senator Ron Wyden to Chairman James Comer and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, June 4, 2026. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_letter_to_house_oversight_on_leon_black-epstein_060426.pdf +[^106]: "JPMorgan settles with Jeffrey Epstein victims for $290 million." *WHYY,* 2023. https://whyy.org/articles/jpmorgan-settlement/ ; "Ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley fined and banned by UK regulator for Epstein ties." *AP/AOL,* 2023. https://www.aol.com/finance/ex-barclays-ceo-jes-staley-142727090.html +[^107]: Em Steck, "Epstein left millions to his closest advisers. A shrinking estate and new lawsuits may stand in the way," *CNN,* September 21, 2026. https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/21/politics/jeffrey-epstein-estate-lawsuit-vis +[^108]: Financial Conduct Authority, Final Notice to James Edward Staley, July 23, 2025. https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/final-notices/james-edward-staley-2025.pdf +[^109]: "V.I. Officials Enabled Epstein to Act With Impunity, JPMorgan Alleges in Latest Salvo." *St. Thomas Source,* June 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20240721172424/https://stthomassource.com/content/2023/06/16/v-i-officials-enabled-epstein-to-act-with-impunity-jpmorgan-alleges-in-latest-salvo/ +[^110]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Court filings show V.I. First Lady's loyalty to Epstein." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* June 21, 2023. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/court-filings-show-v-i-first-ladys-loyalty-to-epstein/article_c2dca0a7-a243-5365-88c0-389c576ad022.html +[^111]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html +[^112]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Bryan unapologetic for texts with Epstein, doubles down on denial of wrongdoing." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* March 3, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/bryan-unapologetic-for-texts-with-epstein-doubles-down-on-denial-of-wrongdoing/article_8bab46a1-6075-4c7c-abec-6efb19622e62.html +[^113]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 1:15-cv-07433 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1360 with Exhibits 2-9 (Feb. 20, 2026), describing In re Grand Jury Subpoena, No. 19-MC-149 (CM) (April 9, 2019 order); Order, ECF No. 1367 (Aug. 11, 2026); Order, ECF No. 1370 (Sept. 3, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/ian-torrington-blatchford-as-interim-administrator-of-virginia-giuffres/ +[^114]: "Jeffrey Epstein operated a vast sex-trafficking network of underage girls who recruited other victims, prosecutors say." *CNN,* July 8, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/08/us/jeffrey-epstein-monday-court-appearance +[^115]: "Jeffrey Epstein used foreign passport with fake name to enter Saudi Arabia: prosecutors." *NBC News,* July 17, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/jeffrey-epstein-used-foreign-passport-fake-name-enter-saudi-arabia-n1031046 +[^116]: *United States v. Epstein,* No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 23, Letter from AUSA Alison Moe to Judge Richard M. Berman (Supplement to Detention Memorandum), July 16, 2019, pp. 1-3. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649.23.0_2.pdf +[^117]: *United States v. Epstein,* No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 30, Letter from AUSA Alison Moe, July 17, 2019 (quoting ECF No. 24 at 7); ECF No. 31, Letter from Marc Fernich, Martin Weinberg, and Reid Weingarten, July 18, 2019. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/ +[^118]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: internal USANYS email, "FW: Fraud and Blackmail: Jeffrey Epstein's Finances," July 31, 2019, EFTA00086657 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00086657.pdf +[^119]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library: Federal Bureau of Prisons records of Jeffrey Epstein's detention at MCC New York, July 8 to August 10, 2019, including staff memoranda of July 23, 2019, SIS Inmate Investigative Report NYM-19-0061 (July 31, 2019, pp. EFTA00049239 to 43), and an institution response on cellmate assignments and documentation, EFTA00048963 (DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00048963.pdf +[^120]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. *Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Custody, Care, and Supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York.* Report 23-085, June 2023, pp. iii to iv, 1 to 6, 14 to 20, 58 to 60. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf +[^121]: Khurshudyan, Isabelle. "Epstein files shed new light on what prison officials were doing the night he died." *CNN,* March 26, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/26/politics/epstein-files-prison-officials-night-he-died ; "Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy: A closer look." *CBS News, 60 Minutes,* January 5, 2020. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-a-closer-look-60-minutes-2020-01-05/ +[^122]: U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, unsigned memorandum on review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein, July 7, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline +[^123]: Eastham, Janet. "'Suspicious' payments to last guard who saw Epstein." *The Telegraph* via *Yahoo News,* March 8, 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/epstein-prison-guard-made-suspicious-132416347.html ; "Hany Farid and WIRED Analyze the Department of Justice's Released Epstein Video, Find Anomalies with Metadata." *UC Berkeley School of Information,* July 2025. https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/news/2025/hany-farid-and-wired-analyze-department-justices-released-epstein-video-find-anomalies ; "Jeffrey Epstein prison video had nearly 3 minutes cut from it: report." *LiveNOW from FOX,* July 2025. https://www.livenowfox.com/news/epstein-prison-video-edit-discrepancy +[^124]: "Maurene Comey, prosecutor in Epstein and Combs cases and daughter of former FBI director, sues after being fired." *CNN,* September 15, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/politics/maurene-comey-justice-department-lawsuit ; Comey v. United States Department of Justice, No. 1:25-cv-07625 (S.D.N.Y.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71348216/comey-v-united-states-department-of-justice/ +[^125]: "Jeffrey Epstein's Executor Is Ex-Science Adviser to Bill Gates." *Bloomberg,* August 19, 2019. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-19/epstein-s-11th-hour-executor-is-ex-science-adviser-to-bill-gates +[^126]: Reuters, "Epstein estate agrees to $35 million settlement in victim class action," *NBC News,* February 20, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epstein-estate-agrees-35-million-settlement-victim-class-action-rcna259863 ; Doe 3 v. Indyke, No. 1:24-cv-01204 (S.D.N.Y.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68260876/doe-3-v-indyke/ +[^127]: Kaelan Deese, "Two Jeffrey Epstein associates under investigation by New York federal prosecutors," *Washington Examiner,* September 23, 2026. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4739210/jeffrey-epstein-associates-under-investigation-new-york-federal-prosecutors/ +[^128]: "Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison." *U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York,* June 28, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse +[^129]: "Court Rules Virginia Giuffre Died Without a Will, Appoints Administrator," *Newsweek,* November 26, 2025. https://www.newsweek.com/court-rules-virginia-giuffre-died-without-will-11110482 +[^130]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 784, 785 (July 18, 2025); ECF No. 809 (Aug. 11, 2025), 794 F. Supp. 3d 215. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/ +[^131]: U.S. Department of Justice, "Interview Transcript, Maxwell, 2025.07.24 (Redacted)." https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.24%20(Redacted).pdf +[^132]: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, letter to William K. Marshall III, Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, August 7, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-08-07-Letter-to-BOP-Maxwell-Transfer.pdf +[^133]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Attorney General Pamela Bondi Releases First Phase of Declassified Epstein Files," Press Release No. 25-201, February 27, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-releases-first-phase-declassified-epstein-files +[^134]: Senator Richard J. Durbin, letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, July 18, 2025. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/2025-07-18-rjd-letter-to-ag-bondi-re-epstein?download=1 +[^135]: "Bondi taps acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to probe Democrats' ties to Epstein," *The Washington Times,* November 14, 2025. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/14/bondi-taps-acting-us-attorney-jay-clayton-probe-democrats-ties/ +[^136]: Epstein Files Transparency Act, Pub. L. No. 119-38, § 2(c)(1)(C), 139 Stat. 656. https://www.congress.gov/119/plaws/publ38/PLAW-119publ38.pdf ; Office of the Clerk, Roll Call 289, November 18, 2025. https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025289 +[^137]: U.S. Department of Justice, Press Release No. 26-84, January 30, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files +[^138]: Pamela J. Bondi and Todd Blanche, letter to Congress, January 30, 2026, p. 4. https://www.justice.gov/letter-to-congress.pdf +[^139]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 20 Cr. 330 (PAE) (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 21, 2026), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 844. https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/Maxwell%2020cr330%20-%20Opinion%20%26%20Order%201.21.26.pdf +[^140]: Senators Jeffrey A. Merkley, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Ray Luján and Richard J. Durbin, letter to Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown, March 11, 2026. https://www.merkley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/GAO-Epstein-Files-Redactions-Review-Letter.pdf +[^141]: "Government watchdog to review DOJ's handling of the Epstein files," *NBC News,* April 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/government-watchdog-review-dojs-handling-epstein-files-rcna342513 +[^142]: "DOJ removed, withheld Epstein files related to accusations about Trump," *NPR,* February 24, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5723968/epstein-files-trump-accusation-maxwell ; "Justice Department posts more Epstein files related to accusations about Trump," *NPR,* March 5, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/05/nx-s1-5737562/justice-department-missing-epstein-files-trump ; *CNN,* February 24, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/24/us/epstein-files-trump-accuser-missing-files-invs +[^143]: Congressional Record, vol. 172, no. 40 (March 3, 2026), pp. S748 ff. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2026-03-03/html/CREC-2026-03-03-pt1-PgS748-2.htm +[^144]: U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, "Wyden Releases New Report on Failure of Wall Street Banks to Blow the Whistle on Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Trafficking and Money Laundering Schemes," August 4, 2026. https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/wyden-releases-new-report-on-failure-of-wall-street-banks-to-blow-the-whistle-on-jeffrey-epsteins-sex-trafficking-and-money-laundering-schemes +[^145]: Dareh Gregorian et al., "House Oversight Committee votes to subpoena Pam Bondi for testimony on Epstein files," *NBC News,* March 4, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/pam-bondi-subpoenaed-testify-epstein-files-house-oversight-committee-rcna261779 +[^146]: "Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general, installs Todd Blanche as acting AG," *CBS News,* April 2, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-pam-bondi-attorney-general/ +[^147]: "Summers Resigns From OpenAI Board Amid Backlash Over Epstein Emails." *The Harvard Crimson,* November 19, 2025. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/11/19/summers-resigns-open-ai/ ; "Larry Summers banned for life from American Economic Association." Associated Press via *Fortune,* December 3, 2025. https://fortune.com/2025/12/03/larry-summers-banned-for-life-from-american-economic-association +[^148]: Chapman, Michelle. "Thomas Pritzker steps down from Hyatt board, saying he deeply regrets association with Epstein." Associated Press via *PBS NewsHour,* February 17, 2026. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/thomas-pritzker-steps-down-from-hyatt-board-saying-he-deeply-regrets-association-with-epstein +[^149]: *CBS News,* February 2026, on Ruemmler's resignation as Goldman Sachs general counsel. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kathryn-ruemmler-resigning-from-goldman-sachs-epstein-files/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lesley Groff.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lesley Groff.md index 155fb266..0c50026a 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lesley Groff.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lesley Groff.md @@ -47,28 +47,28 @@ relations: reverse: true role: "grand jury subpoena resolved by interview" start: 2007-09-12 - fn: 20 + fn: 22 - type: represented with: "[[Jonathan Whitcomb]]" reverse: true role: "counsel in Doe v. Indyke and before the House Oversight Committee" start: 2021-10-24 - fn: 18 + fn: 20 - type: investigated with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]" reverse: true role: "grand jury subpoena OLY-73 for her and Epstein's calendars, contacts, communications and devices" start: 2007-08-16 - fn: 19 + fn: 21 - type: investigated with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]" reverse: true role: "FBI interviews, attorney proffers and a signed proffer agreement" start: 2019-07-06 end: 2021-07-23 - fn: 21 + fn: 23 created: 2026-09-25 -updated: 2026-09-25 +updated: 2026-10-08 --- Lesley Groff is an American former executive assistant to [[Jeffrey Epstein]], who worked for him in his [[New York City|New York]] office for more than eighteen years, from 2001 until she resigned after his arrest in July 2019. She is one of the four women named in the co-conspirator clause of Epstein's September 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]] with the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]], a clause she has called her "scarlet letter." Victims have said she scheduled their appointments with Epstein; she has denied any knowledge of his crimes and has never been charged.[^1][^2] @@ -87,24 +87,25 @@ Messages from her desk in the [[Epstein Files]] released by the [[Department of - April 27, 2011: "Howard Lutnick will come see" Epstein on a Sunday at 5 p.m., a visit by the chief executive of [[Cantor Fitzgerald]], [[Howard Lutnick]].[^6] - February 22, 2012: to the defense lawyer [[Roy Black]], "Jeffrey would like to meet with you along with [[Reid Weingarten]] on Friday March 2nd in Miami"; Black replied, "No problem I can do Friday afternoon."[^7] -- June 24, 2013: "[[Julian Leese]] is in NY... OK to schedule in Julian Leese?"[^8] -- March 24, 2014: arranging a call between Epstein and [[Jacqui Safra]] on a Swiss mobile number.[^9] -- August 14, 2014: to the Virgin Islands lawyer [[Stacey Plaskett]], copying [[Erika Kellerhals]], "will you be able to meet with Jeffrey on his island on Monday Aug. 18th at 11am?"; Plaskett replied, "Please share details on time and transportation to Jeffrey." Plaskett was elected the territory's delegate to Congress that November.[^10] -- April 21, 2015: "Carlton Dowe returned your call," a reference to the executive director of the [[Virgin Islands Port Authority]], [[Carlton Dowe]].[^11] -- August 5, 2015: "Jeffrey Epstein attended Reid Hoffman/Peter Thiel's dinner party this past Sunday night at Baume Restaurant. At the party Mark requested Jeffrey send his contact details to him," with [[Mark Zuckerberg]] named among the recipients; the hosts were [[Reid Hoffman]] and [[Peter Thiel]].[^12] -- August 28, 2016: "Vitaly Churkin will also join the lunch tomorrow...it is now JE, [redacted], Tom Barrack and Churkin. 4 total," a lunch with the Russian ambassador to the [[United Nations]], [[Vitaly Churkin]], and [[Tom Barrack]].[^13] -- November 29, 2016: to [[Joi Ito]] of the [[MIT Media Lab]], arranging a visit by [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem]], chairman of [[DP World]], to Epstein at [[Martin Nowak]]'s office at [[Harvard University|Harvard]], "1 Brattle Square."[^14] -- June 13, 2019: a calendar entry routed to her, "need Thorbjorn Jagland to confirm dinner on June 20th," with the former Norwegian prime minister and secretary general of the [[Council of Europe]], [[Thorbjørn Jagland]], three weeks before Epstein's arrest.[^15] +- October 1, 2012: to Epstein, copying Larry Visoski, "Todd Meister called to confirm he will be going to the island tomorrow with his Venezuelan friend and that Larry is to pick them up in the helicopter upon arrival," after [[Todd Meister]] had forwarded her a message from Francisco D'Agostino giving a landing time at "St. Thomas FBO: Alliance Aviation" and the tail number N3FD. An addressee whose name is redacted asked her that evening whether the party would stay overnight on "lsj" or whether it was "just a drop."[^8][^9] +- June 24, 2013: "[[Julian Leese]] is in NY... OK to schedule in Julian Leese?"[^10] +- March 24, 2014: arranging a call between Epstein and [[Jacqui Safra]] on a Swiss mobile number.[^11] +- August 14, 2014: to the Virgin Islands lawyer [[Stacey Plaskett]], copying [[Erika Kellerhals]], "will you be able to meet with Jeffrey on his island on Monday Aug. 18th at 11am?"; Plaskett replied, "Please share details on time and transportation to Jeffrey." Plaskett was elected the territory's delegate to Congress that November.[^12] +- April 21, 2015: "Carlton Dowe returned your call," a reference to the executive director of the [[Virgin Islands Port Authority]], [[Carlton Dowe]].[^13] +- August 5, 2015: "Jeffrey Epstein attended Reid Hoffman/Peter Thiel's dinner party this past Sunday night at Baume Restaurant. At the party Mark requested Jeffrey send his contact details to him," with [[Mark Zuckerberg]] named among the recipients; the hosts were [[Reid Hoffman]] and [[Peter Thiel]].[^14] +- August 28, 2016: "Vitaly Churkin will also join the lunch tomorrow...it is now JE, [redacted], Tom Barrack and Churkin. 4 total," a lunch with the Russian ambassador to the [[United Nations]], [[Vitaly Churkin]], and [[Tom Barrack]].[^15] +- November 29, 2016: to [[Joi Ito]] of the [[MIT Media Lab]], arranging a visit by [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem]], chairman of [[DP World]], to Epstein at [[Martin Nowak]]'s office at [[Harvard University|Harvard]], "1 Brattle Square."[^16] +- June 13, 2019: a calendar entry routed to her, "need Thorbjorn Jagland to confirm dinner on June 20th," with the former Norwegian prime minister and secretary general of the [[Council of Europe]], [[Thorbjørn Jagland]], three weeks before Epstein's arrest.[^17] ### Allegations and Denials [[Marina Lacerda]], who has said she dropped out of school before the ninth grade and was abused by Epstein as a minor, has said she "had to go through Lesley Groff," who called repeatedly to arrange massages. A victim who was a minor at the time told the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] that she "felt it was pretty obvious Lesley knew what was going on." Groff's attorney [[Michael Bachner]] has said that she "never knowingly booked travel for anyone under the age of 18" and "had no knowledge of the alleged illegal activity whatsoever," and that after the 2019 arrest she "felt betrayed and disgusted."[^2] -Groff was a named defendant, with Epstein, Maxwell, and [[Sarah Kellen]], in the federal sex-trafficking suit filed in January 2017 by [[Sarah Ransome]], who alleged that the four told her Epstein would secure her admission to the [[Fashion Institute of Technology]] in exchange for massages. The suit was dismissed with prejudice by stipulation on December 20, 2018.[^16] In October 2019 [[Jennifer Araoz]], who has said Epstein abused her when she was 14 and 15, amended her [[Child Victims Act]] suit in New York state court to name Groff, "who worked as his secretary," Maxwell and two other women; Araoz alleged that Groff "often contacted her to set up sexual encounters with him." Bachner responded that Groff had worked "as part of a professional staff that included in-house attorneys, accountants" and other office staff, and that she never engaged in "any misconduct" during her employment.[^17] On October 14, 2021 a plaintiff represented by [[Gloria Allred]] sued Groff with Indyke and Kahn in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] (Doe v. Indyke, No. 1:21-cv-08469, before Judge [[P. Kevin Castel]]); [[Jonathan Whitcomb]], [[Danielle Charlot]] and Bachner appeared for Groff, and the case was closed on April 4, 2024.[^18] +Groff was a named defendant, with Epstein, Maxwell, and [[Sarah Kellen]], in the federal sex-trafficking suit filed in January 2017 by [[Sarah Ransome]], who alleged that the four told her Epstein would secure her admission to the [[Fashion Institute of Technology]] in exchange for massages. The suit was dismissed with prejudice by stipulation on December 20, 2018.[^18] In October 2019 [[Jennifer Araoz]], who has said Epstein abused her when she was 14 and 15, amended her [[Child Victims Act]] suit in New York state court to name Groff, "who worked as his secretary," Maxwell and two other women; Araoz alleged that Groff "often contacted her to set up sexual encounters with him." Bachner responded that Groff had worked "as part of a professional staff that included in-house attorneys, accountants" and other office staff, and that she never engaged in "any misconduct" during her employment.[^19] On October 14, 2021 a plaintiff represented by [[Gloria Allred]] sued Groff with Indyke and Kahn in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] (Doe v. Indyke, No. 1:21-cv-08469, before Judge [[P. Kevin Castel]]); [[Jonathan Whitcomb]], [[Danielle Charlot]] and Bachner appeared for Groff, and the case was closed on April 4, 2024.[^20] ### The 2007 Investigation -On August 21, 2007, according to a document read to her by committee counsel, FBI agents came to Groff's home. She testified that she let them in and sat with them, then "went upstairs and I called Darren Indyke, who is the in-house counsel," who told her not to speak to them without an attorney; the agents left, and "Mr. Epstein got me an attorney, and I went and spoke to him once."[^3] The subpoena, issued on August 16, 2007 under control number OLY-73 of grand jury FGJ 07-103 in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], commanded her to appear at the federal courthouse at 701 Clematis Street on September 4, 2007 at 1 p.m. and to coordinate her compliance with a special agent of the FBI. Its attachment demanded, "For the period of January 1, 2001 to the present, all calendars, agendas, daily diaries, or other records of appointments, travel, meetings and the like, kept by or on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein," Groff and others whose names are redacted; from January 1, 2003, all address books and contact lists and "all e-mails, instant messages, text messages, meeting invitations, and any other electronic communication" among the same persons, in each case with "all metadata included within the electronic/physical files"; and "Any cellular phone, 'Blackberry' unit, personal digital assistant ('PDA') or other handheld electronic device that you own or use regularly."[^19] The prosecutors' chronology of the case records a September 12, 2007 email between Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana]] and the defense lawyer [[Nathan Dershowitz|Nathan Z. Dershowitz]] stating that "Ms. Groff will proceed by interview."[^20] +On August 21, 2007, according to a document read to her by committee counsel, FBI agents came to Groff's home. She testified that she let them in and sat with them, then "went upstairs and I called Darren Indyke, who is the in-house counsel," who told her not to speak to them without an attorney; the agents left, and "Mr. Epstein got me an attorney, and I went and spoke to him once."[^3] The subpoena, issued on August 16, 2007 under control number OLY-73 of grand jury FGJ 07-103 in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], commanded her to appear at the federal courthouse at 701 Clematis Street on September 4, 2007 at 1 p.m. and to coordinate her compliance with a special agent of the FBI. Its attachment demanded, "For the period of January 1, 2001 to the present, all calendars, agendas, daily diaries, or other records of appointments, travel, meetings and the like, kept by or on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein," Groff and others whose names are redacted; from January 1, 2003, all address books and contact lists and "all e-mails, instant messages, text messages, meeting invitations, and any other electronic communication" among the same persons, in each case with "all metadata included within the electronic/physical files"; and "Any cellular phone, 'Blackberry' unit, personal digital assistant ('PDA') or other handheld electronic device that you own or use regularly."[^21] The prosecutors' chronology of the case records a September 12, 2007 email between Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana]] and the defense lawyer [[Nathan Dershowitz|Nathan Z. Dershowitz]] stating that "Ms. Groff will proceed by interview."[^22] At the 2026 interview committee counsel introduced a "plea proffer from [[United States v. Epstein|United States v. Jeffrey Epstein]]," Bates number EFTA00213369, released by the Justice Department in January 2026, which stated that after the agents arrived Groff went upstairs and called Epstein, who "instructed Ms. Groff not to speak with the agents," "applied pressure to keep Ms. Groff from complying with the grand jury subpoena that the agents had served upon her," and "warned Ms. Groff against turning over documents and electronic evidence responsive to the subpoena and pressured her to delay her appearance before the Federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida." Asked whether the document was incorrect, Groff said: "I believe it is. I don't know how they would know that. I really believe that I called Mr. Indyke," adding, "I wouldn't call Mr. Epstein." Asked whether she remembered Epstein pressuring her over the subpoena, she answered: "None. No."[^3] @@ -114,7 +115,7 @@ The 2007 agreement provided that the [[United States]] would not charge "any pot Four days after Epstein's July 2019 arrest, Bachner informed the government that Groff "would invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against compelled self-incrimination" if called before a grand jury. She spoke with investigators about two years after the 2019 subpoena and told them that scheduling massages was "around 1%" of her duties. She was not charged.[^2] She told the committee that she resigned through Indyke and did not speak to Epstein.[^3] -The index of non-testifying witness material produced to the defense in [[United States v. Maxwell|United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell]], dated November 6, 2021, lists sixteen items under Groff's name. They include a law enforcement report dated August 15, 2007; a letter regarding her interview, an FBI 302 report of the interview and interview notes, all dated August 21, 2007; an FBI report "documenting interview with Leslie Groff" dated January 9, 2008; the "Testimony of" a person whose name is redacted, dated March 18 and April 29, 2008; a "Starr submission to DAG" dated June 19, 2008, a submission by Epstein's lawyer [[Kenneth Starr]] to the Deputy Attorney General; an interview 302 and interview notes dated July 6, 2019, the day of Epstein's arrest; "Lesley Groff attorney proffer notes" dated February 13, 2020 and an "attorney proffer follow-up" dated February 21, 2020; and a "Signed proffer agreement," an interview 302 and interview notes, all dated July 23, 2021. Michael Bachner is named in the index's attorney column beside her entries. The items were produced to Maxwell's lawyers between April and October 2021.[^21] +The index of non-testifying witness material produced to the defense in [[United States v. Maxwell|United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell]], dated November 6, 2021, lists sixteen items under Groff's name. They include a law enforcement report dated August 15, 2007; a letter regarding her interview, an FBI 302 report of the interview and interview notes, all dated August 21, 2007; an FBI report "documenting interview with Leslie Groff" dated January 9, 2008; the "Testimony of" a person whose name is redacted, dated March 18 and April 29, 2008; a "Starr submission to DAG" dated June 19, 2008, a submission by Epstein's lawyer [[Kenneth Starr]] to the Deputy Attorney General; an interview 302 and interview notes dated July 6, 2019, the day of Epstein's arrest; "Lesley Groff attorney proffer notes" dated February 13, 2020 and an "attorney proffer follow-up" dated February 21, 2020; and a "Signed proffer agreement," an interview 302 and interview notes, all dated July 23, 2021. Michael Bachner is named in the index's attorney column beside her entries. The items were produced to Maxwell's lawyers between April and October 2021.[^23] ### Congressional Interview @@ -131,17 +132,19 @@ The transcribed interview took place on June 9, 2026 in the Rayburn House Office [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01364303, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank know-your-customer page "The 2013 Butterfly Trust" (DB-SDNY-0054829). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01364303.pdf [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01868626, DataSet 10, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, April 27, 2011. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01868626.pdf [^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00419255, DataSet 9, email chain between Lesley Groff and Roy Black, February 22, 2012. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00419255.pdf -[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00388568, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, June 24, 2013. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00388568.pdf -[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00372331, DataSet 9, email chain between Lesley Groff and Jacqui Safra, March 24, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00372331.pdf -[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02099269, DataSet 10, email chain between Lesley Groff, Stacey Plaskett and Erika Kellerhals, August 14, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02099269.pdf -[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00858918, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, "Carlton Dowe," April 21, 2015. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00858918.pdf -[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02074070, DataSet 10, email from Lesley Groff, "Jeffrey Epstein (Hoffman & Thiel Dinner Party)," August 5, 2015. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02074070.pdf -[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02044775, DataSet 10, email from Lesley Groff, "Churkin to join lunch tomorrow as well," August 28, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02044775.pdf -[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00439714, DataSet 9, email chain "Re: Jeffrey Epstein," November 29, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00439714.pdf -[^15]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00498222, DataSet 9, Google Calendar notification, June 13, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00498222.pdf -[^16]: Jane Doe 43 v. Epstein (Ransome v. Epstein), No. 1:17-cv-00616-JGK (S.D.N.Y.), Agreed Final Order of Dismissal with Prejudice, ECF No. 189 (Dec. 20, 2018). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4581676/jane-doe-43-v-epstein/ -[^17]: Fitzpatrick, Sarah, and Rich Schapiro. "Jeffrey Epstein accuser names four women in his web of enablers." *NBC News,* October 8, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-names-four-women-his-web-enablers-n1063801 -[^18]: Doe v. Indyke, No. 1:21-cv-08469-PKC (S.D.N.Y.), docket, filed October 14, 2021, terminated April 4, 2024, ECF Nos. 8, 9, 12 (notices of appearance for Lesley Groff, October 24 and 26, 2021). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/60646416/doe-v-indyke/ -[^19]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00187002 to EFTA00187004, DataSet 9, subpoena to testify before grand jury, FGJ 07-103(WPB), No. OLY-73, to Lesley Groff, with attachment, August 16, 2007 (near-duplicate at EFTA00317433). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00187002.pdf -[^20]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1 (U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida), entry for September 12, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf -[^21]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00095751, DataSet 9, index, "United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (AJN), Non-Testifying Witness Material," November 6, 2021, entries 3501.098-001 to 3501.098-016 (EFTA00095767). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00095751.pdf +[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403872, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, "Todd Meister," October 1, 2012, 19:44 UTC, with the forwarded chain from Todd Meister (EFTA00403869, 19:31 UTC). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf +[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403880, DataSet 9, "Re: Todd Meister," October 1, 2012, 20:42 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403880.pdf +[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00388568, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, June 24, 2013. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00388568.pdf +[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00372331, DataSet 9, email chain between Lesley Groff and Jacqui Safra, March 24, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00372331.pdf +[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02099269, DataSet 10, email chain between Lesley Groff, Stacey Plaskett and Erika Kellerhals, August 14, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02099269.pdf +[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00858918, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, "Carlton Dowe," April 21, 2015. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00858918.pdf +[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02074070, DataSet 10, email from Lesley Groff, "Jeffrey Epstein (Hoffman & Thiel Dinner Party)," August 5, 2015. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02074070.pdf +[^15]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02044775, DataSet 10, email from Lesley Groff, "Churkin to join lunch tomorrow as well," August 28, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02044775.pdf +[^16]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00439714, DataSet 9, email chain "Re: Jeffrey Epstein," November 29, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00439714.pdf +[^17]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00498222, DataSet 9, Google Calendar notification, June 13, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00498222.pdf +[^18]: Jane Doe 43 v. Epstein (Ransome v. Epstein), No. 1:17-cv-00616-JGK (S.D.N.Y.), Agreed Final Order of Dismissal with Prejudice, ECF No. 189 (Dec. 20, 2018). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4581676/jane-doe-43-v-epstein/ +[^19]: Fitzpatrick, Sarah, and Rich Schapiro. "Jeffrey Epstein accuser names four women in his web of enablers." *NBC News,* October 8, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-names-four-women-his-web-enablers-n1063801 +[^20]: Doe v. Indyke, No. 1:21-cv-08469-PKC (S.D.N.Y.), docket, filed October 14, 2021, terminated April 4, 2024, ECF Nos. 8, 9, 12 (notices of appearance for Lesley Groff, October 24 and 26, 2021). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/60646416/doe-v-indyke/ +[^21]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00187002 to EFTA00187004, DataSet 9, subpoena to testify before grand jury, FGJ 07-103(WPB), No. OLY-73, to Lesley Groff, with attachment, August 16, 2007 (near-duplicate at EFTA00317433). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00187002.pdf +[^22]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1 (U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida), entry for September 12, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf +[^23]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00095751, DataSet 9, index, "United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (AJN), Non-Testifying Witness Material," November 6, 2021, entries 3501.098-001 to 3501.098-016 (EFTA00095767). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00095751.pdf diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Stephen Deckoff.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Stephen Deckoff.md index 66d6b094..202dbdd4 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Stephen Deckoff.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Stephen Deckoff.md @@ -46,12 +46,16 @@ relations: with: "[[KVH Industries]]" start: 2026-08-20 role: "director (Form 4 dated August 20, 2026)" - fn: 20 + fn: 30 - type: funded with: "[[Emmer for Congress]]" start: 2025-05-27 role: "two itemized contributions of 3,500 dollars each, 7,000 dollars total" - fn: 23 + fn: 33 + - type: owned + with: "[[Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC]]" + role: "owner, per Westfair Business Journal report of May 27, 2026" + fn: 14 created: 2026-09-25 updated: 2026-10-08 --- @@ -83,39 +87,49 @@ Visoski was listed in the original Articles of Organization of Plan D, LLC, file ### The aircraft and the tail number -The FAA's releasable aircraft database, downloaded October 8, 2026, lists the mark N114BD as a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X (serial number 42) registered to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC, 1 Sound Shore Drive, Suite 200, Greenwich, Connecticut, with a certificate issued November 4, 2023.[^11] The deregistered-aircraft file of the same database lists a 1999 [[Learjet]] 60 (serial number 166) under the mark N112BD, with the registration cancelled on July 1, 2025 under the status "sale reported."[^11] A listing of FAA registry records for Greenwich, Connecticut shows N114BD on a 1999 Learjet 60 (serial number 166, certificate issued December 9, 2004) registered to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC, and on the 2009 Falcon 7X (serial number 42, certificate issued December 12, 2017) registered to Bdag 7x LLC.[^12] +The FAA's releasable aircraft database, downloaded October 8, 2026, lists the mark N114BD as a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X (serial number 42) registered to [[Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC]], 1 Sound Shore Drive, Suite 200, Greenwich, Connecticut, with a certificate issued November 4, 2023.[^11] The deregistered-aircraft file of the same database lists a 1999 [[Learjet]] 60 (serial number 166) under the mark N112BD, with the registration cancelled on July 1, 2025 under the status "sale reported."[^11] A listing of FAA registry records for Greenwich, Connecticut shows N114BD on a 1999 Learjet 60 (serial number 166, certificate issued December 9, 2004) registered to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC, and on the 2009 Falcon 7X (serial number 42, certificate issued December 12, 2017) registered to Bdag 7x LLC.[^12] + +The FAA's inquiry page for N114BD, retrieved October 8, 2026, gives the current registration as a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X, serial number 42, with Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC as registered owner. The airworthiness date is February 10, 2018, the certificate was issued November 4, 2023, and the registration expires November 30, 2030.[^13] The Westfair Business Journal reported on May 27, 2026 that Black Diamond Aviation Group is owned by Deckoff, was originally based in Greenwich according to an FAA record and, according to a lawsuit it filed in Westchester Supreme Court, is now based in a White Plains apartment building, with Mark Woinicki as its aviation director; the suit alleges that a Long Island interiors company, Global Aircraft Interiors Inc., refurbished the cabinets of a 2009 Falcon 7X without authorization and refused to return them, grounding the aircraft, and Global Aircraft Interiors proposed a $292,411 refurbishment.[^14] + +The same registry lists a second aircraft under Deckoff's own name. N615BD is an Airbus Helicopters Deutschland EC135 P2+ helicopter, manufactured in 2015 with serial number 1193, registered to Stephen H. Deckoff as an individual in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The certificate was issued April 19, 2024, the airworthiness date is May 3, 2024, and the registration expires April 30, 2031.[^15][^16] + +The FAA's inquiry page for N112BD lists the mark as deregistered and gives the airframe as the 1999 Learjet 60 with serial number 166. The cancellation date is July 1, 2025, and the status is "SALE REPORTED."[^17] The current FAA file does not show N114BD against serial number 166.[^18] ### The islands -The two islands went on the market in March 2022 with an asking price of 125 million dollars.[^13] The estate's settlement with the Virgin Islands government, announced in December 2022, required the estate to pay the territory 105 million dollars in cash, plus one half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James. It also required the estate to sell Little St. James and Great St. James to independent third parties and to wind down its business in the territory.[^14] SD Investments announced the purchase on May 3, 2023.[^2] The release quoted Deckoff: "I've been proud to call the U.S. Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty."[^2] Forbes reported that Deckoff said he had never met Epstein and had never set foot on the islands until they were marketed following Epstein's 2019 death.[^1] Forbes wrote that the settlement gives the government half the proceeds from the sale of the islands, which it put at about 30 million dollars, to be placed in a trust for counseling and other services for victims. Carlson reported that half the sale price of Little St. James came to about 11 million dollars.[^15] +The two islands went on the market in March 2022 with an asking price of 125 million dollars.[^19] The estate's settlement with the Virgin Islands government, announced in December 2022, required the estate to pay the territory 105 million dollars in cash, plus one half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James. It also required the estate to sell Little St. James and Great St. James to independent third parties and to wind down its business in the territory.[^20] SD Investments announced the purchase on May 3, 2023.[^2] The release quoted Deckoff: "I've been proud to call the U.S. Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty."[^2] Forbes reported that Deckoff said he had never met Epstein and had never set foot on the islands until they were marketed following Epstein's 2019 death.[^1] Forbes wrote that the settlement gives the government half the proceeds from the sale of the islands, which it put at about 30 million dollars, to be placed in a trust for counseling and other services for victims. Carlson reported that half the sale price of Little St. James came to about 11 million dollars.[^21] -The May 2023 release announced a five-star, 25-room luxury resort "anticipated to open in 2025," and Forbes reported that Deckoff said he planned to open it in about two years.[^1][^2] [[Suzanne Carlson]] of the [[Virgin Islands Daily News]] reported in February 2026 that no resort had been built and that the only construction permit Deckoff had requested was for an 8,800 square foot warehouse on Little St. James, and that the application for a Coastal Zone Management major permit was submitted in December 2025.[^15] Carlson wrote that the Daily News reviewed the application, which describes replacing an existing metal-framed warehouse with a single large semicircular concrete warehouse over a new concrete cistern. The [[Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources]] coastal zone management director, [[Marlon Hibbert]], said that the application was still incomplete because no environmental assessment had been submitted. Carlson wrote that attempts to reach Deckoff for comment were unsuccessful.[^15] +The May 2023 release announced a five-star, 25-room luxury resort "anticipated to open in 2025," and Forbes reported that Deckoff said he planned to open it in about two years.[^1][^2] [[Suzanne Carlson]] of the [[Virgin Islands Daily News]] reported in February 2026 that no resort had been built and that the only construction permit Deckoff had requested was for an 8,800 square foot warehouse on Little St. James, and that the application for a Coastal Zone Management major permit was submitted in December 2025.[^21] Carlson wrote that the Daily News reviewed the application, which describes replacing an existing metal-framed warehouse with a single large semicircular concrete warehouse over a new concrete cistern. The [[Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources]] coastal zone management director, [[Marlon Hibbert]], said that the application was still incomplete because no environmental assessment had been submitted. Carlson wrote that attempts to reach Deckoff for comment were unsuccessful.[^21] ### Economic Development Commission benefits -Carlson reported that Black Diamond Advisors and Black Diamond Holdings had received tax-incentive benefits from the [[Economic Development Commission]] since 2012.[^15] The territory's suit against the Epstein estate alleged that [[Southern Trust Company]], an Epstein company, made fraudulent misrepresentations to the authority about its qualifications for those benefits, and the 2022 settlement returns more than 80 million dollars in such benefits.[^14] The annual reports of the [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority]] name the firm's affiliates. Its fiscal 2016 report lists [[Black Diamond Advisors, LLLP]] and [[Black Diamond Holding, LLLP]] among the site visits for beneficiaries.[^16] Its fiscal 2023 report lists certificate orientations on February 7, 2023 for Black Diamond Advisors, LLC and Black Diamond Holdings, LLC, both recorded as modifications on St. Thomas.[^17] +Carlson reported that Black Diamond Advisors and Black Diamond Holdings had received tax-incentive benefits from the [[Economic Development Commission]] since 2012.[^21] The *St. Croix Source* reported that at the Economic Development Commission session of August 12, 2021, Black Diamond Advisors, LLLP and Black Diamond Holdings, LLLP applied for 10-year extensions of benefits. Mounir Nahas, chief executive officer of Black Diamond, told the commission that the company employed more than 20 people, had a 4,000-square-foot office at Yacht Haven Grande, and managed $9 billion in investment funds; he said there were 10 employees at the holding company, and the two companies shared office space. Commission members Jose Penn and Phil Payne asked Nahas to reevaluate salaries and insurance contributions for the lower-salaried staff.[^22] The territory's suit against the Epstein estate alleged that [[Southern Trust Company]], an Epstein company, made fraudulent misrepresentations to the authority about its qualifications for those benefits, and the 2022 settlement returns more than 80 million dollars in such benefits.[^20] The annual reports of the [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority]] name the firm's affiliates. Its fiscal 2016 report lists [[Black Diamond Advisors, LLLP]] and [[Black Diamond Holding, LLLP]] among the site visits for beneficiaries.[^23] Its fiscal 2023 report lists certificate orientations on February 7, 2023 for Black Diamond Advisors, LLC and Black Diamond Holdings, LLC, both recorded as modifications on St. Thomas.[^24] ### Jet Center -The 2014 email chain says that Black Diamond Trading was "trying to buy Jet Center." In November 2018, [[Signature Flight Support]] agreed to buy the [[St. Thomas Jet Center]] and its affiliate [[Alliance Aviation]], according to Aviation International News. The report says that [[Michael Hancock]] and [[Susan Hancock]] had owned the St. Thomas fixed-base operator for more than two decades and would remain with the business.[^18] +The 2014 email chain says that Black Diamond Trading was "trying to buy Jet Center." In November 2018, [[Signature Flight Support]] agreed to buy the [[St. Thomas Jet Center]] and its affiliate [[Alliance Aviation]], according to Aviation International News. Aviation International News reported on November 1, 2018 that [[Michael Hancock]] and [[Susan Hancock]] had owned the St. Thomas FBO for more than two decades and would remain with the business, along with the staff, for at least the next two years.[^25] The *Virgin Islands Daily News* reported on November 5, 2018 that the Hancocks had bought St. Thomas Jet Center from the Boehlke family in 2002, and that Michael Hancock had started his own aviation business in 1995.[^26] Signature's announcement described the transaction in two phases: a 49 percent holding at signing and the remaining 51 percent within 14 months, with Alliance Aviation, Jet Set Rental Cars and Tri Island Energy Fuel Logistics included.[^27] + +### The 2012 Alliance Aviation notice + +A message of October 1, 2012 from Francisco D'Agostino to [[Todd Meister]] gave a landing time at the St. Thomas FBO of Alliance Aviation and the tail number N3FD; Meister forwarded it to Epstein, and [[Lesley Groff]] wrote that day that Meister was going to the island the next day with a Venezuelan friend and that Larry Visoski would collect them by helicopter.[^28] ### PTC Alliance Acquisition, 2009 -In October 2009, [[PTC Alliance]], a steel-tubing maker, filed a Chapter 11 petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company had signed an asset purchase agreement with funds managed by Black Diamond Capital Management, the pre-petition term lenders, to act as a "stalking horse" bidder for substantially all of its assets under Section 363. Deckoff, identified as managing principal of Black Diamond Capital Management LLC, said: "Our proposed transaction will establish a new corporation with a stronger balance sheet and lower cost structure that it will be well positioned now and in the future to provide PTC's customers with high-quality tubing products and precision components."[^19] +In October 2009, [[PTC Alliance]], a steel-tubing maker, filed a Chapter 11 petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company had signed an asset purchase agreement with funds managed by Black Diamond Capital Management, the pre-petition term lenders, to act as a "stalking horse" bidder for substantially all of its assets under Section 363. Deckoff, identified as managing principal of Black Diamond Capital Management LLC, said: "Our proposed transaction will establish a new corporation with a stronger balance sheet and lower cost structure that it will be well positioned now and in the future to provide PTC's customers with high-quality tubing products and precision components."[^29] ### Filings naming Deckoff -The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lists Deckoff as a reporting person on Forms 3 and 4 for several issuers. A Form 3 with a reporting date of August 19, 2022, and a Form 4 dated August 20, 2026, record him as a 10 percent owner of [[KVH Industries]]. The 2026 Form 4 also marks him as a director.[^20] A Form 4 for [[Hawaiian Telcom Holdco]], with a reporting date of March 20, 2017, records him as a 10 percent owner. The EDGAR index also lists Forms 3 and 4 for [[Tropicana Entertainment]] (2010), [[Viasystems Group]] (2013 and 2015) and [[Consumer Portfolio Services]] (2021 and 2022).[^20] +The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lists Deckoff as a reporting person on Forms 3 and 4 for several issuers. A Form 3 with a reporting date of August 19, 2022, and a Form 4 dated August 20, 2026, record him as a 10 percent owner of [[KVH Industries]]. The 2026 Form 4 also marks him as a director.[^30] A Form 4 for [[Hawaiian Telcom Holdco]], with a reporting date of March 20, 2017, records him as a 10 percent owner. The EDGAR index also lists Forms 3 and 4 for [[Tropicana Entertainment]] (2010), [[Viasystems Group]] (2013 and 2015) and [[Consumer Portfolio Services]] (2021 and 2022).[^30] ### Schedule 13D and 13G filings -Black Diamond Capital Management, L.L.C. (CIK 0001282197) and Deckoff are joint reporting persons on Schedule 13D statements for two issuers in 2022 and 2023. In Amendment No. 3 to its Schedule 13D for Consumer Portfolio Services (event date March 10, 2022, filed March 14, 2022), the two reported shared voting and dispositive power over 4,647,042 shares, 22.05 percent of the class, bought for approximately 21,156,734.98 dollars from the capital of Black Diamond investment vehicles. The filing states that on March 10, 2022 the reporting persons told the company's chief executive officer and chief financial officer that they wished to propose two nominees for the board, Deckoff and James E. Walker III, and that a nomination letter was submitted on March 14, 2022.[^21] In Amendment No. 1 to its Schedule 13D for KVH Industries (event date February 3, 2023), the two reported shared power over 3,298,597 shares, 17.20 percent of the class. The filing states that on February 3, 2023 they entered a cooperation agreement with the company under which the board agreed to nominate and support Deckoff as a Class III director at the 2023 annual meeting and to waive the company's stockholder rights plan so that the reporting persons could acquire up to 25 percent of the shares; the amendment refers to an original Schedule 13D filed August 26, 2022.[^21] +Black Diamond Capital Management, L.L.C. (CIK 0001282197) and Deckoff are joint reporting persons on Schedule 13D statements for two issuers in 2022 and 2023. In Amendment No. 3 to its Schedule 13D for Consumer Portfolio Services (event date March 10, 2022, filed March 14, 2022), the two reported shared voting and dispositive power over 4,647,042 shares, 22.05 percent of the class, bought for approximately 21,156,734.98 dollars from the capital of Black Diamond investment vehicles. The filing states that on March 10, 2022 the reporting persons told the company's chief executive officer and chief financial officer that they wished to propose two nominees for the board, Deckoff and James E. Walker III, and that a nomination letter was submitted on March 14, 2022.[^31] In Amendment No. 1 to its Schedule 13D for KVH Industries (event date February 3, 2023), the two reported shared power over 3,298,597 shares, 17.20 percent of the class. The filing states that on February 3, 2023 they entered a cooperation agreement with the company under which the board agreed to nominate and support Deckoff as a Class III director at the 2023 annual meeting and to waive the company's stockholder rights plan so that the reporting persons could acquire up to 25 percent of the shares; the amendment refers to an original Schedule 13D filed August 26, 2022.[^31] -The EDGAR full-text index also lists Schedule 13D filings by Black Diamond Capital Management for Hawaiian Telcom Holdco (February 25, 2016 and July 10, 2018), Schedule 13G filings for Hawaiian Telcom Holdco (2012 to 2015), Viasystems Group (July 8, 2015), Saratoga Investment Corp (2014 to 2024) and Canterbury Park Holding Corp (2022 to 2024), and Form D notices for funds including BDCM Opportunity Fund III, L.P. (December 21, 2010) and Black Diamond Credit Strategies, L.P. (2017 to 2026).[^22] +The EDGAR full-text index also lists Schedule 13D filings by Black Diamond Capital Management for Hawaiian Telcom Holdco (February 25, 2016 and July 10, 2018), Schedule 13G filings for Hawaiian Telcom Holdco (2012 to 2015), Viasystems Group (July 8, 2015), Saratoga Investment Corp (2014 to 2024) and Canterbury Park Holding Corp (2022 to 2024), and Form D notices for funds including BDCM Opportunity Fund III, L.P. (December 21, 2010) and Black Diamond Credit Strategies, L.P. (2017 to 2026).[^32] ### Political giving and philanthropy -The [[Federal Election Commission]] records two itemized contributions of 3,500 dollars each, both dated May 27, 2025, from a contributor named Stephen H. Deckoff of Stamford, Connecticut, to [[Emmer for Congress]].[^23] Forbes reported that Deckoff had given more than 1.2 million dollars to nonprofits in the Virgin Islands, mostly to private schools and nature-preservation organizations.[^1] +The [[Federal Election Commission]] records two itemized contributions of 3,500 dollars each, both dated May 27, 2025, from a contributor named Stephen H. Deckoff of Stamford, Connecticut, to [[Emmer for Congress]].[^33] Forbes reported that Deckoff had given more than 1.2 million dollars to nonprofits in the Virgin Islands, mostly to private schools and nature-preservation organizations.[^1] ### Footnotes @@ -131,14 +145,24 @@ The [[Federal Election Commission]] records two itemized contributions of 3,500 [^10]: *Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein*, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 33 to 34, filed as Exhibit 1 to *Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.,* No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf [^11]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database, MASTER.txt entry for N-number 114BD and DEREG.txt, downloaded October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip [^12]: City-Data.com, "FAA Registered Aircraft, Dealers and Manufacturers in Greenwich, Connecticut" (listing derived from FAA registry data; undated snapshot, retrieved October 8, 2026). https://www.city-data.com/aircraft/air-Greenwich-Connecticut.html -[^13]: NPR, "Financier buys Jeffrey Epstein's private islands, with plans to create a resort," May 4, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/04/1173956903/jeffrey-epstein-island-sold-st-james -[^14]: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice, "U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Settles Sex Trafficking Case Against Estate Of Jeffrey Epstein And Co-Defendants For Over $105 Million," December 1, 2022. https://usvidoj.com/u-s-virgin-islands-attorney-general-settles-sex-trafficking-case-against-estate-of-jeffrey-epstein-and-co-defendants-for-over-105-million/ -[^15]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html ; Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026, reporting that half the sale price of Little St. James came to about 11 million dollars. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html. -[^16]: Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, *FY 2016 Annual Report,* Table 3, Site Visits, p. 30. https://usvieda.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2016_EDA_Annual_Report_FINAL.pdf -[^17]: Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, *FY 2023 Annual Report,* Certificate Orientations, pp. 24 to 25. https://usvieda.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023-Annual-Report_Revised-Apr-4-2025.pdf -[^18]: "Signature Acquires Virgin Islands Bases." *Aviation International News,* November 1, 2018. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-11-01/signature-acquires-virgin-islands-bases -[^19]: "PTC Alliance Files for Chapter 11 Protection." Association for Iron & Steel Technology, posted October 2, 2009, quoting the company's announcement and Deckoff's statement. https://www.aist.org/ptc-alliance-files-for-chapter-11-protection -[^20]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR filing index for reporting person Deckoff Stephen H (CIK 0001486844), including the Form 4 for KVH Industries Inc. (period August 20, 2026), the Form 3 for KVH Industries Inc. (period August 19, 2022), and the Form 4 for Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. (period March 20, 2017). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001486844 -[^21]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR, Schedule 13D/A Amendment No. 3, Consumer Portfolio Services Inc., accession 0001140361-22-009441; Schedule 13D/A Amendment No. 1, KVH Industries, Inc., accession 0001140361-23-004863. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/889609/000114036122009441/brhc10035210_sc13da.htm and https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1007587/000114036123004863/brhc10047604_sc13da.htm -[^22]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR full-text search, query "Black Diamond Capital Management," forms SC 13D, SC 13G and D, run October 8, 2026 (filer CIK 0001282197 for the adviser). https://efts.sec.gov/LATEST/search-index?q=%22Black%20Diamond%20Capital%20Management%22 -[^23]: Federal Election Commission, Schedule A itemized individual contributions, contributor "DECKOFF, STEPHEN H.", recipient committee C00545749 (Emmer for Congress), two entries dated May 27, 2025, 3,500 dollars each. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=DECKOFF&committee_id=C00545749 +[^13]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Inquiry, N-Number Inquiry Results for N114BD (Mode S code 50035454; registered owner BLACK DIAMOND AVIATION GROUP LLC, 1 SOUND SHORE DR STE 200, GREENWICH, CT; certificate issued 11/04/2023; airworthiness date 02/10/2018; expiration 11/30/2030), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=114BD ; same record in Releasable Aircraft Database, MASTER.txt. https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip +[^14]: Bill Heltzel, "Cabinetry dispute grounds Falcon 7X business jet," *Westfair Business Journal,* May 27, 2026. https://westfaironline.com/courts/cabinetry-dispute-grounds-falcon-7x-business-jet/ Sole source for the ownership statement and the lawsuit's allegations; the article gives no tail number or case caption. +[^15]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Inquiry, N-Number Inquiry Results for N615BD (Mode S code A8016E; type registration Individual; registered owner DECKOFF STEPHEN H, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; certificate issued 04/19/2024; airworthiness 05/03/2024; expiration 04/30/2031), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=615BD +[^16]: Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, MASTER.txt entry 615BD (serial number 1193, model code 5620010), with ACFTREF.txt entry 5620010 (AIRBUS HELICOPTERS DEUTSCHLAND, EC135 P2+), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip ; FlightAware registration page for N615BD, retrieved October 8, 2026, which gives the same owner and dates. https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N615BD +[^17]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Inquiry, N-Number Inquiry Results for N112BD ("N112BD is Deregistered"), and Releasable Aircraft Database, DEREG.txt entry 112BD, serial number 166 (model code 5170707, Learjet 60, year 1999; status "SALE REPORTED"; cancel date 07/01/2025; last action date 06/29/2025), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=112BD +[^18]: City-Data.com, "FAA Registered Aircraft, Dealers and Manufacturers in Greenwich, Connecticut" (undated listing derived from FAA data). https://www.city-data.com/aircraft/air-Greenwich-Connecticut.html ; FlightAware registration pages for N114BD and N112BD, retrieved October 8, 2026. https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N114BD and https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N112BD +[^19]: NPR, "Financier buys Jeffrey Epstein's private islands, with plans to create a resort," May 4, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/04/1173956903/jeffrey-epstein-island-sold-st-james +[^20]: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice, "U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Settles Sex Trafficking Case Against Estate Of Jeffrey Epstein And Co-Defendants For Over $105 Million," December 1, 2022. https://usvidoj.com/u-s-virgin-islands-attorney-general-settles-sex-trafficking-case-against-estate-of-jeffrey-epstein-and-co-defendants-for-over-105-million/ +[^21]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html ; Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026, reporting that half the sale price of Little St. James came to about 11 million dollars. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html. +[^22]: Susan Ellis, "EDC Grants Tax Benefits to Paragon Surgical Center and Amends V.I. Paving's Requirements," *St. Croix Source,* August 12, 2021. https://stcroixsource.com/2021/08/12/edc-grants-tax-benefits-to-paragon-surgical-center-and-amends-v-i-pavings-requirements/ +[^23]: Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, *FY 2016 Annual Report,* Table 3, Site Visits, p. 30. https://usvieda.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2016_EDA_Annual_Report_FINAL.pdf +[^24]: Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, *FY 2023 Annual Report,* Certificate Orientations, pp. 24 to 25. https://usvieda.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023-Annual-Report_Revised-Apr-4-2025.pdf +[^25]: "Signature Acquires Virgin Islands Bases." *Aviation International News,* November 1, 2018. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-11-01/signature-acquires-virgin-islands-bases +[^26]: Lori Abbotts, "St. Thomas Jet Center forms joint venture with Signature Flight Support," *Virgin Islands Daily News,* November 5, 2018. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/business/st-thomas-jet-center-forms-joint-venture-with-signature-flight-support/article_f65a7ade-c80e-5c92-9740-a52250559195.html +[^27]: "Signature Flight Support to acquire St. Thomas Jet Center," Signature Flight Support newsroom, November 1, 2018. https://articles.signatureflight.com/blog/about/newsroom/2018/11/01/signature-flight-support-to-acquire-st.-thomas-jet-center +[^28]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00644307 (https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00644307.pdf) and EFTA00403872 (https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf), DataSet 9, emails of October 1, 2012. +[^29]: "PTC Alliance Files for Chapter 11 Protection." Association for Iron & Steel Technology, posted October 2, 2009, quoting the company's announcement and Deckoff's statement. https://www.aist.org/ptc-alliance-files-for-chapter-11-protection +[^30]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR filing index for reporting person Deckoff Stephen H (CIK 0001486844), including the Form 4 for KVH Industries Inc. (period August 20, 2026), the Form 3 for KVH Industries Inc. (period August 19, 2022), and the Form 4 for Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. (period March 20, 2017). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001486844 +[^31]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR, Schedule 13D/A Amendment No. 3, Consumer Portfolio Services Inc., accession 0001140361-22-009441; Schedule 13D/A Amendment No. 1, KVH Industries, Inc., accession 0001140361-23-004863. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/889609/000114036122009441/brhc10035210_sc13da.htm and https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1007587/000114036123004863/brhc10047604_sc13da.htm +[^32]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR full-text search, query "Black Diamond Capital Management," forms SC 13D, SC 13G and D, run October 8, 2026 (filer CIK 0001282197 for the adviser). https://efts.sec.gov/LATEST/search-index?q=%22Black%20Diamond%20Capital%20Management%22 +[^33]: Federal Election Commission, Schedule A itemized individual contributions, contributor "DECKOFF, STEPHEN H.", recipient committee C00545749 (Emmer for Congress), two entries dated May 27, 2025, 3,500 dollars each. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=DECKOFF&committee_id=C00545749 diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Bobby Ray Inman.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Bobby Ray Inman.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..fe31b460 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Bobby Ray Inman.md @@ -0,0 +1,304 @@ +--- +title: Bobby Ray Inman +aliases: + - Bobby Ray Inman + - Bobby Inman + - Bobby R. Inman + - B. R. Inman + - Admiral Bobby Ray Inman + - Admiral Bobby Inman + - Admiral B. R. Inman + - Adm. Inman + - Vice Admiral Bobby R. Inman + - Vice Admiral B. R. Inman + - Admiral Inman +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +category: "Intelligence & Government" +tags: + - Person + - NationalSecurityAgency + - CentralIntelligenceAgency + - DefenseIntelligenceAgency + - Navy + - MicroelectronicsAndComputerTechnology + - Westmark + - Tracor + - InternationalSignalAndControl + - ScienceApplicationsInternational + - InmanReport + - KoreanAirLines007 + - USSLiberty + - UFOs + - Stargate +summary: "Navy admiral who directed the NSA, served as CIA deputy director, ran MCC and Westmark, sat on the International Signal and Control proxy board, and withdrew from a 1994 Defense nomination." +born: 1931-04-04 +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[NSA]]" + role: "director" + start: 1977-07-05 + end: 1981-02 + fn: 3 + - type: appointed + with: "[[Ronald Reagan]]" + reverse: true + role: "nominated Deputy Director of Central Intelligence" + start: 1981-02 + fn: 1 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Central Intelligence Agency]]" + role: "deputy director" + start: 1981-02 + end: 1982-04 + fn: 12 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Defense Intelligence Agency]]" + role: "vice director for plans, operations and support" + start: 1976 + end: 1977 + fn: 5 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]" + role: "Director of Naval Intelligence" + start: 1974 + end: 1976 + fn: 1 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation]]" + role: "president and chief executive officer (chairman, president and chief executive per SAIC proxy)" + start: 1983-01-21 + end: 1986 + fn: 19 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Westmark Systems]]" + role: "chairman from September 1986; chief executive from December 31, 1986 to December 31, 1989" + start: 1986-09 + end: 1989-12-31 + fn: 25 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Tracor]]" + role: "chairman and chief executive" + start: 1988 + end: 1989-12 + fn: 27 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas]]" + role: "chairman" + start: 1987-01 + end: 1990-12 + fn: 25 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Science Applications International Corporation]]" + role: "director; chairman of the executive committee (1994); part-time employee from April 1990" + start: 1982 + fn: 32 + - type: director_of + with: "[[International Signal and Control]]" + role: "member of the special proxy board" + fn: 37 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Fluor Corporation]]" + role: "director from 1985 (chairman of the nominating committee in 1994); the company was renamed Massey Energy after the November 30, 2000 reverse spin-off" + start: 1985 + fn: 30 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Massey Energy]]" + role: "director; company formerly Fluor Corporation" + start: 2000-11-30 + fn: 31 + - type: director_of + with: "[[SBC Communications]]" + role: "director of Southwestern Bell Corporation (later SBC), still listed in the 2002 proxy" + start: 1985-03 + fn: 26 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Temple-Inland]]" + role: "director, first elected 1987; still listed in the 2002 proxy" + start: 1987 + fn: 25 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Xerox]]" + role: "director, listed in the 1994 and 1995 proxies of Fluor, SAIC, Southwestern Bell and Temple-Inland" + fn: 26 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Dell Computer Corporation]]" + role: "director and audit committee chairman; resigned December 16, 1993" + end: 1993-12-16 + fn: 34 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Council on Foreign Relations]]" + role: "director, term expiring 1988 (1984-1985 annual report)" + fn: 35 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Xe Services]]" + role: "independent director" + start: 2011 + fn: 36 + - type: appointed + with: "[[Bill Clinton]]" + reverse: true + role: "nominee for Secretary of Defense, withdrawn" + start: 1993-12-16 + end: 1994-01-18 + fn: 4 + - type: appointed + with: "[[President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board]]" + role: "member, named by George H. W. Bush (July 1991 per the Clinton Library finding aid; July 1990 per Good); term not renewed under Clinton" + start: 1991-07 + fn: 39 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[Advisory Panel on Overseas Security]]" + role: "chairman" + start: 1985 + fn: 22 +--- + +Bobby Ray Inman (born April 4, 1931) is a retired [[United States Navy]] admiral who directed the [[NSA]] from 1977 to 1981 and served as deputy director of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] from 1981 to 1982.[^1][^2][^3] After retiring from the Navy he was chairman and chief executive of [[Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], headed Westmark Systems and Tracor, sat on several corporate boards, and in 1993 was nominated Secretary of Defense by President [[Bill Clinton]], withdrawing in January 1994.[^1][^4] + +### Naval intelligence and the Defense Intelligence Agency + +Inman was born in [[Rhonesboro, Texas]], and graduated from the [[University of Texas at Austin]] in 1950.[^2] He joined the Naval Reserve in 1951 and was commissioned an ensign in 1952. He then spent nineteen years as an analyst for Naval Intelligence, serving on an aircraft carrier, two cruisers and a destroyer as well as in shore assignments.[^1] He became Director of [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Naval Intelligence]] in 1974.[^1] + +He was vice director of the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] in 1976.[^1] In January 1977 [[George H.W. Bush|George Bush]], then chairman of the [[National Foreign Intelligence Board]], wrote to him as "Vice Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN, Vice Director, Plans, Operations and Support, Defense Intelligence Agency," thanking him for a year of advice to the board.[^5] + +### Director of the NSA, 1977 to 1981 + +Inman told the [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] in February 1981 that he had served as director of the NSA "since 5 July 1977."[^3] He said that during his four years at the agency "this committee constantly pressed on the administration the question of the adequacy of the intelligence assets."[^3] + +The [[BBC]]'s [[Tim Harford]] wrote in 2017 that the agency's head during the public-key cryptography dispute "was genuinely puzzled about the academics' motives," and that Inman "soon accepted that the professor had a point and no prosecutions followed."[^6] + +Inman testified that the NSA's signals intelligence collection in Southeast Asia was dismantled after the war and was not resumed until at least 1978.[^7] + +On March 5, 2003, Inman told [[David C. Walsh]] that he "flatly rejected" what Walsh calls the "Cristol/Israeli thesis" of the 1967 attack on the [[USS Liberty Incident|USS Liberty]]. "It is just exceedingly difficult to believe that [the Liberty] was not correctly identified," Inman said, and he based the view on talks with NSA seniors who had direct knowledge at the time.[^8] [[Oliver Kirby]], the NSA's deputy director for operations and production in 1967, said that intercepts of Israeli pilots' conversations made it "absolutely certain" that the pilots knew the ship was American.[^8] + +### Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, 1981 to 1982 + +President [[Ronald Reagan]] nominated Inman in 1981.[^1] The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held its hearing on February 3, 1981, with [[Barry Goldwater]] presiding. Senator [[Joe Biden|Joseph R. Biden, Jr.]] submitted written questions on a centralized data bank and on the Freedom of Information Act, and Inman's answers are printed with the record.[^3] He was easily confirmed, and his White House biography gives March 1982 as the date he resigned.[^1] + +On December 4, 1981 Inman spoke at the White House briefing on the new executive order on intelligence activities. "It's my pleasure on behalf of the intelligence community to welcome the President's new executive order on United States intelligence activities," he said.[^9] + +In March 1982 Inman told a joint House subcommittee hearing on controls over unclassified scientific information that "It is time for the scientific community to accept that there is an outflow," and urged academic scientists to "set up their own mechanisms now" to limit it.[^10] + +Senior administration officials said on April 23, 1982 that an "intense debate" over reorganizing counterintelligence operations had led indirectly to his resignation.[^11] The White House announced the resignation on Wednesday, April 21, 1982, and said he was leaving for private industry.[^12] A Philadelphia Inquirer account said he had submitted it about a month earlier, during a "heated internal debate" over a secret counterintelligence study, and that the study's scope had since been narrowed. Its sources said two topics that Inman, Casey and FBI Director William Webster had feared might be included, the organization of U.S. counterintelligence agencies and deceptive Soviet missile telemetry, were not on the agenda approved by an interagency working group chaired by John Kohler of the intelligence community staff.[^13] A CBS radio commentary of April 22, 1982 described [[William J. Casey]], the director, as "a professional politician" and noted that he had been Ronald Reagan's campaign manager.[^14] + +In October 1982 Inman told the [[Association of Former Intelligence Officers]] that "the education system failed to produce the people with the skills and the ability of linguists in area studies," and that the country needed a "surge to deal with a whole range of burgeoning problems in the outside world."[^15] + +CIA memoranda scheduled Inman and William Casey for breakfast with Secretary of State [[Alexander M. Haig, Jr.|Alexander Haig]] on October 6, 1981, and again on January 26, 1982.[^16][^17] + +### Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, 1983 to 1986 + +Inman became the first president and chief executive of MCC on January 21, 1983. The Austin research consortium was financed by fourteen American companies.[^2] [[Michael Schrage]] wrote in a July 28, 1985 Washington Post profile that Inman "surprised and annoyed many of the members of his board" by rejecting many of the researchers the member companies offered. Inman told Schrage: "The management skills I've acquired through trial and painful error are serving me well here."[^18] He was chairman, president and chief executive of MCC from 1983 to 1986.[^19] + +### Korean Air Lines Flight 007, 1983 + +In an interview published in the Washington Post on September 4, 1983, Inman offered a theory of the shootdown of [[Korean Air Lines Flight 007]]. He proposed that "the program put into the computer for driving the navigation system is in substantial error," so that the aircraft drifted off course while its crew believed it was on track. Asked how the error was made, he answered "Totally by the Koreans." He said that to the pilot "it appears that he is on his normal track," and that the Soviets "at that point had to be discussing how to get it to land."[^20] + +### Inman Report on overseas security, 1985 + +Inman chaired the [[Advisory Panel on Overseas Security]], which the Secretary of State convened, and whose report is generally called the Inman Report after him. The panel's members were [[Warren B. Rudman]], [[Daniel A. Mica]], [[Lawrence Eagleburger|Lawrence S. Eagleburger]], [[Anne L. Armstrong]], [[D'Wayne Gray]] and [[Robert J. McGuire]], with [[Victor H. Dikeos]] as executive secretary.[^21] The report addresses "questions of organization within the Department, professionalism of those executing security responsibilities, international diplomacy to thwart terrorism," and the standards and building program required for overseas posts.[^21] The report calls for relocating a large number of American diplomatic facilities abroad to more secure locations and for retrofitting others against attack.[^22] It reviews the attacks on the [[United States Embassy in Beirut]].[^21] + +### Westmark Systems and Tracor, 1986 to 1989 + +As of September 1986 Inman planned to step down as chief executive of MCC in January 1987 and become chairman and chief executive of a new holding company, [[Westmark Systems]], that would acquire companies in the high-technology defense business. The company was to be majority owned by [[Mason Best Co.]], a Texas merchant banking concern. Its planned board included [[Donald Rumsfeld]], [[Drew Lewis]], [[Robert S. Strauss]], [[David T. Kearns]] of [[Xerox]] Corp. and [[Clifford J. Grum]] of [[Temple-Inland]].[^23] By October 1987 he was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Westmark Systems of Austin, Texas.[^24] The Temple-Inland proxy statement of 1995 gives his Westmark chairmanship as beginning in September 1986 and his chief executive role as running from December 31, 1986 until December 31, 1989.[^25] The SBC proxy statement of 1995 gives "from January 1987 through December 1989" for his chairman and chief executive roles at Westmark.[^26] + +Inman was chairman and chief executive of [[Tracor]], a Fortune 500 military contractor, from 1988 through December 1989, and the company filed for Chapter 11 protection about nine months after he left.[^27] A 1993 New York Times account described a leveraged buyout during his tenure that "eventually landed" the company in bankruptcy court.[^27] The newspaper described Tracor as "a casualty not only of Wall Street's excesses of the 1980s but of mismanagement, cost overruns and shrinking Pentagon spending." Inman told the Times that the company's problems had been caused by Wall Street bankers and lawyers whose excessive fees added costs to the purchase price and produced the debt, and he acknowledged that cost overruns and performance problems reduced its cash flow.[^27] The 1984 Texas State biography had already listed Tracor among the companies whose boards he sat on.[^2] At his news conference of January 1994 he cited a New York Times story critical of his operation of Tracor.[^28] + +### Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and the LBJ School + +Inman was an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin from 1987, and chairman of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas]] from 1987 through 1990.[^29] The Temple-Inland proxy statement of 1995 gives the chairmanship as January 1987 to December 1990.[^25] He was appointed to the [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] Centennial Chair in National Policy at the [[LBJ School of Public Affairs]] in August 2001, and was interim dean of the school in 2005 and from January 2009 to March 2010.[^29] + +### Corporate boards + +From March 1985 Inman was a director of Southwestern Bell Corporation (renamed [[SBC Communications]]), and he was first elected a director of Temple-Inland in 1987; the SBC proxy of 1995 lists him as a director of Fluor, Science Applications International Corporation, Temple-Inland and Xerox.[^26][^25] He chaired the Nominating Committee of the Fluor board and sat on its Organization and Compensation Committee, according to the Fluor proxy statement of February 1994.[^30] In 1984 Inman sat on the boards of [[Dravo Corporation|Dravo Corp.]], Science Applications Inc., [[Texas Eastern Corporation|Texas Eastern Co.]], Tracor Inc. and [[Western Union]] Corp.[^2] + +Inman was a director of the company now named [[Massey Energy]] from 1985.[^31] The company was the former [[Fluor Corporation]]. A reverse spin-off completed November 30, 2000 separated the new Fluor Corporation, and the old company was renamed Massey Energy Company and kept its coal-related businesses.[^31] In 2002 Inman was also a director of the new Fluor Corporation, Science Applications International Corporation, SBC Communications and Temple-Inland.[^31] + +Inman was a director of Science Applications International Corporation from 1982. He joined the company in April 1990 as a part-time employee and advises it on strategic planning.[^19] In the 1994 proxy statement he is listed as chairman of the executive committee, whose other members were J. R. Beyster, E. A. Frieman, L. A. Kull, M. R. Laird, J. W. McRary and B. J. Shillito.[^32] A CIA reading-room memorandum on parapsychology research at the company names Inman and [[Melvin Laird]] among its board members.[^33] + +Inman chaired the Audit Committee of [[Dell Computer Corporation]] during its fiscal year 1994 (ended January 30, 1994) and resigned as a director on December 16, 1993, the date of his nomination as Secretary of Defense. The proxy statement filed May 24, 1994 does not state the year he joined the board.[^34] + +The [[Council on Foreign Relations]] listed Inman among its directors, with a term expiring in 1988, in its 1984-1985 annual report, and he was one of eight candidates on its nominating slate for eight vacancies that year.[^35] + +In 2011 Inman was an independent director of [[Xe Services]], the former [[Blackwater Worldwide]], alongside [[John Ashcroft]].[^36] + +### International Signal and Control and James Guerin + +The company's founder was [[James Guerin]]. A special proxy board of [[International Signal and Control]], made up of Inman, retired Army general [[John Guthrie]] and former assistant secretary of the Navy [[Barry Shillito]], was set up so that the London-listed company could handle classified American defense work.[^37] Glenn Frankel wrote in 1989 that Inman and Alexander Haig "lent their names to Guerin's business activities over the years."[^37] + +In an April 27, 1992 letter to [[Louis Bechtle]], chief judge of the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania]], Inman called James Guerin a patriot.[^38] Inman has acknowledged having worked secretly with defense contractor James Guerin.[^38] He sought sentencing leniency for Guerin in 1992.[^38] Guerin was serving fifteen years for smuggling weapons to [[South Africa]].[^38] + +### Nomination for Secretary of Defense, 1993 to 1994 + +Clinton named Inman on December 16, 1993 to succeed [[Les Aspin]] as Secretary of Defense. The White House described him as having "a bipartisan reputation as one of the nation's finest intelligence officers."[^1] Inman said at the time that he neither sought nor wanted the job, but accepted it out of "duty and country."[^4] + +The Clinton Library finding aid for his board file states that President George H. W. Bush named Inman to the [[President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board]] in July 1991, that he served about thirty months, and that his term "was not renewed" after Clinton selected him for Defense.[^39] Timothy Good's 1991 book, published before that date, states that "In July 1990 he was appointed to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board."[^40] + +On January 18, 1994 Inman asked Clinton to withdraw the nomination and held a news conference in Austin.[^28] He described a "modern McCarthyism" practiced by newspaper columnists and Republican opponents, and said that [[William Safire]] of The New York Times had recruited Senator [[Bob Dole]] to launch a "partisan effort" against him.[^28] Inman said Safire's vendetta began when, in 1981, he took actions that limited Israel's access to certain U.S. intelligence data, and cited a Safire column that called him a media manipulator, a tax "cheat," a "flop" as a businessman and anti-Israel. He listed as further grievances the Tracor story and a White House leak of his failure to pay Social Security taxes on a household worker.[^28] Dole denied planning a partisan attack ("I have no idea what's gotten into Bobby Inman"), and two administration sources told the Washington Post that the FBI background check had provided nothing that would disqualify him.[^28] In a letter to Clinton he wrote: "I sense elements in the media and the political leadership of the country who would rather disparage or destroy reputations than work to effectively govern the country."[^28] The White House announced the withdrawal the same day.[^4] + +### Warrantless surveillance, 2006 + +At a [[New York Public Library]] panel on eavesdropping in May 2006, Inman said of the warrantless NSA program: "This activity is not authorized." Asked whether the president had the legal authority to order the wiretaps, he replied that "someone else would have to give you the good answer." He also called for the CIA to be "broken up in two."[^41] + +### Contacts with UFO researchers, 1988 to 1991 + +[[Timothy Good]]'s 1991 book Alien Liaison describes [[Bob Oechsler]], a former NASA mission specialist in Good's words, approaching Inman on May 13, 1988, outside the speakers' tent at the University of Maryland Science and Technology Center after Inman gave the keynote address at the groundbreaking for the NSA's supercomputer facility for the Institute for Defense Analyses. In Good's account Oechsler handed Inman a card listing robotics and security-surveillance expertise, and Inman put it in his breast pocket and said "OK."[^40] Good wrote that at his suggestion Oechsler telephoned Inman in July 1989, reminded him of the meeting, and asked for guidance toward access to a craft for technical research, and also on behalf of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton, the former Chief of the Defence Staff.[^40] Good's acknowledgements thank "Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, for making the acquisition of some of that information possible."[^40] + +The call was tape-recorded by Oechsler. In the transcript as reproduced in Loose Threads (2022), which dates the call to 1989, Inman says: "All of those are areas in which I am vastly out of date. When I made the decision to retire seven years ago, I made a conscious decision to sever ongoing ties with the U.S. Intelligence Community."[^42] He directs Oechsler to [[Everett Hineman]], the CIA deputy director for science and technology, and to retired rear admiral [[Sumner Shapiro]], "a former director of Naval Intelligence" who "has been a Vice President of [[BDM Corporation|BDM]]." Oechsler then asks: "Do you anticipate that any of the recovered vehicles would ever become available for technological research? Outside of the military circles." Inman answers: "Again, I honestly don't know. Ten years ago the answer would have been no. Whether as time has evolved they are beginning to become more open on it there's a possibility. Again, Mr. Hineman probably would be the best person to put that kind of question to."[^42] Earlier in the call Oechsler asks whether Inman understands "that there is a cultural dialogue going on" between "the parties that presumably are behind the technology in the crafts," and Inman replies "I honestly don't know. Have no exposure at all."[^42] The exchange appears on page 191 of the London edition of Alien Liaison.[^43] + +Oechsler told Good that Shapiro "seemed to have knowledge that the United States was in possession of extraterrestrial space vehicles" and gave "every indication of having studied one at close quarters," after two meetings in 1989 and on June 21, 1990, the second of which ended abruptly with Shapiro suspecting false pretenses.[^44] Oechsler also described an August 10, 1989 meeting with Hineman, who telephoned on September 1, 1989 to say "I come to different conclusions than you do."[^44] Good wrote in Alien Contact that Oechsler invited Inman to give the keynote address at the Ozark UFO Conference in April 1990, and that Inman declined and "made it clear (via his executive assistant, Tom King) that any public discussion of the information which Bob had acquired from the former intelligence community directors would be in 'violation of national secrecy laws.'"[^45] Oechsler wrote in Alien Update that after validating his meeting with Hineman, [[Ronald Pandolfi]] asked Inman whether he had talked to Oechsler about UFOs, and that Inman "did not deny that such a conversation took place, but was unwilling to discuss any details."[^45] + +The authors of Loose Threads state that notes from the inaugural "ATP TEN" meeting at BDM in 1985 name Inman in connection with a "major engineering project," and report that [[John B. Alexander]], asked about the note by a researcher, gave a brief reply rejecting the idea of Inman as an official topic of conversation.[^45] They also state that Inman directed the National Underwater Reconnaissance Office as a second post while Director of Naval Intelligence.[^46] Steven Greer said in a 2016 lecture that Barry Goldwater telephoned Inman at Greer's request and told him afterward that Inman "tore me apart"; Grant Cameron said he found a Goldwater file letter confirming that Goldwater telephoned Inman, and that Goldwater's daughter said she had never seen him so rattled.[^46] + +Inman's written statements deny each element. On December 18, 1989 he wrote to Good, who had written to him on November 17 and December 7, 1989: "Unfortunately I do not know of any information which could be of assistance to you for your UFO report."[^43] On July 26, 1991 he wrote to Armen Victorian, who had sent him the pages of Alien Liaison on which he was quoted: "I believe all these allegations to be false. Concerning your comments on a group of scientists called MJ12, I have no such awareness and do not believe such a group exists. In summary, the book is filled with fabrication and distortions."[^43] On August 5, 1991, answering Victorian's request for an "ultimate clarification," he wrote that he had "no specific recollection of the receipt of a calling card from Mr Oeschler" before the call, that he "did not understand until well into his dialogue that his research was about Unidentified Flying Objects," that "Throughout 22 years of service in the intelligence community, I never encountered any credible evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial or interplanetary entities," and that Shapiro had told him Oechsler "totally misrepresented both the nature and content of their conversation."[^43] Loose Threads quotes a published review as reporting that when asked whether the "recovered vehicles" quote was essentially correct, Inman answered "What kind of vehicles is he talking about?" and "The conversation I recall . . . the reference was to underwater vehicles."[^46] + +Shapiro told Victorian on August 3, 1991: "He met me on one occasion and I realised that he was a fraud," and that he had never met Oechsler in a restaurant as Good's page 195 describes.[^43] Victorian, writing in Lobster in 1992, reported that he had received a complete copy of the recording from Oechsler and that it contained "not a single specific reference to the subject of UFOs," and that [[John Dingley]], whom Oechsler named as another listener, confirmed on July 14, 1991 that he had heard the tape and that it had no reference to UFOs.[^43] Loose Threads describes Victorian as "a skeptical inquirer using a pseudonym."[^46] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Biography of Bobby Ray Inman," December 16, 1993. https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1993/12/1993-12-16-biography-of-bobby-ray-inman.html +[^2]: Texas State University, LBJ lecture series speaker biography, "Bobby Ray Inman," 1984 (birth date, University of Texas BA 1950, MCC appointment of January 21, 1983, and board seats). https://txst.edu/lbj-lecture-series/speakers/1984-bobby-ray-inman.html +[^3]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, Nomination of Admiral B. R. Inman to Be Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, hearing of February 3, 1981 (Washington: GPO, 1981), prepared statement, background, and Senator Biden's written questions. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/hearings/97inman.pdf +[^4]: Christian Science Monitor, January 19, 1994, "Inman withdraws from nomination," reporting the White House announcement of January 18, 1994, and Inman's December 1993 statement. https://www.csmonitor.com/1994/0119/19242.html +[^5]: George Bush, Chairman, National Foreign Intelligence Board, letter to Vice Admiral Bobby R. Inman, January 1977 (DCI/IC 77-0402), CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP80M00165A002600030024-8. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP80M00165A002600030024-8 +[^6]: Tim Harford, "Geeks v government: The battle over public key cryptography," BBC News, April 24, 2017. Harford's account of the agency's head and the 1977 episode is his own reading. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39341663 +[^7]: U.S. Senate, Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, S. Rept. 103-1, Executive Summary, January 13, 1993 (testimony of Inman on NSA signals collection in Southeast Asia). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html +[^8]: David C. Walsh, "Former NSA Officials Agree," Proceedings, June 2003, Vol. 129/6/1,204 (Inman interview of March 5, 2003; Kirby interview of February 14, 2003). https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2003/june/former-nsa-officials-agree +[^9]: White House Office of the Press Secretary, statements by Edwin Meese III, Admiral Bobby Inman, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, and Richard Willard, briefing of December 4, 1981, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP91-00901R000500210001-2. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP91-00901R000500210001-2 +[^10]: Robert Reinhold, New York Times, March 30, 1982 (Washington, March 29), on Inman's testimony at a joint hearing of two House Science and Technology subcommittees, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00552R000505200002-9. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000505200002-9 +[^11]: New York Times, April 23, 1982 (Washington, April 22), "senior Administration officials" on the counterintelligence dispute and Inman's resignation, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00552R000201480007-1. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201480007-1 +[^12]: Washington Post, April 22, 1982, George C. Wilson and George Gardner Jr., "Leaving for Private Industry: Inman Quitting," CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230020-3. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230020-3 +[^13]: Philadelphia Inquirer, April 1982, Michael J. Sniffen, on the resignation and the counterintelligence study, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230017-7. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230017-7 +[^14]: CBS Radio network commentary, April 22, 1982, "Admiral Inman Resigns," CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230019-5. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230019-5 +[^15]: Christian Science Monitor, October 29, 1982, "Former NSA chief Inman: We're far short of skills" (speech to the Association of Former Intelligence Officers on October 4, 1982), CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP91-00901R000500250003-6. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP91-00901R000500250003-6 +[^16]: CIA memorandum, "DCI and DDCI Meeting with Secretary of State Haig, Tuesday, 6 October 1981," September 29, 1981, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP84B00890R000300080051-3. https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-cia-rdp84b00890r000300080051-3 +[^17]: CIA memorandum, "DCI and DDCI Meeting with Secretary of State Haig, Tuesday, 26 January 1982," January 19, 1982, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP84M00395R000600260026-0. https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-cia-rdp84m00395r000600260026-0 +[^18]: Michael Schrage, "Adm. Inman in Command at Consortium," Washington Post, July 28, 1985, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP91-00901R000500230021-8 (also CIA-RDP90-00965R000705920003-9). https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP91-00901R000500230021-8 +[^19]: Science Applications International Corporation, definitive proxy statement, 2001 (EDGAR accession 0000912057-01-518019), director biographies: "B.R. INMAN, age 70," director since 1982; MCC chairman, president and chief executive 1983 to 1986; Westmark Systems chairman, president and chief executive 1986 through 1989. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/353394/000091205701518019/0000912057-01-518019.txt +[^20]: Washington Post, September 4, 1983, "Interview With Bobby R. Inman," CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP91-00901R000500240018-1. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP91-00901R000500240018-1 +[^21]: Report of the Secretary of State's Advisory Panel on Overseas Security (The Inman Report), introduction and list of panel members and staff. https://irp.fas.org/threat/inman/part01.htm ; https://irp.fas.org/threat/inman/part15.htm ; Beirut discussion at https://irp.fas.org/threat/inman/part04.htm +[^22]: Christian Science Monitor, June 26, 1985, report on the Advisory Panel on Overseas Security, "chaired by former CIA Deputy Director Bobby R. Inman." https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0626/aemb.html +[^23]: Paul Duke Jr., "Inman to Head New Firm That Will Buy High-Technology Defense Companies," Wall Street Journal, September 25, 1986 (Westmark planned board, Mason Best Co. majority ownership, and Inman's planned departure from MCC in January 1987), CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP91-00901R000500230012-8. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP91-00901R000500230012-8 +[^24]: United Press International, "Inman Says Education Key to World Trade," Lincoln, Neb., October 15, 1987, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP91-00901R000500230001-0. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP91-00901R000500230001-0 +[^25]: Temple-Inland Inc., definitive proxy statement filed March 24, 1995 (EDGAR 0000950134-95-000454): "Name and year first elected director," Inman 1987; Westmark chairman from September 1986 and chief executive from December 31, 1986 until December 31, 1989; Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas chairman "from January 1987 to December 1990"; retired from active duty July 1, 1982. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/731939/0000950134-95-000454.txt +[^26]: Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC Communications), definitive proxy statement filed March 14, 1995 (EDGAR 0000732717-95-000004): "He has been a Director of SBC since March 1985"; Westmark "from January 1987 through December 1989"; directorships at Fluor, Science Applications International Corporation, Temple-Inland and Xerox. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/732717/0000732717-95-000004.txt +[^27]: Associated Press, "Inman linked to company's bankruptcy," Deseret News, December 20, 1993, summarizing a New York Times report on Inman's chairmanship of Tracor Inc. (dates 1988 through December 1989; Chapter 11 about nine months after he left; Inman's statements to the Times). https://www.deseret.com/1993/12/20/19082690/inman-linked-to-company-s-bankruptcy/ +[^28]: Ann Devroy, "Adm. Inman Asks Clinton To Withdraw Nomination," Washington Post, reprinted in The Tech (MIT), vol. 113, no. 66, January 19, 1994 (Austin news conference of January 18, 1994; letter to Clinton; Safire and Dole charges; Dole's denial; Tracor story; Social Security tax leak; FBI background check). http://tech.mit.edu/V113/N66/inman.66w.html +[^29]: Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, faculty biography, "Bobby R. Inman" (adjunct professor from 1987; chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 1987 through 1990; LBJ Centennial Chair, August 2001; interim dean 2005 and January 2009 to March 2010). https://lbj.utexas.edu/inman-bobby-r +[^30]: Fluor Corporation (CIK 37748, later Massey Energy), definitive proxy statement filed February 2, 1994 (EDGAR 0000898430-94-000061): "Director since 1985; Chairman of Nominating Committee and member of Organization and Compensation Committee." https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/37748/0000898430-94-000061.txt +[^31]: Massey Energy Company, definitive proxy statements: 2001 (EDGAR 0000931763-01-000307, director since 1985), 2002 (EDGAR 0000950168-02-000299, director since 1985; directorships at Fluor Corporation, Science Applications International Corporation, SBC Communications Inc. and Temple-Inland Inc.; November 30, 2000 reverse spin-off), and 2003 (EDGAR 0000916641-03-001118). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/37748/000093176301000307/0000931763-01-000307-0001.txt ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000037748/000095016802000299/ddef14a.htm ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000037748/000091664103001118/ddef14a.htm +[^32]: Science Applications International Corporation, definitive proxy statement filed June 7, 1994 (EDGAR 0000912057-94-001982): director since 1982; joined April 1990 as part-time employee; executive committee chairman and members. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/353394/0000912057-94-001982.txt +[^33]: Memorandum, "Will the Real Scott Jones Please Stand Up?" (undated, numbered paragraphs; paragraph 14 names the parapsychology company and its board), CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300004-7. https://archive.org/details/cia-rdp96-00792r000400300004-7 +[^34]: Dell Computer Corporation, definitive proxy statement filed May 24, 1994 (EDGAR 0000950134-94-000615): Audit Committee chairman during fiscal 1994; "Mr. Inman resigned as a director on December 16, 1993." https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/826083/0000950134-94-000615.txt +[^35]: Council on Foreign Relations, Annual Report 1984-1985 (officers and directors list, and nominating committee slate of eight candidates for eight vacancies, May 1985), CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00806R000100210066-5. https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-cia-rdp90-00806r000100210066-5 +[^36]: St. Louis Public Radio, May 4, 2011, "Ashcroft to advise security firm formerly called Blackwater." https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2011-05-04/ashcroft-to-advise-security-firm-formerly-called-blackwater +[^37]: Washington Post, September 29, 1989, Glenn Frankel, "British firm claims it was duped by Pa. arms maker" (special proxy board of Inman, Guthrie and Shillito; Inman and Haig "lent their names to Guerin's business activities over the years"). https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1989/09/29/british-firm-claims-it-was-duped-by-pa-arms-maker/5b675f69-e5e0-4c25-9aee-ced8b8e07efa/ +[^38]: Tampa Bay Times, "Ties to convict could be questioned," December 17, 1993. The article says the April 27, 1992 letter described the subject as having "worked in the mid-1970s with U.S. intelligence agencies" in a sentence whose pronoun it does not resolve between Inman and Guerin. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/12/17/ties-to-convict-could-be-questioned/ +[^39]: William J. Clinton Presidential Library, finding aid 2006-0997-F, "Admiral Bobby Ray Inman - PFIAB" (named to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board by George H. W. Bush in July 1991; served thirty months). https://www.clintonlibrary.gov/research/archives/finding-aids/2006-0997-f-admiral-bobby-ray-inman-pfiab +[^40]: Timothy Good, Alien Liaison (London: Century, 1991), chapter 10 and front matter, read through the archive.org in-book search of the lending copy (acknowledgements; photograph captions; the May 13, 1988 groundbreaking encounter; the July 1989 call; Inman biography stating a July 1990 appointment to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board). https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780712621946 +[^41]: Military.com, May 9, 2006, "Ex-NSA Chief Blasts Taps, Calls for CIA Breakup," reporting Inman's remarks at a New York Public Library panel on May 8, 2006. https://www.military.com/defensetech/2006/05/09/ex-nsa-chief-blasts-taps-calls-for-cia-breakup +[^42]: Elizondo and the Hermetic Penetrator, "The Loose Threads Report," Anomaly Archives, 2022, pp. 33-38 (Oechsler-Inman transcript and Inman's comments). Sole source for the transcript as reproduced in this text. https://anomalyarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/PDF-Loose-Threads.pdf +[^43]: Armen Victorian, "Curious Liaisons," Lobster, Issue 23 (1992), review of Timothy Good, Alien Liaison (Century, London, 1991). The review quotes Good's chapter 10 (p. 191), Inman's letter to Good of December 18, 1989, Inman's letters to Victorian of July 26 and August 5, 1991, and Victorian's account of the recording and of John Dingley's July 14, 1991 call. https://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/?p=7448 +[^44]: Loose Threads Report, pp. 38-41 (Oechsler's meetings with Sumner Shapiro in 1989 and on June 21, 1990, quoting Timothy Good, Alien Contact). Sole source for the passages so cited. https://anomalyarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/PDF-Loose-Threads.pdf +[^45]: Loose Threads Report, pp. 33-34 and 53 (1985 inaugural ATP meeting notes and the "major engineering project"; Alexander's reply) and p. 48 (Good, Alien Contact, on the Ozark UFO Conference of April 1990 and Tom King; Oechsler, Alien Update, on Ronald Pandolfi). Sole source for the passages so cited. https://anomalyarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/PDF-Loose-Threads.pdf +[^46]: Loose Threads Report, pp. 48-52 (Inman's "underwater vehicles" reply as quoted from a review; the National Underwater Reconnaissance Office passage; Greer and Cameron on Goldwater; the characterization of Victorian). Sole source for the passages so cited. https://anomalyarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/PDF-Loose-Threads.pdf diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ferenc Koszorús.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ferenc Koszorús.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..2617df1d --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ferenc Koszorús.md @@ -0,0 +1,96 @@ +--- +title: Ferenc Koszorús +aliases: + - Ferenc Koszorús + - Ferenc Koszorus + - Ferenc Koszorus Sr. + - Colonel Ferenc Koszorus + - Ferencz Koszorus + - Ferenc Koszorús Sr. + - Ferenc Kossorus + - Frank Kossorus +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +category: "Military" +tags: + - Person + - HungarianAmerican + - HungarianVeterans + - CIA + - OPC + - FBI + - NaziWarCrimesDisclosureAct +summary: "Hungarian army colonel who guarded Admiral Horthy in 1944, was cleared by the CIA in 1952 to organize Hungarian veterans in America, and was interviewed by the FBI in 1958; father of Frank Koszorus Jr." +location: "Washington, D.C." +relations: + - type: member_of + with: "[[Hungarian Army]]" + role: "colonel, general staff" + start: 1918 + end: 1944 + fn: 1 + - type: subject_of + with: "[[Central Intelligence Agency]]" + role: "covert security clearance and recruitment files" + start: 1951 + end: 1970 + fn: 6 + - type: investigated + with: "[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]" + reverse: true + start: 1958 + end: 1958 + fn: 4 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Frank Koszorus Jr.]]" + role: "father" + fn: 17 +--- + +Ferenc Koszorús (born February 3, 1899, in [[Debrecen]]) was a Hungarian army colonel. His command guarded Admiral [[Miklós Horthy]] in July 1944. He reached the United States in 1951, and [[Central Intelligence Agency]] files released under the [[Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act]] record that the agency cleared him in 1952 to organize a Hungarian veterans' group in America. The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] interviewed him in 1958. He was the father of [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]] + +### Army service and emigration + +The CIA's biographical sheet gives his parents as Ferenc Koszorús and Katalin Koszorús and his spouse as Gabriella Pulop Koszorús. It records service as a colonel on the general staff of the [[Hungarian Army]] from 1918 to 1944, with an education at the Military Academy in Budapest and the Hungarian General Staff Academy, and his admission to the United States in February 1951, with a farm job in [[Watsonville, California]], and then a job with the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] there from September 1951.[^1] A 1951 CIA security summary records that he was a professional soldier, a professor at the military academy, and an opponent of the German alliance who left Hungary in April 1945.[^2] + +A CIA memorandum states that a force under his command guarded Admiral Horthy in July 1944; it reports that after the war he served in 1945 as lay president of the [[Hungarian Reformed Church in Exile]] in Germany and that he became a member of the Hungarian veterans' association that the files abbreviate as UHBK. A report of July 20, 1949 describes him as the deputy in Germany of General Zakó, who had set up an organization of former Hungarian army officers in Austria and Germany for intelligence work. A source of undetermined reliability described him and [[Albin Kapitánffy]] as the only two leading members of the association who could be considered "democratic," and the memorandum reports that he was reputed to have led internal opposition to Zakó's leadership.[^3] + +The FBI recorded in 1958 that he and his wife had been sponsored in coming to the United States by a Protestant minister in Watsonville and by the World Church Service, that they arrived in New York in 1951, and that they moved to Washington in 1952.[^4] + +### CIA recruitment and clearance, 1951 to 1952 + +On October 9, 1951, a CIA officer telephoned Koszorús in Watsonville and asked whether he would accept employment in the United States to organize and manage Hungarian veterans of America, and whether he could travel East for an interview. The memorandum records that he was willing, subject to a personal conference about plans and terms, but that he did not want to jeopardize his new job.[^5] The request for a covert security clearance, dated December 6, 1951, described him as "one of the very few high ranking Hungarian ex-Army officers with a clean past, untainted by either Nazi-ism or Communism," proposed that he launch an organization for the "decent and reliable element of the Hungarian veterans" to combat the organization of "the notorious General Zako," and described the organization as subsidized by the agency with no connection to it other than through him, as a pool from which to draw recruits for paramilitary activities, with areas of operation in the United States, Germany, Austria and possibly France.[^6] + +A memorandum for the record of December 1951 states that a redacted officer had contacted Koszorús, who "did not display any interest in working for us," and that the recommendation was to drop him as a prospect.[^7] On March 7, 1952 the agency's Special Security Division nevertheless granted a covert security clearance for his use as an autonomous principal agent to launch a Hungarian veterans organization, with the instruction that he was not to represent himself as an employee of the agency.[^8] A job description of April 7, 1952 in the file states that he would organize and direct the veterans organization and recruit desirable Hungarian veterans into it.[^9] + +The file series in his name continues through 1952 with records of an agent under the pseudonym Edwin F. Mycroft. The pages read do not equate the pseudonym with Koszorús in so many words. The records under that pseudonym describe a married, Hungarian-speaking agent with poor English who was to be in charge of organizing and directing a proposed Hungarian veterans' organization, paid monthly through a case officer. They include an April 9, 1952 memorandum on a contract carrying a bonus of up to $500 for a six-month term, a covert training request of June 26, 1952 giving the United States as the assignment area, a July 7, 1952 request for an additional $50 a month, contact reports of August 1952 recording that he had sent money to his wife in California and was awaiting her departure, and a memorandum of September 12, 1952 stating that he had held cover employment from August 18 to 20, 1952 and no longer had it.[^10] Reports in the name Koszorús from the same months describe meetings with a case officer in Washington restaurants, the move of his wife from California, his search for cover employment and his monthly salary. An October 1952 contact report places him at a restaurant on Connecticut Avenue, working without pay in a sign painter's shop to learn the business and short of funds, and states that there was practically no conversation about the development of the Veterans Organization.[^11] A report of November 7, 1952 records that he asked to see a senior officer to discuss new plans for the project and had asked two Hungarian émigré acquaintances for help in finding a job.[^11] + +A memorandum of December 3, 1952 states that the contract of Edwin F. Mycroft was terminating on December 11, 1952 and requests a bonus of $500 for satisfactory completion of his obligations, and a receipt dated December 12, 1952 in that name acknowledges $646.63, of which $500 is the bonus, and states that the contract "is now terminated."[^12] + +### FBI inquiries, 1958 + +A memorandum of the FBI dated May 19, 1958, loaned to the CIA, concerns "Ferenc Koszorus, also known as Frank Kossorus." A confidential informant reported that on April 25, 1958 Vasile Baluse, third secretary of the Romanian legation in Washington, mentioned a letter and a fee of $10 and advised that a telephone number be called; a second informant reported that the number was subscribed to by Ferenc Kossorus of 4540 MacArthur Boulevard N.W. The FBI checked city directories, credit bureau and police records, employers, and telephoned Gabriella Koszorús under a pretext. It recorded that he was a draftsman earning about $390 a month at the Air Survey Corporation in Arlington, Virginia, a firm that made maps for commercial clients and for United States agencies such as the Army Map Service; that he had worked there from January 27, 1953, been laid off on July 28, 1955 and rehired in March 1958; that his earlier employers included the post exchange at Fort Ord (March to July 1952) and a children's home in Washington (August to September 1952); and that his wife did commercial and religious art for the [[American Hungarian Federation]], 1761 P Street N.W., and the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, 1801 P Street N.W. The vice president of Air Survey described him as patriotic and opposed to communism.[^13] + +In an interview reported in a memorandum of October 1958, Koszorús and his wife told FBI agents at their apartment that they had had no contact with Soviet bloc officials, that he would have terminated any such contact, and that he would volunteer his military knowledge to the United States government. He described an incident before the war in which he was ordered to show Soviet diplomatic officials around the military academy and one tried to "pump" him for information. The FBI's director sent the memoranda to the CIA's Deputy Director for Plans under cover of October 26, 1958.[^14] + +### Later records + +In 1966 the CIA's Deputy Director for Plans sent the Department of State's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security a copy of the September 5, 1951 memorandum on Koszorús, which had earlier been sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, in answer to a request received August 19, 1966. A CIA cross-reference sheet of January 16, 1970 notes his address in the 1969 Washington telephone directory.[^15] His son Frank Koszorus Jr. later wrote, in a letter to the editor of *[[The New York Times]]* on April 27, 1994, about "his father's role in saving Jews from deportation," according to the son's report of his activities to the Justice Department.[^16] The Hungarian American Coalition's obituary of the son names Ferenc and Gabriella Koszorús as his parents and records that his father died in 1974.[^17] + +[^1]: Central Intelligence Agency, biographical sheet on Ferenc Koszorus, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0001 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0001), released under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. +[^2]: Central Intelligence Agency, clearance request summary on Colonel Ferenc Koszorus, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0002 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0002). +[^3]: Central Intelligence Agency, memoranda on Ferenc Koszorus, Internet Archive items KOSZORUSFERENC-0013 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0013) and KOSZORUSFERENC-0028 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0028), which compile reports of July 20, 1949 and September 19, 1950. +[^4]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, memorandum of May 19, 1958, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0069 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0069). +[^5]: Central Intelligence Agency, memorandum for the record, October 9, 1951, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0016 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0016). +[^6]: Central Intelligence Agency, request for covert security clearance, December 6, 1951, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0019 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0019). +[^7]: Central Intelligence Agency, memorandum for the record, December 1951, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0018 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0018). +[^8]: Central Intelligence Agency, Special Security Division, memorandum of March 7, 1952, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0023 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0023). +[^9]: Central Intelligence Agency, job description of April 7, 1952, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0024 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0024). +[^10]: Central Intelligence Agency, Internet Archive items KOSZORUSFERENC-0026 (memorandum of April 9, 1952), -0033 (covert training request, June 26, 1952), -0039 (July 7, 1952), -0042 (meeting memorandum, 1952), -0045 (August 1952), -0046 and -0047 (contact reports, August 1952) and -0054 (September 12, 1952), each at https://archive.org/details/ followed by the item identifier. The OCR of these pages is imperfect and the quoted phrase is taken from item -0039. +[^11]: Central Intelligence Agency, contact reports on Koszorus of October 1952 and November 7, 1952, Internet Archive items KOSZORUSFERENC-0060 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0060) and KOSZORUSFERENC-0061 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0061). +[^12]: Central Intelligence Agency, memorandum of December 3, 1952 and receipt of December 12, 1952, Internet Archive items KOSZORUSFERENC-0064 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0064) and KOSZORUSFERENC-0066 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0066). +[^13]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, memorandum of May 19, 1958 (note 4). +[^14]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, memorandum of October 1958 on the interview of Ferenc Koszorus and Gabriella Koszorus, and letter of October 26, 1958 from the Director to the Deputy Director (Plans), Central Intelligence Agency, Internet Archive item KOSZORUSFERENC-0070 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0070). +[^15]: Central Intelligence Agency, memorandum to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security, Department of State, 1966, and document transfer and cross-reference sheet of January 16, 1970, Internet Archive items KOSZORUSFERENC-0073 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0073) and KOSZORUSFERENC-0074 (https://archive.org/details/KOSZORUSFERENC-0074). +[^16]: Registration 4772, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Supplemental Statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994, Attachment on activity on his own behalf. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Supplemental-Statement-19940930-DHFIFJ02.pdf +[^17]: "In Memoriam: Frank Koszorus, Jr. (1947-2024)," Hungarian American Coalition. https://hacusa.org/in-memoriam-frank-koszorus-jr-1947-2024/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Frank Koszorus Jr..md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Frank Koszorus Jr..md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..91269b00 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Frank Koszorus Jr..md @@ -0,0 +1,161 @@ +--- +title: Frank Koszorus Jr. +aliases: + - Frank Koszorus Jr. + - Frank Koszorus, Jr. + - Frank Koszorus Jr + - Frank Koszorus + - Frank Koszorús + - Frank Koszorús, Jr. + - Frank Koszorús Jr. + - Koszorus +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +category: "Law Enforcement & Legal" +tags: + - Person + - Lawyer + - IranContra + - Contras + - GeoMiliTech + - AmericanHungarianFederation + - HungarianAmerican + - FinleyKumble + - ForeignAgents + - FARA +summary: "Washington lawyer who wrote to the House Iran-Contra committee for Barbara Studley in 1987, signed Hungarian embassy lobbying registrations in 1993 and 2000, and later led the American Hungarian Federation." +location: "Washington, D.C." +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey]]" + role: "attorney, Washington office" + start: 1987 + end: 1987 + fn: 4 + - type: represented + with: "[[Barbara Studley]]" + start: 1987 + fn: 4 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]]" + role: "partner" + start: 1989 + fn: 11 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]]" + role: "attorney, signatory for registration 4772" + start: 1993 + end: 1994 + fn: 15 + - type: represented + with: "[[Hungary]]" + role: "attorney for the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary under FARA registration 4772" + start: 1993 + end: 1994 + fn: 15 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC]]" + role: "of counsel" + start: 2000 + end: 2002 + fn: 18 + - type: represented + with: "[[Hungary]]" + role: "attorney for the Embassy of Hungary under FARA registration 3694" + start: 2000 + end: 2002 + fn: 19 + - type: member_of + with: "[[International Human Rights Law Group]]" + role: "pro bono attorney" + start: 1982 + end: 1986 + fn: 3 + - type: head_of + with: "[[American Hungarian Federation]]" + role: "national president" + start: 2011 + fn: 21 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Ferenc Koszorús]]" + role: "son" + fn: 1 +--- + +Frank Koszorus Jr. (1947 to 2024) was a Washington lawyer, the son of the Hungarian army colonel [[Ferenc Koszorús]]. He wrote to the House Iran-Contra committee on behalf of [[Barbara Studley]] in 1987, signed [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]] papers for the Hungarian embassy in 1993 and in 2000, and later led the [[American Hungarian Federation]]. + +### Early life and the International Human Rights Law Group + +Koszorus was born in 1947 in [[Münsing]], [[West Germany]], to Gabriella and Ferenc Koszorús. He graduated from [[American University]] in 1966 and received a juris doctor cum laude from [[DePaul University College of Law]], served as a judicial law clerk in [[Chicago]], and after his father's death in 1974 returned to [[Washington, D.C.]] to practice litigation.[^1] + +On July 12 and 13, 1982, the Subcommittee on Trade of the [[House Committee on Ways and Means]] held hearings on extending most-favored-nation status to [[Romania]], [[Hungary]] and [[China]]. Koszorus appeared as an attorney for the [[International Human Rights Law Group]], which he described as a nonprofit legal organization established in September 1978 by the Procedural Aspects of International Law Institute with funding from the [[Ford Foundation]] and the [[Rockefeller Brothers Fund]].[^2] + +On August 1, 1986, he testified as a pro bono attorney for the Law Group before the Subcommittee on International Trade of the [[Senate Committee on Finance]] on S. 1492 and S. 1817, "MFN Status for Romania." The Law Group asked for suspension of most-favored-nation status until Romania improved its human rights record, with particular attention to the Hungarian minority. The biography attached to the hearing record describes him as a member of the District of Columbia Bar, formerly law clerk to James B. Parsons, chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and a member of sections of the [[American Bar Association]], the [[American Society of International Law]] and the Washington International Trade Association.[^3] + +### Finley Kumble and the letter of April 28, 1987 + +On April 28, 1987, Koszorus signed a letter on the letterhead of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]], 1140 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Washington, to [[Kenneth Ballen]], assistant counsel of the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. The letter is marked "By Hand," carries the caption "Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT" over the underlined line "Memorandum re Oliver North," and reads: "During your telephone conference with Paul L. Perito this afternoon, you requested a copy of the memorandum from Barbara F. Studley's file regarding Oliver North. Please find enclosed a copy of that memorandum which I also am forwarding to Chuck Kerr." The typed name beneath the handwritten signature is "Frank Koszorus, Jr."; the copy line reads "Enclosure" and "cc: Charles M. Kerr, Esq." A handwritten note at the upper right reads "Graham 5/26/87," and the letter is printed as an exhibit to the deposition of [[Daniel O. Graham]].[^4] + +The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York described Finley Kumble as a New York partnership that was the fourth largest law firm in the United States, with offices in California, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, before several banks filed an involuntary Chapter 7 petition against it on February 24, 1988.[^5] + +In the deposition of May 26, 1987, counsel asked Graham whether he had met "her attorney, Mr. Perito," and Graham answered, "The one I know is Perito."[^6] + +### Representation of Studley, 1991 and 1992 + +[[Christopher Byron]] reported in [[New York Magazine]] in December 1991 that "Studley's lawyer, Frank Koszorus, last week denied that either Studley or GeoMiliTech had any involvement with Iran." Byron also reported that Koszorus refused to identify the company's place of business or a company spokesman and would not answer questions about the nature of the firm's work or the number of its employees.[^7] + +The [[Hartford Courant]] reported in May 1992 that attempts to reach Studley through Koszorus had been unsuccessful. Koszorus said he did not think anyone should infer from Studley's deposition that she had a written document signed by [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]] "I'm not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion," he said. "Justice doesn't give, as a general matter, written opinions to private individuals." The same article reported that Barcella left the United States attorney's office in June 1986 and went into private practice in Washington "initially at the same firm where Koszorus, Studley's lawyer, worked," without naming the firm, and that Barcella said he did not know Koszorus before joining it.[^8] + +### Washington, Perito & Dubuc + +The [[Washington Post]] reported on December 23, 1987 that "Former senator Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.) and Robert B. Washington Jr., partners in the dissolving national law firm of Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, yesterday announced the formation of a Washington-based firm they hope will avoid the bitter power struggles that brought down Finley Kumble."[^9] The bankruptcy court found that the partnership, Washington, Perito & Dubuc, was organized under District of Columbia law in January 1988, that thirty-one partners of Finley Kumble who practiced in its Washington office formed it together with certain other attorneys, and that at its height it had about thirty-six partners and offices in Washington, New York, Baltimore and Fairfax County, Virginia.[^5] + +The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America's bulletin [[Fraternity-Testvériség|Fraternity]] reported in April 1989 that Koszorus, a partner of [[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]] in Washington, had been named one of four public members of the United States delegation to the Paris meeting of the [[Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe]], held from May 30 to June 23, 1989. The item reports his work with the International Human Rights Law Group on emigration and the protection of national and religious minorities in East-Central Europe and a pro bono service award from the group in 1986.[^10] + +The [[Chicago Tribune]] reported in July 1991 that [[Katten Muchin Zavis & Dombroff]] had added Barcella, "a former assistant U.S. attorney in Washington and partner at Washington, Perito & Dubuc," to its Washington office.[^11] The Washington Post reported on July 20, 1991 that the firm was winding down and that Paul Perito, "one of the firm's name partners and head of its important white-collar litigation group," was moving on the following Monday with a half-dozen other lawyers to the Washington office of [[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]].[^12] The bankruptcy court found that the firm ceased its practice in August 1991; the Post reported in January 1995 that thirty-three of its partners had agreed to contribute $5.2 million toward its debts.[^5][^13] A Paul L. Perito is the lawyer named in the April 1987 letter, and a Paul Perito was a name partner of the firm in 1991; the records found do not state that the two are the same man. + +### Paul Hastings and the Hungarian embassy, 1993 to 1995 + +Registration 4772 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act lists Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker as registrant for the Republic of Hungary, Embassy. The Exhibit A, filed March 1, 1993, gives the registrant's address as 1050 Connecticut Avenue N.W. and the principal's address as 3910 Shoemaker Street, Washington, and names Ambassador Pál Tar as the official with whom the registrant deals.[^14] The Exhibit B of the same date, signed by Koszorus as "Attorney," attaches a retainer agreement between the firm and the Embassy of the Government of the Republic of Hungary for December 1992 through December 1993. Its services included assistance with "administrative and legislative strategies relating to the Government's interests," help in "securing economic aid and assistance from the Government of the United States," and work to "enhance good will in the U.S." and the priority accorded Hungary in United States funding, foreign policy, trade and finance deliberations. The fee was $8,334 per month, and the agreement anticipated total payments of $100,000. The Exhibit B states that the registrant may communicate with executive and legislative branch personnel on United States policy affecting diplomatic and economic relations with Hungary.[^15] + +The registrant's supplemental statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994, sworn by Koszorus before a notary on December 16, 1994, reports a payment of $49,999.98 from the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary on May 27, 1994 for legal fees and costs. It lists the registrant's activities for the embassy in connection with Budapest Expo '96: conferring with private-sector members interested in an official United States presence through the [[United States Information Agency]]; coordinating with Representative [[Tom Lantos]]'s office on possible USIA support and on legislation (section 241 of H.R. 2333 and section 217 of S. 1281); and conferring with Ambassador [[Donald Blinken]] and staff of the United States embassy in Budapest and with USIA and Commerce Department officials. Communications with Lantos's office are listed on fifteen dates from April 18 to July 30, 1994, with USIA officials on five dates, with the embassy in Budapest on eleven dates, with the Commerce Department on April 28 and with State Department staff on June 22.[^16] + +The same supplemental statement lists [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]] as having become a partner of the registrant on July 18, 1994, and Christopher A. Barreca as having become a partner on July 26, 1994. Under the heading of activity on his own behalf that benefited the principal, it records that on September 28, 1994 Koszorus took part in a panel discussion on Central Europe and the protection of national minorities at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and that he wrote letters to the editor of the Budapest Sun (April 12, on historical inaccuracies and minorities), The New York Times (April 27, on the Holocaust in Hungary and his father's role in saving Jews from deportation) and The Washington Post (September 8, similar to the Times letter).[^16] + +A registrant's amendment received May 1, 1995 corrects the supplemental statement to show that the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary ceased to be a foreign principal on August 5, 1994, and that the statement for the period ending September 30, 1994 was the registrant's final one. The Justice Department's bulk data list the principal's termination as May 1, 1995, the date of that amendment.[^17] + +### Collier Shannon Scott and the Hungarian embassy, 2000 to 2002 + +[[Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC]] had held registration 3694 since June 24, 1985. By a letter of September 14, 2000 on its letterhead, which gives Koszorus's direct telephone line and e-mail address, the firm told Ambassador [[Géza Jeszenszky]] that the Embassy of Hungary had engaged it to represent the embassy on foreign operations legislation, with a monthly retainer of $10,000, a one-year term, and a request for a waiver of conflicts. The Exhibit A and Exhibit B, filed September 25, 2000, name the Ambassador as the official dealing with the registrant, and the Exhibit B is signed by Koszorus as "Of Counsel." It states that the registrant may communicate with executive and legislative branch personnel on policy affecting diplomatic and economic relations, "including foreign assistance," between the United States and Hungary.[^18] + +The supplemental statement for June 25 to December 24, 2000 describes the registrant's work for the embassy as monitoring foreign military programs and representing the embassy before members of the Senate and House and their staffs and before officials of the [[National Security Council]], the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and the [[Helsinki Commission]]. Its list of political activity names Koszorus in telephone conferences or meetings on September 18, 2000 with Robin Cleveland, majority staff clerk of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and with staff of Senator [[Barbara Mikulski]]; on September 21 and 22 with Robert Hand of the Helsinki Commission staff and on September 22 and 26 with Philip T. Reeker, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs, about United States monitoring of elections in Yugoslavia and minority rights; on September 30 at a dinner at the Hungarian embassy with Representative Tom Lantos and the Ambassador; on October 13 with Cameron Munter of the National Security Council about foreign military assistance to Hungary; on October 18 with the legislative director of Representative Sonny Callahan; on October 23 with an official of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for NATO at an embassy reception; and on October 31 with a legislative assistant to Senator [[Mitch McConnell]]. The firm's receipt history for the period shows no payment from the Embassy of Hungary.[^19] + +On May 20, 2002 the firm filed an amendment to terminate Koszorus's short-form registration and the registration of the Embassy of Hungary. It states: "Although Mr. Koszorus is still employed by the firm, he is no longer actively involved in the representation of any of the firm's foreign principals," and that the embassy "is no longer a client of the firm."[^20] + +### Hungarian American leadership + +The American Hungarian Federation, founded in 1906, describes itself in Koszorus's statement as an umbrella organization for the Hungarian American community. In July 2011 Koszorus submitted a statement as "National President, American Hungarian Federation" to the Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia of the [[House Committee on Foreign Affairs]] for its hearing "Eastern Europe: The State of Democracy and Freedom." The statement's first issue is "minority rights as the prerequisite to democracy in the multi-national states of Romania and Slovakia," and it addresses "the intolerance of and discrimination against the Hungarian minorities living there."[^21] + +His obituary states that he testified before congressional committees on Hungary's [[NATO]] accession and on minority rights and submitted written statements to the Helsinki Commission on minority rights in Eastern Europe and on the state of democracy in Hungary, without giving dates. It records that Hungary awarded him the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit in 2014, that the [[Hungarian National Council of Transylvania]] gave him its Báthory Award, and that he died on May 24, 2024 at his home in [[Great Falls, Virginia]], aged 76.[^1] + +[^1]: "In Memoriam: Frank Koszorus, Jr. (1947-2024)," Hungarian American Coalition. https://hacusa.org/in-memoriam-frank-koszorus-jr-1947-2024/ The obituary names Ferenc and Gabriella Koszorús as his parents. +[^2]: Extension of MFN Status to Romania, Hungary, and the People's Republic of China, hearings before the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, 97th Congress, 2nd Session, July 12 and 13, 1982, statement of Frank Koszorus, Jr., attorney, International Human Rights Law Group. Internet Archive item micro_IA41152659_0288, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152659_0288 +[^3]: MFN Status for Romania, hearing before the Subcommittee on International Trade of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, 99th Congress, 2nd Session, on S. 1492 and S. 1817, August 1, 1986, statement and prepared statement of Frank Koszorus, Jr., for the International Human Rights Law Group, with the Law Group's exhibits and biographies of its delegation. Internet Archive item micro_IA41152829_1087, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152829_1087 +[^4]: Letter from Frank Koszorus Jr., Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, Washington, to Kenneth Ballen, Assistant Counsel, House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, April 28, 1987, Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT, Memorandum re Oliver North, in Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Depositions), printed p. 1040 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234). Read from the page image. +[^5]: In re Washington, Perito & Dubuc, 154 B.R. 853 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. June 2, 1993), statement of facts, paragraphs 1 to 3, 17 to 19 and 21. https://static.case.law/br/154/cases/0853-01.json +[^6]: Deposition of Daniel O. Graham, May 26, 1987, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234). +[^7]: Christopher Byron, "Did Convict Arif Durrani Help Set the Stage for Iran/Contra?," *New York*, December 16, 1991, pp. 42, 44. https://books.google.com/books?id=6ugCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42 +[^8]: Lyn Bixby, "Head of Iran Hostage Probe Linked to Arms Deal," *Hartford Courant*, May 29, 1992. https://www.courant.com/1992/05/29/head-of-iran-hostage-probe-linked-to-arms-deal/ +[^9]: Karlyn Barker and Kathleen Day, "Robert Washington, Laxalt Team Up to Replace Failed Law Firm," *The Washington Post*, December 23, 1987. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/12/23/robert-washington-laxalt-team-up-to-replace-failed-law-firm/71c2b588-772c-47c4-acdb-68bc9bdfe123/ +[^10]: "Frank Koszorús, Jr. Selected as U.S. Public Delegate to Paris Human Rights Conference," *Fraternity-Testvériség*, 1989 (67. évfolyam), issue of April 1, 1989, no. 2, Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. https://library.hungaricana.hu/en/view/TestverisegFraternity_USAHUN_1989/?pg=45 +[^11]: "Kinder, gentler profession urged," business column, *Chicago Tribune*, July 23, 1991. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/07/23/kinder-gentler-profession-urged/ +[^12]: Sharon Walsh and Saundra Torry, "Washington, Perito Law Firm Losing Additional Attorneys; Name Partner Among Those Leaving," *The Washington Post*, July 20, 1991. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1991/07/20/washington-perito-law-firm-losing-additional-attorneys/0a7d8d2e-2958-4283-9860-874855bd0ca6/ +[^13]: Saundra Torry, "In the Struggle Over a Dead Firm's Debts, Nobody Wins," *The Washington Post*, January 23, 1995. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1995/01/23/in-the-struggle-over-a-dead-firms-debts-nobody-wins/88d3a9d7-ef4b-4e02-83a3-2fea87ad65e5/ +[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 4772, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Exhibit A, filed March 1, 1993. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Exhibit-AB-19930301-D1Y3N102.pdf +[^15]: Registration 4772, Exhibit B, March 1, 1993, with Retainer Agreement between Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker and the Embassy of the Government of the Republic of Hungary (same document as note 14, pages 3 to 8). +[^16]: Registration 4772, Supplemental Statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994, with Attachments 1 to 4, sworn December 16, 1994. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Supplemental-Statement-19940930-DHFIFJ02.pdf The short-form record for Koszorus, Frank, Jr., is dated March 1, 1993 in the Justice Department's FARA_All_ShortForms.csv bulk file (https://efile.fara.gov/). +[^17]: Registration 4772, Amendment received May 1, 1995. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Amendment-19950501-DHFJ1K02.pdf Foreign principal termination date as listed in FARA_All_ForeignPrincipals.csv. +[^18]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 3694, Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC, Exhibits A and B with engagement letter of September 14, 2000, filed September 25, 2000. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3694-Exhibit-AB-20000925-GTYJTV01.pdf +[^19]: Registration 3694, Supplemental Statement for June 25 to December 24, 2000, Attachments 2 to 4 (activities, political activity, receipt history); amended April 10, 2001 as to political contributions. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3694-Supplemental-Statement-20001224-GKCAF601.pdf The firm's registrant record is in FARA_All_Registrants.csv (registration date June 24, 1985; terminated December 23, 2003). +[^20]: Registration 3694, Amendment, May 20, 2002. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3694-Amendment-20020520-GWISEQ03.pdf +[^21]: Statement of Frank Koszorus, Jr., National President, American Hungarian Federation, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia, hearing "Eastern Europe: The State of Democracy and Freedom," July 26, 2011. https://www.americanhungarianfederation.org/docs/AHF_CongressionalStatement_2011-07-26.pdf diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lewis.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lewis.md index dc05f72f..532eb00a 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lewis.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lewis.md @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ --- +updated: 2026-10-08 category: "Political Figure" tags: - Person @@ -24,6 +25,10 @@ The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] reproduced the [[Robert Mueller]] told the subcommittee that the first letter was "ambiguous at best" and that "I do not know what initiated it." The report concluded: "The obvious explanation for what happened is that Saphos was personally lobbied by people he knew who had formerly been with the Justice Department and now represented BCCI on the outside, and agreed to do them a favor."[^5] +### Closure of Bayshore Bank of Florida, 1987 + +On August 7, 1987, Lewis, as Florida State Comptroller, closed [[Bayshore Bank of Florida]] in [[Miami]], and the [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] was named receiver.[^6] The Eleventh Circuit later summarized the sequence: the Comptroller declared the bank insolvent on August 7, 1987, named the FDIC as liquidator under the Florida statute then in force, and the FDIC accepted the appointment shortly afterward.[^7] The FDIC's news release of that day gave the bank's total assets at closing as $40.4 million and said its insured deposits had been transferred to [[Eagle National Bank of Miami]].[^6] The Miami Herald had reported in June 1987 that the bank's president, [[Louis Petrillo]], had resigned just as federal authorities began investigating the transactions at the bank.[^8] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 10. @@ -31,3 +36,6 @@ The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] reproduced the [^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 375. [^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 374. [^5]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 8, "BCCI and Law Enforcement: The Justice Department and the U.S. Customs Service." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/08just.htm +[^6]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, news release PR-139-87, "FDIC Transfers Insured Deposits of Bayshore Bank of Florida, Miami, Florida," August 7, 1987. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/press-releases-federal-deposit-insurance-corporation-7031/fdic-transfers-insured-deposits-bayshore-bank-florida-miami-florida-641646 +[^7]: *Bayshore Executive Plaza Partnership v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.*, 943 F.2d 1290 (11th Cir. 1991). https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2861994068766344132 +[^8]: "Newspaper says banker involved in loans for Contra arms," United Press International, dated June 10, 1987, reporting a *Miami Herald* story. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/10/Newspaper-says-banker-involved-in-loans-for-Contra-arms/9700550296000/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Lee Hamilton.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Lee Hamilton.md index eb295045..ba9cec64 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Lee Hamilton.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Lee Hamilton.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ In 1992, Hamilton co-chaired the House October Surprise Task Force alongside Rep The Task Force's January 1993 final report found "no credible evidence" of such a deal. However, the investigation has been criticized on several grounds. A U.S. Embassy Madrid cable indicating [[William J. Casey]] was in Madrid in summer 1980 "for purposes unknown" was withheld by Bush administration officials and never provided to the Task Force. The Russian intelligence report confirming Casey's Madrid and Paris meetings with Iranians arrived in January 1993 after the Task Force had closed, and was buried in raw files until journalist [[Robert Parry]] discovered it later.[^2] -In 1992 Hamilton selected E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr. as chief counsel. Hamilton selected him in March 1992, saying then that he sought "someone that had a large amount of international experience." Asked about the lawyer's 1985 legal opinion on a contra arms shipment in a May 29, 1992 newspaper account, Hamilton said he would "investigate all aspects of criticisms of staff, including Larry or anybody else."[^3] +In 1992 Hamilton selected E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr. as chief counsel. Hamilton selected him in March 1992, saying then that he sought "someone that had a large amount of international experience." Asked in a May 29, 1992 *Hartford Courant* account about a 1985 legal opinion on a contra arms shipment that the paper attributed to the lawyer, Hamilton said he would "investigate all aspects of criticisms of staff, including Larry or anybody else."[^3] Barcella told Parry that substantial new evidence arrived in the final month of the inquiry and that he asked Hamilton to extend it three months. Barcella said Hamilton, recognizing how nasty the Republican reaction would be, turned down the request.[^4] In Meldon's 2008 article, Barcella is quoted as saying that Hamilton cited the complexity of getting the task force reauthorized in a new Congress.[^5] Hamilton told Parry in 2010 that he might have explained the problem of the authorization running out at the end of the session: "All I could have done is go before the next Congress and request reauthorization."[^6] Hamilton told Parry in 2010 that he had no recollection of such a proposal, and in 2011 that he had no recollection of the request.[^7][^8] Parry also wrote that Barcella recommended the extension to Hamilton, and that Hamilton did not extend the task force.[^5] diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Saddam Hussein.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Saddam Hussein.md index 742c7162..e8ecbdf2 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Saddam Hussein.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Saddam Hussein.md @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ aliases: - Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid summary: "President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, whose government borrowed billions through the Atlanta branch of the BNL and received American export licenses, credit and intelligence during the Iran-Iraq War." created: 2026-05-14 -updated: 2026-10-07 +updated: 2026-10-08 born: 1937-04-28 died: 2006-12-30 location: "Al-Awja, Iraq" @@ -43,13 +43,13 @@ relations: - type: relative_of with: "[[Hussein Kamel]]" role: "son-in-law" - fn: 17 + fn: 20 --- Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was born on April 28, 1937, near the town of [[Tikrit]] in central [[Iraq]], to a landless family, and held the presidency from July 16, 1979 until the [[Iraq War]] of 2003.[^1] He joined the [[Ba'ath Party]] in 1957.[^1] ### The 1959 attempt on Qassim -At a [[National Security Council]] meeting on October 1, 1959, [[Allen Dulles]] said that [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] "had urged the assassination plotters not to move too fast" and that, although rumors were generally wrong, "it was possible an attempt would be made on Kassem's life in the next two months."[^2] On October 7, 1959 Prime Minister [[Abd al-Karim Qassem]] was wounded in the shoulder in an assassination attempt, and the Director of Intelligence and Research, [[Hugh Cumming]], suggested to Secretary of State [[Christian Herter]] that it might be the beginning of the coup about which the United States had been picking up rumors.[^2] A [[Central Intelligence Agency]] memorandum on the attempt dated October 13, 1959 is printed in the same volume with its text not declassified.[^2] +At a [[National Security Council]] meeting on October 1, 1959, [[Allen Dulles]] said that [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] "had urged the assassination plotters not to move too fast" and that, although rumors were generally wrong, "it was possible an attempt would be made on Kassem's life in the next two months."[^2] On October 7, 1959 Prime Minister [[Abd al-Karim Qassem]] was wounded in the shoulder in an assassination attempt, and the Director of Intelligence and Research, [[Hugh Cumming]], suggested to Secretary of State [[Christian A. Herter|Christian Herter]] that it might be the beginning of the coup about which the United States had been picking up rumors.[^2] A [[Central Intelligence Agency]] memorandum on the attempt dated October 13, 1959 is printed in the same volume with its text not declassified.[^2] On April 10, 2003 the journalist [[Richard Sale]] reported in [[United Press International]], citing almost a dozen former U.S. diplomats, British scholars and former U.S. intelligence officials, that Saddam Hussein was part of a "CIA-authorized six-man squad" tasked with assassinating Qasim. Sale wrote that a former senior State Department official said Saddam, in his early twenties, was installed in an apartment opposite Qasim's office to observe him, and that the writer [[Adel Darwish]] said the CIA handler was an Iraqi dentist working for the CIA and Egyptian intelligence. According to the report the attempt was "completely botched," Saddam escaped to Tikrit and then crossed into [[Syria]], and was transferred by Egyptian intelligence to [[Beirut]], where "the CIA paid for Saddam's apartment and put him through a brief training course," after which the agency "helped him get to" [[Cairo]], where he was "watched over by CIA and Egyptian intelligence operatives." The report quotes [[Roger Morris]], a former NSC staff member, as saying the CIA chose the Ba'ath Party "as its instrument," and says the CIA veteran [[Miles Copeland]] told UPI in the mid-1980s that the agency had "close ties" with Qasim's ruling Ba'ath Party. The report states that the CIA declined to comment.[^3] @@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ A [[Department of Defense]] memorandum of February 8, 1963 from Stephen O. Fuqua [[Brandon Wolfe-Hunnicutt]] wrote that [[Eric Jacobsen]]'s article in *Diplomatic History* shows that American officials "were indeed in close contact with Iraqi Baathists before, during, and after their 1963 putsch," and that the CIA assisted the Ba'ath in "a systematic purge of Iraqi communists" in the days after February 8; the review quotes [[Peter L. Hahn]] as having written that declassified documents "offer no evidence" of Ba'ath contacts with American officials before the coup.[^5] The historian [[Bryan Gibson]] told [[Rudaw]] in 2015 that "there is enough evidence available today to question whether the US was behind the coup," while stating that U.S. policy from 1958 to 1975 led to "covert operations to support groups inside Iraq that were opposed to Moscow's imperial designs, like the Baath Party in the early 1960s."[^6] -King Hussein of [[Jordan]] told [[Mohamed Hassanein Heikal]], editor of *[[Al-Ahram]]*, in a conversation published on September 27, 1963 that "what happened in Iraq on 8 February had the support of American Intelligence" and that "on 8 February a secret radio beamed to Iraq was supplying the men who pulled the coup with the names and addresses of the Communists there."[^7] The historian [[Hanna Batatu]] wrote that arrests after the coup "were made in accordance with lists prepared beforehand" and that "it cannot be unerringly established where these lists came from or who compiled them"; he gave a Communist reckoning of no fewer than 5,000 killed from February 8 to 10, a figure of 340 Communists from a source in Iraq's Directorate of Security, and about 1,500 from a foreign diplomatic observer.[^7] Sale reported in 2003 that, according to former U.S. intelligence officials, the CIA gave Iraqi National Guardsmen lists of suspected communists who were then "jailed, interrogated, and summarily gunned down." The same report quotes a former very senior CIA official who denied the CIA was behind the coup ("We were absolutely stunned"), and quotes the writer [[Con Coughlin]] as saying that [[James Critchfield]], then a senior CIA Middle East official, regarded the killing of Qasim and the communists "as a great victory."[^3] +King Hussein of [[Jordan]] told [[Mohamed Hassanein Heikal]], editor of *[[Al-Ahram]]*, in a conversation published on September 27, 1963 that "what happened in Iraq on 8 February had the support of American Intelligence" and that "on 8 February a secret radio beamed to Iraq was supplying the men who pulled the coup with the names and addresses of the Communists there."[^7] The historian [[Hanna Batatu]] wrote that arrests after the coup "were made in accordance with lists prepared beforehand" and that "it cannot be unerringly established where these lists came from or who compiled them"; he gave a Communist reckoning of no fewer than 5,000 killed from February 8 to 10, a figure of 340 Communists from a source in Iraq's Directorate of Security, and about 1,500 from a foreign diplomatic observer.[^7] Sale reported in 2003 that, according to former U.S. intelligence officials, the CIA gave Iraqi National Guardsmen lists of suspected communists who were then "jailed, interrogated, and summarily gunned down." The same report quotes a former very senior CIA official who denied the CIA was behind the coup ("We were absolutely stunned"), and quotes the writer [[Con Coughlin]] as saying that [[James H. Critchfield|James Critchfield]], then a senior CIA Middle East official, regarded the killing of Qasim and the communists "as a great victory."[^3] ### The Ba'ath return and the presidency @@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ Sale reported in 2003, citing a former [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] official, Teicher states that in the spring of 1982 Iraq "teetered on the brink of losing its war with Iran," that Iran found a gap in the Iraqi defenses between Baghdad and Basra, and that "United States intelligence, including satellite imagery," detected both the gap and the Iranian massing of troops opposite it. He states that Reagan decided in June 1982 that the United States "could not afford to allow Iraq to lose the war to Iran," and that Reagan formalized the policy in a National Security Decision Directive that Teicher co-authored with another NSC staff member, Geoff Kemp, which Teicher says is classified "even its identifying number."[^14] -Teicher states that Casey "personally spearheaded the effort to ensure that Iraq had sufficient military weapons, ammunition and vehicles to avoid losing the Iran-Iraq war," and that the United States supplied Iraq with "billions of dollars of credits," provided "U.S. military intelligence and advice," and acted "by closely monitoring third country arms sales to Iraq." He states that in 1986 Reagan sent a secret message to Saddam Hussein that Iraq should step up its air war and bombing of Iran, delivered by Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] to Egyptian President [[Hosni Mubarak]], who passed it to Saddam, and that Teicher wrote Bush's talking points for the meeting with Mubarak.[^14] He states that he attended meetings in which Casey or Gates "noted the need for Iraq to have certain weapons such as cluster bombs and anti-armor penetrators," that Casey was "adamant that cluster bombs were a perfect 'force multiplier,'" and that "the CIA knew of, approved of, and assisted in the sale of non-U.S. origin military weapons, ammunition and vehicles to Iraq."[^14] +Teicher states that Casey "personally spearheaded the effort to ensure that Iraq had sufficient military weapons, ammunition and vehicles to avoid losing the Iran-Iraq war," and that the United States supplied Iraq with "billions of dollars of credits," provided "U.S. military intelligence and advice," and acted "by closely monitoring third country arms sales to Iraq." He states that in 1986 Reagan sent a secret message to Saddam Hussein that Iraq should step up its air war and bombing of Iran, delivered by Vice President [[George H.W. Bush|George H. W. Bush]] to Egyptian President [[Hosni Mubarak]], who passed it to Saddam, and that Teicher wrote Bush's talking points for the meeting with Mubarak.[^14] He states that he attended meetings in which Casey or Gates "noted the need for Iraq to have certain weapons such as cluster bombs and anti-armor penetrators," that Casey was "adamant that cluster bombs were a perfect 'force multiplier,'" and that "the CIA knew of, approved of, and assisted in the sale of non-U.S. origin military weapons, ammunition and vehicles to Iraq."[^14] Teicher also states that one of the reasons the United States refused to license or sell U.S.-origin weapons to Iraq was that non-U.S. supply "was sufficient to meet Iraq's needs," and that under Casey and Gates the CIA "made sure that non-U.S. manufacturers manufactured and sold to Iraq the weapons needed by Iraq." He states that "the highest levels of the United States government" decided in certain instances to make a key weapon component available to Iraq directly or indirectly, and that the provision of anti-armor penetrators was "a case in point."[^14] He describes a CIA program known as "Bear Spares," under which the United States made sure that spare parts and ammunition for Soviet-style weaponry were available to countries seeking to reduce their dependence on the Soviets, with Israel transferring captured stocks "to third countries or insurgent movements (such as the Afghan rebels and the Contras)" and [[Egypt]] manufacturing Soviet-design weapons and spare parts for Iraq and other countries, which Teicher states the United States "approved, assisted and encouraged."[^14] @@ -101,45 +101,49 @@ According to Teicher, the Chilean manufacturer [[Carlos Cardoen]] supplied clust Teicher states that the highest levels of the United States government, including the NSC staff and the CIA, "were well aware of Cardoen's arrest in 1983 in Miami in a sting operation relating to the smuggling of night vision goggles to Cuba and Libya," and of the arrest and conviction of two Cardoen employees and Industrias Cardoen. He also states that Casey "directed the Secretaries of State and Commerce Departments that the necessary licenses required by Cardoen were not to be denied."[^14] -The former Israeli intelligence officer [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] wrote in *Profits of War* that Cardoen was introduced in 1982 through a person at the South African arms company [[ARMSCOR]] to the Iraqi deputy chief of the General Staff for Procurement, that by early 1985 Cardoen was selling arms to Iraq "with the support of certain people connected with the U.S. government," among them [[Alan Sanders]], "who had links to the CIA," and that Cardoen was producing cluster bombs "with a covert U.S. license." Ben-Menashe wrote that in August 1988 Prime Minister Shamir convened a task force headed by [[Avi Pazner]] to halt the flow of chemical weapons, missiles and nuclear technology to Iraq from the West, with Cardoen Industries the focus of the group's attention.[^15] +[[Robert Parry]] reported that the government sealed the January declaration as a state secret while attacking Teicher's credibility, and that Teicher was blocked from testifying; Consortium News reported that a federal grand jury heard testimony on a complaint over the defense's filing of an affidavit in the case.[^15][^16] + +The United States served a corrective declaration signed by Teicher on October 3, 1996, with a notice of filing served November 8, 1996. In it Teicher wrote that attorneys for [[Teledyne Wah Chang Albany|Teledyne]] had prepared the January 31, 1995 declaration and faxed it to him; that he had not reviewed his National Security Council files since 1987; that his statements in paragraphs 15 through 18, the paragraphs on his files and on the CIA and Cardoen, were his best memory and belief and not "categorical statements of fact"; and that he is "not aware of any specific evidence that the United States government or any government official or agency took steps to help Cardoen obtain any U.S.-origin components for use in cluster bombs." As to paragraph 17 he wrote that, although he understood Cardoen had been arrested, "the other information in this paragraph is incorrect." The corrective declaration does not address paragraphs 1 through 14 of the January declaration.[^17] + +The former Israeli intelligence officer [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] wrote in *Profits of War* that Cardoen was introduced in 1982 through a person at the South African arms company [[ARMSCOR]] to the Iraqi deputy chief of the General Staff for Procurement, that by early 1985 Cardoen was selling arms to Iraq "with the support of certain people connected with the U.S. government," among them [[Alan Sanders]], "who had links to the CIA," and that Cardoen was producing cluster bombs "with a covert U.S. license." Ben-Menashe wrote that in August 1988 Prime Minister Shamir convened a task force headed by [[Avi Pazner]] to halt the flow of chemical weapons, missiles and nuclear technology to Iraq from the West, with Cardoen Industries the focus of the group's attention.[^18] ### Commerce Department licenses and the 1994 Riegle hearing -On May 25, 1994 the [[Senate Banking Committee]] held a hearing printed as S. Hrg. 103-900, *United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf War Veterans*, on "United States Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War."[^16] The committee chairman, [[Donald Riegle]], told the witnesses of a hearing in late fall 1992 at which the committee "found that some licenses had been granted by our own Commerce Department to ship certain dual-use items over there," and that "some of them had been shipped directly to Iraqi military installations."[^16] +On May 25, 1994 the [[Senate Banking Committee]] held a hearing printed as S. Hrg. 103-900, *United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf War Veterans*, on "United States Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War."[^19] The committee chairman, [[Donald Riegle]], told the witnesses of a hearing in late fall 1992 at which the committee "found that some licenses had been granted by our own Commerce Department to ship certain dual-use items over there," and that "some of them had been shipped directly to Iraqi military installations."[^19] -[[Gordon C. Oehler]], Director of the CIA's Nonproliferation Center, testified for the Intelligence Community that before 1991 "there were four instances in which the Department of Commerce sought information on Iraqi export license applications, all dated in 1986." He said that Commerce asked for review "primarily when the licenses had significance to intelligence collection equities," and that the concern "was not so much Iraq, but whether there was a possibility the equipment would be diverted to the Soviet Union or other communist countries." His prepared statement says Iraqi procurement officers, "knowing full well the licensing thresholds, requested items that fell just under the denial thresholds."[^16] A committee report printed in the same volume lists biological materials provided by the [[American Type Culture Collection]] that were exported to agencies of the government of Iraq under export licenses issued by the Department of Commerce.[^16] +[[Gordon C. Oehler]], Director of the CIA's Nonproliferation Center, testified for the Intelligence Community that before 1991 "there were four instances in which the Department of Commerce sought information on Iraqi export license applications, all dated in 1986." He said that Commerce asked for review "primarily when the licenses had significance to intelligence collection equities," and that the concern "was not so much Iraq, but whether there was a possibility the equipment would be diverted to the Soviet Union or other communist countries." His prepared statement says Iraqi procurement officers, "knowing full well the licensing thresholds, requested items that fell just under the denial thresholds."[^19] A committee report printed in the same volume lists biological materials provided by the [[American Type Culture Collection]] that were exported to agencies of the government of Iraq under export licenses issued by the Department of Commerce.[^19] ### Banca Nazionale del Lavoro -On August 10, 1992 the chairman of the House Banking Committee, [[Henry B. Gonzalez]], delivered a special order on the House floor, printed in the Congressional Record under the heading "Details on Iraq's Procurement Network." He said that the [[Banca Nazionale del Lavoro]] branch in [[Atlanta]] "loan[ed] over $4 billion to Iraq between 1986 and 1990 without reporting the loans to bank regulators or the bank's headquarters in Rome," and that "over $2 billion of the BNL loans went to Iraq's [[Ministry of Industry and Military Industrialization]] otherwise known as MIMI."[^17] +On August 10, 1992 the chairman of the House Banking Committee, [[Henry B. Gonzalez]], delivered a special order on the House floor, printed in the Congressional Record under the heading "Details on Iraq's Procurement Network." He said that the [[Banca Nazionale del Lavoro]] branch in [[Atlanta]] "loan[ed] over $4 billion to Iraq between 1986 and 1990 without reporting the loans to bank regulators or the bank's headquarters in Rome," and that "over $2 billion of the BNL loans went to Iraq's [[Ministry of Industry and Military Industrialization]] otherwise known as MIMI."[^20] -Gonzalez stated that "our Government knew about the network, and as I have shown before, decided to tolerate its activity," and that "the policy was designed to see if Saddam Hussein could be turned into a reliable ally, according to the President, Secretary of State, and other officialdom of this Government." He said that "the Bush administration approved dozens of export licenses that allowed United States and foreign firms to ship sophisticated U.S. dual-use equipment to MIMI-controlled weapons factories." He also said that Saddam had entrusted MIMI to his son-in-law, [[Hussein Kamel]], in 1988, and that the CIA believed Kamil was "probably the second most powerful man in Iraq."[^17] +Gonzalez stated that "our Government knew about the network, and as I have shown before, decided to tolerate its activity," and that "the policy was designed to see if Saddam Hussein could be turned into a reliable ally, according to the President, Secretary of State, and other officialdom of this Government." He said that "the Bush administration approved dozens of export licenses that allowed United States and foreign firms to ship sophisticated U.S. dual-use equipment to MIMI-controlled weapons factories." He also said that Saddam had entrusted MIMI to his son-in-law, [[Hussein Kamel]], in 1988, and that the CIA believed Kamil was "probably the second most powerful man in Iraq."[^20] -In the [[BNL Scandal|BNL]] prosecution, the Atlanta branch's manager, [[Christopher Drogoul]], was charged in the Northern District of Georgia with wire fraud, conspiracy and making false statements to government agencies, on the government's allegation that he concealed unauthorized loans and credit extensions totaling several billion dollars to agencies and instrumentalities of Iraq. He pleaded guilty in June 1992 to sixty counts of a 347-count indictment, and the district court allowed him to withdraw the plea on October 1, 1992. On September 2, 1993 the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] reversed the district court's denial of the government's motion to take depositions of Italian nationals in Rome.[^18] +In the [[BNL Scandal|BNL]] prosecution, the Atlanta branch's manager, [[Christopher Drogoul]], was charged in the Northern District of Georgia with wire fraud, conspiracy and making false statements to government agencies, on the government's allegation that he concealed unauthorized loans and credit extensions totaling several billion dollars to agencies and instrumentalities of Iraq. He pleaded guilty in June 1992 to sixty counts of a 347-count indictment, and the district court allowed him to withdraw the plea on October 1, 1992. On September 2, 1993 the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] reversed the district court's denial of the government's motion to take depositions of Italian nationals in Rome.[^21] ### Gerald Bull and Project Babylon -On April 10, 1990 [[HM Customs and Excise]] officers at [[Teesport]] detained eight large steel tubes destined for Iraq. In a statement to the [[House of Commons]] on April 18, 1990 Trade and Industry Secretary [[Nicholas Ridley]] said Ministry of Defence experts advised that the tubes were components of a large-calibre armament, that the goods were "consistent with what is known of Dr. Bull's design" (referring to "the late Dr. Gerald Bull"), and that in 1988 the Department of Trade and Industry had been asked by Walter Somers and Sheffield Forgemasters whether licences were needed and had decided they were not.[^19] The engineer [[Gerald Bull]]'s large gun was the basis of the [[Project Babylon]] program for Iraq. +On April 10, 1990 [[HM Customs and Excise]] officers at [[Teesport]] detained eight large steel tubes destined for Iraq. In a statement to the [[House of Commons]] on April 18, 1990 Trade and Industry Secretary [[Nicholas Ridley]] said Ministry of Defence experts advised that the tubes were components of a large-calibre armament, that the goods were "consistent with what is known of Dr. Bull's design" (referring to "the late Dr. Gerald Bull"), and that in 1988 the Department of Trade and Industry had been asked by Walter Somers and Sheffield Forgemasters whether licences were needed and had decided they were not.[^22] The engineer [[Gerald Bull]]'s large gun was the basis of the [[Project Babylon]] program for Iraq. -On April 27, 1990 [[Gordon Brown]] asked in written questions in the House of Commons when the trade department had first been made aware "that Iraq was acquiring export material for a major gun or launcher," and what information it held on "non-military research done by the Space Research Corporation." Ridley answered that, "in the light of charges laid against an individual on 25 April, and in the light of the continuing investigation by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information."[^20] +On April 27, 1990 [[Gordon Brown]] asked in written questions in the House of Commons when the trade department had first been made aware "that Iraq was acquiring export material for a major gun or launcher," and what information it held on "non-military research done by the Space Research Corporation." Ridley answered that, "in the light of charges laid against an individual on 25 April, and in the light of the continuing investigation by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information."[^23] ### Matrix Churchill and the Scott Inquiry -Gonzalez told the House on August 10, 1992 that [[Matrix Churchill]] Corporation of [[Cleveland, Ohio]] was the United States base of the Al-Arabi Trading Company network, which he described as the mechanism MIMI used to acquire other front companies, and that through the London holding companies Technology Development Group and Technology Engineering Group Iraq controlled more than a dozen [[United Kingdom]] firms including TMG Engineering and Matrix-Churchill Ltd.[^17] +Gonzalez told the House on August 10, 1992 that [[Matrix Churchill]] Corporation of [[Cleveland, Ohio]] was the United States base of the Al-Arabi Trading Company network, which he described as the mechanism MIMI used to acquire other front companies, and that through the London holding companies Technology Development Group and Technology Engineering Group Iraq controlled more than a dozen [[United Kingdom]] firms including TMG Engineering and Matrix-Churchill Ltd.[^20] -On November 10, 1992 Attorney General Sir [[Nicholas Lyell]] told the House of Commons that prosecution counsel in the Matrix Churchill case had informed the court that, in light of the evidence given by [[Alan Clark]] in cross-examination, it would no longer be right to seek a conviction, and that Lord Justice [[Richard Scott]] had agreed to conduct an independent inquiry.[^21] The [[Scott Inquiry]] into the [[Arms-to-Iraq|export of defence equipment and dual-use goods to Iraq]] reported in February 1996. In the House of Commons debate of February 26, 1996 Trade Secretary [[Ian Lang]] said the Government welcomed "the central conclusions of the report: that there was no plot secretly to arm Saddam Hussein, and no attempt to suppress documents that could have led to a miscarriage of justice." [[Menzies Campbell]] asked whether the Government accepted the report's central conclusion that policy was changed and that the change was deliberately kept from Parliament, and Lang answered: "No, I do not; there is a difference between the Government and Sir Richard on that matter."[^22] +On November 10, 1992 Attorney General Sir [[Nicholas Lyell]] told the House of Commons that prosecution counsel in the Matrix Churchill case had informed the court that, in light of the evidence given by [[Alan Clark]] in cross-examination, it would no longer be right to seek a conviction, and that Lord Justice [[Richard Scott]] had agreed to conduct an independent inquiry.[^24] The [[Scott Inquiry]] into the [[Arms-to-Iraq|export of defence equipment and dual-use goods to Iraq]] reported in February 1996. In the House of Commons debate of February 26, 1996 Trade Secretary [[Ian Lang]] said the Government welcomed "the central conclusions of the report: that there was no plot secretly to arm Saddam Hussein, and no attempt to suppress documents that could have led to a miscarriage of justice." [[Menzies Campbell]] asked whether the Government accepted the report's central conclusion that policy was changed and that the change was deliberately kept from Parliament, and Lang answered: "No, I do not; there is a difference between the Government and Sir Richard on that matter."[^25] ### Bank of Credit and Commerce International -The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report]], published as Senate Print 102-140 in December 1992, states that the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] "also made loans to Iraq, although of a substantially smaller nature" than those of BNL. The report says BNL "was, according to federal indictments, a significant financial conduit for weapons to Iraq." Its appendix lists the relationship among matters for further investigation, which "could produce further understanding of Saddam Hussein's international network for acquiring weapons."[^23] +The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report]], published as Senate Print 102-140 in December 1992, states that the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] "also made loans to Iraq, although of a substantially smaller nature" than those of BNL. The report says BNL "was, according to federal indictments, a significant financial conduit for weapons to Iraq." Its appendix lists the relationship among matters for further investigation, which "could produce further understanding of Saddam Hussein's international network for acquiring weapons."[^26] ### PROMIS -The former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe wrote in *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (1992) that he believed he was arrested in 1989 on an arms charge because he had threatened, on behalf of the Israeli government, to expose "what the Americans were doing with Promis if they continued their support of chemical weapons being supplied to Saddam Hussein's Iraq."[^15] In an affidavit of February 17, 1991 in the [[Inslaw]] litigation, Ben-Menashe stated that in 1989 in Chile Carlos Cardoen told him that Cardoen had brokered a sale of [[PROMIS Software Scandal|PROMIS]] by [[Earl Brian]] to a representative of Iraqi Military Intelligence, as summarized in the report of the [[Department of Justice]] special counsel [[Nicholas Bua]].[^24] The same report, dated March 1993, rejected "conclusively" Inslaw's assertion that Ben-Menashe had personal knowledge of Brian's distribution of Inslaw's software, and stated that Ben-Menashe "makes a number of extraordinary claims, most of which are not subject to corroboration" and that the program he described was a different software said to have been developed by the [[National Security Agency]].[^24] +The former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe wrote in *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (1992) that he believed he was arrested in 1989 on an arms charge because he had threatened, on behalf of the Israeli government, to expose "what the Americans were doing with Promis if they continued their support of chemical weapons being supplied to Saddam Hussein's Iraq."[^18] In an affidavit of February 17, 1991 in the [[Inslaw]] litigation, Ben-Menashe stated that in 1989 in Chile Carlos Cardoen told him that Cardoen had brokered a sale of [[PROMIS Software Scandal|PROMIS]] by [[Earl Brian]] to a representative of Iraqi Military Intelligence, as summarized in the report of the [[Department of Justice]] special counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua|Nicholas Bua]].[^27] The same report, dated March 1993, rejected "conclusively" Inslaw's assertion that Ben-Menashe had personal knowledge of Brian's distribution of Inslaw's software, and stated that Ben-Menashe "makes a number of extraordinary claims, most of which are not subject to corroboration" and that the program he described was a different software said to have been developed by the [[National Security Agency]].[^27] ### Gulf War, Iraq War and execution -On August 2, 1990 the Security Council adopted Resolution 660 on the invasion of [[Kuwait]] by Iraq.[^25] In the [[Gulf War]] a U.S.-led military campaign forced Iraq to withdraw in February 1991, and a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 toppled his government.[^1] Saddam was captured on December 13, 2003 at ad-Dawr, south of Tikrit, and [[L. Paul Bremer]] announced the capture on December 14.[^26] On November 5, 2006 an Iraqi court sentenced him to death after a trial over the killing of 148 Shias from the town of Dujail in the 1980s, and he was hanged in northern Baghdad on December 30, 2006.[^27] +On August 2, 1990 the Security Council adopted Resolution 660 on the invasion of [[Kuwait]] by Iraq.[^28] In the [[Gulf War]] a U.S.-led military campaign forced Iraq to withdraw in February 1991, and a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 toppled his government.[^1] Saddam was captured on December 13, 2003 at ad-Dawr, south of Tikrit, and [[L. Paul Bremer]] announced the capture on December 14.[^29] On November 5, 2006 an Iraqi court sentenced him to death after a trial over the killing of 148 Shias from the town of Dujail in the 1980s, and he was hanged in northern Baghdad on December 30, 2006.[^30] ### Footnotes @@ -157,16 +161,19 @@ On August 2, 1990 the Security Council adopted Resolution 660 on the invasion of [^12]: Department of State cable State 086663, Shultz to Embassy Khartoum, "Briefing Notes for Rumsfeld Visit to Baghdad," March 24, 1984, secret, paragraph 2, National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 82, document 48. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/iraq48.pdf [^13]: Department of State cable State 352124, memorandum of conversation, "Secretary's Meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, November 26, 1984," secret, paragraphs 3, 4 and 10 (transmitted November 29, 1984), National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 82, document 60. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/iraq60.pdf [^14]: Declaration of Howard Teicher, *United States v. Carlos Cardoen et al.*, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, Case No. 93-241-CR-HIGHSMITH, executed January 31, 1995, caption and paragraphs 1 to 18 (paragraph 1 service; 3 and 4 spring 1982; 6 June 1982 decision and NSDD; 7 Casey, credits, 1986 message; 8 cluster bombs; 9 non-U.S. weapons; 10 Israeli offer; 11 non-U.S. manufacturers; 13 Bear Spares; 14 Cardoen cluster bombs; 15 NSC files; 16 Cardoen and the CIA; 17 and 18 Cardoen arrest and licenses), National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 82, document 61 (the briefing book's description of the case appears in its document list). https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/iraq61.pdf Sole source for the passages so cited; a sworn declaration of a witness, not an adjudicated finding. -[^15]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (Sheridan Square Press, 1992; reprinted by TrineDay, 2015), chapter 9, "Promis," and chapter 17, "Agricultural Project." Sole source for the passages so cited. -[^16]: U.S. Senate, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, *United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf War Veterans*, hearing of May 25, 1994, S. Hrg. 103-900 (subtitle: *United States Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War*), including the testimony and prepared statement of Dr. Gordon C. Oehler, the chairman's remarks, and the May 25, 1994 committee report. https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesdual00unit -[^17]: Henry B. Gonzalez, "Details on Iraq's Procurement Network," Special Order, *Congressional Record,* House, August 10, 1992, pp. H7871-H7881 (loans and the "tolerate its activity" passage at H7871; export licenses and Hussein Kamil at H7872; Matrix-Churchill and the holding companies at H7873 and H7875). https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/1992_cr/h920810g.htm (the host page is titled "US Armed Iraq Through BNL"). -[^18]: *United States v. Drogoul*, 1 F.3d 1546 (11th Cir. 1993) (No. 93-8964, decided September 2, 1993). https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/001/1.F3d.1546.93-8964.html -[^19]: House of Commons, "Gun Components (Iraq)," statement by Nicholas Ridley, HC Deb, April 18, 1990, vol. 170, cc1425-32. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/apr/18/gun-components-iraq -[^20]: House of Commons, written answers, "Iraq (Arms Component Exports)," HC Deb, April 27, 1990, vol. 171, cc352-3W. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written_answers/1990/apr/27/iraq-arms-component-exports -[^21]: House of Commons, "Matrix Churchill," statement by Sir Nicholas Lyell, HC Deb, November 10, 1992, vol. 213, cc743-58. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1992/nov/10/matrix-churchill -[^22]: House of Commons, "Scott Report," HC Deb, February 26, 1996, vol. 272, cc589-694 (Lang's opening statement and the exchange with Menzies Campbell at c590). https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/feb/26/scott-report The report is Sir Richard Scott, *Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions* (HMSO, HC 115, 1995-96). -[^23]: John Kerry and Hank Brown, *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate,* Senate Print 102-140, December 1992, ch. 24, "Appendix: Matters for Further Investigation." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/24appendic.htm -[^24]: 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, section on Ari Ben-Menashe, including the summary of his affidavit of February 17, 1991 (p. 73). Sole source for the Iraq passages cited to Ben-Menashe. -[^25]: United Nations Security Council, Resolution 660 (1990), adopted at the 2932nd meeting, August 2, 1990. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/94220 -[^26]: Kathleen Ridolfo, "Saddam Hussein Captured near Tikrit," *RFE/RL Iraq Report* 6, no. 52, December 15, 2003. https://www.rferl.org/a/1343152.html -[^27]: "Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq," BBC News, December 30, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6218485.stm +[^15]: Robert Parry, "Iraqgate: Confession and Cover-up," *Extra!* (FAIR), 1995, as reposted at https://scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0212/S00074.htm. +[^16]: Consortium News, "Iraqgate Cover-Up Goes After Defense Lawyers," undated, https://consortiumnews.com/archive/story1.html. +[^17]: Declaration of Howard R. Teicher (corrective), *United States v. Carlos Cardoen et al.*, No. 93-241-CR-Highsmith (S.D. Fla.), dated October 3, 1996, with the United States' notice of filing served November 8, 1996, paragraphs 2 to 7, https://archive.org/details/utf-893cr-241-de-679. +[^18]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (Sheridan Square Press, 1992; reprinted by TrineDay, 2015), chapter 9, "Promis," and chapter 17, "Agricultural Project." Sole source for the passages so cited. +[^19]: U.S. Senate, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, *United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf War Veterans*, hearing of May 25, 1994, S. Hrg. 103-900 (subtitle: *United States Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War*), including the testimony and prepared statement of Dr. Gordon C. Oehler, the chairman's remarks, and the May 25, 1994 committee report. https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesdual00unit +[^20]: Henry B. Gonzalez, "Details on Iraq's Procurement Network," Special Order, *Congressional Record,* House, August 10, 1992, pp. H7871-H7881 (loans and the "tolerate its activity" passage at H7871; export licenses and Hussein Kamil at H7872; Matrix-Churchill and the holding companies at H7873 and H7875). https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/1992_cr/h920810g.htm (the host page is titled "US Armed Iraq Through BNL"). +[^21]: *United States v. Drogoul*, 1 F.3d 1546 (11th Cir. 1993) (No. 93-8964, decided September 2, 1993). https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/001/1.F3d.1546.93-8964.html +[^22]: House of Commons, "Gun Components (Iraq)," statement by Nicholas Ridley, HC Deb, April 18, 1990, vol. 170, cc1425-32. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/apr/18/gun-components-iraq +[^23]: House of Commons, written answers, "Iraq (Arms Component Exports)," HC Deb, April 27, 1990, vol. 171, cc352-3W. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written_answers/1990/apr/27/iraq-arms-component-exports +[^24]: House of Commons, "Matrix Churchill," statement by Sir Nicholas Lyell, HC Deb, November 10, 1992, vol. 213, cc743-58. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1992/nov/10/matrix-churchill +[^25]: House of Commons, "Scott Report," HC Deb, February 26, 1996, vol. 272, cc589-694 (Lang's opening statement and the exchange with Menzies Campbell at c590). https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/feb/26/scott-report The report is Sir Richard Scott, *Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions* (HMSO, HC 115, 1995-96). +[^26]: John Kerry and Hank Brown, *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate,* Senate Print 102-140, December 1992, ch. 24, "Appendix: Matters for Further Investigation." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/24appendic.htm +[^27]: 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, section on Ari Ben-Menashe, including the summary of his affidavit of February 17, 1991 (p. 73). Sole source for the Iraq passages cited to Ben-Menashe. +[^28]: United Nations Security Council, Resolution 660 (1990), adopted at the 2932nd meeting, August 2, 1990. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/94220 +[^29]: Kathleen Ridolfo, "Saddam Hussein Captured near Tikrit," *RFE/RL Iraq Report* 6, no. 52, December 15, 2003. https://www.rferl.org/a/1343152.html +[^30]: "Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq," BBC News, December 30, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6218485.stm diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Barbara Studley.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Barbara Studley.md index 7bfbfe97..ff68bd24 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Barbara Studley.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Barbara Studley.md @@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ relations: - type: represented with: "[[Frank Koszorus Jr.]]" reverse: true - start: 1991 - fn: 1 + start: 1987 + fn: 11 - type: represented with: "[[Paul L. Perito]]" reverse: true @@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ Byron reported a July 29, 1984 memorandum from Carbaugh to Studley about a canno In 1985 Studley and Singlaub arranged a private shipment of Soviet-bloc rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers to the contras, which the Courant put at $5 million and which ran from [[Poland]] to [[Honduras]], with the money moved through Swiss banks, according to Singlaub's 1987 testimony.[^1] Graham recommended the arms broker [[Werner Glatt]], whom he described as a sheep farmer and arms trader with farms in Virginia and Scotland, to Studley as an honest broker. Counsel put the arms transaction in May 1985 with delivery in July, and Graham agreed it was early in 1985.[^2] -The Courant reported that the legal opinion clearing the shipment was given by [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]], then an assistant United States attorney in Washington. Barcella said that "somebody in the government came to me," that he checked with the Office of Munitions Control at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and the Justice Department's office of internal security, that he "orally passed that back to the person that had made the request of me," that he did not know Studley at the time, and that he did not remember signing anything. The United States attorney, [[Joseph diGenova]], said he never authorized any such opinion.[^1] In her 1991 deposition, as the Courant quotes it, Studley answered "Larry Barcella signed it" when asked who in the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] approved the shipment.[^1] She also said the shipment was "approved in writing by the justice department before we shipped it" and called it "Absolutely legitimate."[^1] Her lawyer, [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]], said he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^1] The Courant reported that Barcella left the United States attorney's office in June 1986 and went into private practice in Washington "initially at the same firm where Koszorus, Studley's lawyer, worked," and that he said he did not know Koszorus before joining it. The April 28, 1987 letter to the House committee on Studley's matter, on the letterhead of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]], closes with Koszorus's name above the enclosure notation.[^1][^11] +The Courant reported that [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]], then an assistant United States attorney in Washington, had given a legal opinion clearing the way for the shipment. Barcella said that "somebody in the government came to me," that he checked with the Office of Munitions Control at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and the Justice Department's office of internal security, that he "orally passed that back to the person that had made the request of me," that he did not know Studley at the time, and that he did not remember signing anything. The United States attorney, [[Joseph diGenova]], said he never authorized any such opinion.[^1] In her 1991 deposition, as the Courant quotes it, Studley answered "Larry Barcella signed it" when asked who in the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] approved the shipment.[^1] She also said the shipment was "approved in writing by the justice department before we shipped it" and called it "Absolutely legitimate."[^1] Her lawyer, [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]], said he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^1] The Courant reported that Barcella left the United States attorney's office in June 1986 and went into private practice in Washington "initially at the same firm where Koszorus, Studley's lawyer, worked," and that he said he did not know Koszorus before joining it. The Courant's account is of 1992. The earlier April 28, 1987 letter to the House committee's assistant counsel, from Koszorus on the letterhead of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]], encloses a copy of the memorandum from Studley's file regarding North.[^11] On October 30, 1985, Studley sent a memorandum to Lt. Col. [[Oliver North]] reporting a telephone call from a source identified only as "W." The memorandum stated that a man named [[Mario Dellamico]], described as working for an arms dealer named [[Ron Martin]], had asked for the company's help in selling Martin's arms to the Contras and had been refused, since it would be against "their law." It closed with the sentence "General John K. Singlaub has been advised of this information."[^12] @@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ Graham gave a different account. He testified that after the ship arrived Studle The Miami Herald reported in June 1987 that the president of [[Bayshore Bank of Florida]], Petrillo, had resigned, that the bank was being sold, and that he had transferred a total of $2 million of bank funds on behalf of GeoMiliTech during 1986. The debts were unsecured, were supposed to be repaid within weeks, and remained outstanding, and the sum was nearly all of the bank's net worth that year. The newspaper reported that Petrillo left just as federal authorities, including Iran-Contra independent counsel [[Lawrence Walsh]], began investigating the transactions, and that the company acknowledged helping arrange arms supplies for the rebels. A bank director, Dr. Matthew Bradley, said the board was told of the questionable transfers about three weeks earlier. Studley told the Herald that the case involved private banking matters and refused to discuss the details. Petrillo said he had no knowledge of any arms deals, that he had left the bank solely because it was changing hands, and "There is no money missing."[^4] -Bayshore Bank of Florida, with total assets of $40.4 million, was closed on August 7, 1987 by Florida State Comptroller [[Gerald Lewis]], and the [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] was named receiver; the FDIC transferred its insured deposits to [[Eagle National Bank of Miami]], which paid a $625,000 premium and bought $10.8 million of its assets.[^14] Petrillo pleaded guilty in September 1994 to misapplication of funds and bank fraud and was sentenced in March 1995 to one year in prison, five years' probation and $2 million in restitution. American Banker reported that he had issued letters of credit totaling more than $2 million in 1986 and 1987 to GeoMiliTech without his bank's knowledge, that he asserted in court that his actions were taken in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, and that the United States attorney's office in Miami said the claims were "discounted in court."[^5] +Bayshore Bank of Florida, with total assets of $40.4 million, was closed on August 7, 1987 by Florida State Comptroller [[Gerald Lewis]], and the [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] was named receiver; the FDIC transferred its insured deposits to [[Eagle National Bank of Miami]], which paid a $625,000 premium and bought $10.8 million of its assets.[^14] Petrillo pleaded guilty in September 1994 to misapplication of funds and bank fraud and was sentenced to one year in prison, five years' probation and $2 million in restitution, as American Banker reported on March 31, 1995. American Banker reported that he had issued letters of credit totaling more than $2 million in 1986 and 1987 to GeoMiliTech without his bank's knowledge, that he asserted in court that his actions were taken in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, and that [[Willie Fernandez]], a spokesman for the United States attorney's office in Miami, said of the claim: "All that stuff was discounted in court."[^5] The article states that Petrillo committed his crimes first at [[Florida National Bank]] and then at Bayshore, and attributes to the United States attorney's office the statement that the firm headed by Studley "was in the business of advising foreign clients on purchasing military equipment."[^5] UPI, reporting the Herald, said that the company lists retired Maj. Gen. Singlaub as an adviser.[^4] The banker Louis F. Petrillo is a different man from Dr. Louis Petrillo, a New York psychologist named in the Justice Department's 1993 report on the death of [[Danny Casolaro]]. [[Frank Bovenkerk]] and [[Michael Levi]] write that the $2 million covered two bad checks written by Studley, that Petrillo gave her a $1.5 million cashier's check from the bank, and that she tried but failed to sell about 20 percent of the company's stock to raise the $2 million.[^15] The Wall Street Journal Index for 1987 lists state regulators closing Bayshore Bank of Florida, with an overdue GeoMiliTech loan among the bank's problems.[^16] In December 1991 Byron wrote that, according to published reports, federal prosecutors in Miami had recently opened an investigation into Studley's involvement in the bank matter.[^6] @@ -102,13 +102,13 @@ The Post article does not name the consulting company. The torpedo sale in the r Byron reported that Studley denied in the August 1991 deposition that she knew Durrani and denied that she had shipped weapons to Iran, and that she declined several requests for interviews for his article. Byron also reports that Holly B. Fitzsimmons, the assistant United States attorney in the Durrani case, said she herself had seen nothing to indicate Studley was not telling the truth.[^6] Koszorus denied that either Studley or the company had any involvement with Iran, and declined to identify the company's place of business, a spokesman, or the nature of its work.[^6] The Courant placed the deposition in the fall of 1991.[^1] The filing's certification names the defense counsel as William B. Bloss of New Haven; the Courant names him as William M. Bloss.[^1][^20] -In the Graham deposition, counsel asked whether Graham had met "her attorney, Mr. Perito," and Graham answered that the one he knew was Perito.[^2] A letter of April 28, 1987, on the letterhead of Finley, Kumble in Washington, to the House committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]], captioned "Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT," refers to a telephone conference between Ballen and [[Paul L. Perito]] and encloses a memorandum from Studley's file regarding North.[^11] +In the Graham deposition, counsel asked whether Graham had met "her attorney, Mr. Perito," and Graham answered that the one he knew was Perito.[^2] A letter of April 28, 1987, on the letterhead of Finley, Kumble in Washington, to the House committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]], captioned "Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT," refers to a telephone conference between Ballen and [[Paul L. Perito]] and encloses a memorandum from Studley's file regarding North.[^11] A Paul Perito, described by the *Washington Post* in July 1991 as a name partner of [[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]] and head of its white-collar litigation group, moved that month to the Washington office of [[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]]; the firm had been formed in January 1988 by partners of Finley Kumble's Washington office.[^21][^22] Koszorus signed Paul Hastings's registration papers for the Hungarian embassy in March 1993.[^23] Byron wrote in December 1991 that GeoMiliTech was still doing business but was not listed in the Washington, D.C. telephone directory.[^6] The Courant reported in May 1992 that Studley was not called to testify before Congress and that attempts to reach her through Koszorus had been unsuccessful.[^1] American Banker's March 1995 account of the Petrillo sentencing describes her as the head of GeoMiliTech.[^5] ### The Ora Group account and Ben-Menashe -The former Israeli intelligence officer [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] writes that a 1985 contra arms deal brokered through GeoMiliTech was itemized at $3,242,000 paid to the [[Ora Group]], against $5 million that the company's own books showed received from the American side, a gap of about $1.76 million that Ben-Menashe says was never explained to him.[^21] Byron reported that a former top official of the company, whom he did not name, said that Studley and the company had tried to export arms to Iran and that the effort was aided by [[Ariel Sharon]], then Israel's defense minister.[^6] +The former Israeli intelligence officer [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] writes that a 1985 contra arms deal brokered through GeoMiliTech was itemized at $3,242,000 paid to the [[Ora Group]], against $5 million that the company's own books showed received from the American side, a gap of about $1.76 million that Ben-Menashe says was never explained to him.[^24] Byron reported that a former top official of the company, whom he did not name, said that Studley and the company had tried to export arms to Iran and that the effort was aided by [[Ariel Sharon]], then Israel's defense minister.[^6] ### Footnotes @@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ The former Israeli intelligence officer [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] writes that a 1985 c [^8]: Mark Phythian, ed., *Under the Counter and Over the Border: Aspects of the Contemporary Trade in Illicit Arms* (Springer, 2013), p. 65. [^9]: *Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Contras* (National Security Archive, 1987), p. 444. [^10]: Graham Exhibit 2, letter from John K. Singlaub to William J. Casey on GeoMiliTech letterhead, 1919 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300, Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). Committee counsel dates the letter to August 1986. -[^11]: Letter from Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, Washington, to Kenneth Ballen, Assistant Counsel, House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, April 28, 1987, Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT, Memorandum re Oliver North, Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). The signature block, as indexed in the 1988 published volume of the report (p. 1040), reads "Koszorus, Enclosure cc: Charles M. Kerr, Esq." +[^11]: Letter from Frank Koszorus Jr., Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, Washington, to Kenneth Ballen, Assistant Counsel, House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, April 28, 1987, Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT, Memorandum re Oliver North, Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234), printed p. 1040. Handwritten signature above the typed name "Frank Koszorus, Jr."; "Enclosure"; "cc: Charles M. Kerr, Esq." [^12]: Memorandum from B. F. Studley to Lt. Col. Oliver North, October 30, 1985 (Graham Exhibit 1), Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). [^13]: Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, ch. 15, "The Diversion," p. 269 (HathiTrust full view, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ssd?id=txu.059173017837367;seq=293). [^14]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, "FDIC Transfers Insured Deposits of Bayshore Bank of Florida, Miami, Florida," news release PR-139-87, August 7, 1987. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/press-releases-federal-deposit-insurance-corporation-7031/fdic-transfers-insured-deposits-bayshore-bank-florida-miami-florida-641646 @@ -132,4 +132,7 @@ The former Israeli intelligence officer [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] writes that a 1985 c [^18]: Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, minority views, p. 550 (HathiTrust full view, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ssd?id=txu.059173017837367;seq=574). [^19]: Benjamin Weiser, "Singlaub Suggested an Earlier Fund Diversion," *Washington Post*, March 20, 1987. CIA CREST document CIA-RDP90-00965R000707040014-2, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp90-00965r000707040014-2 [^20]: Government's Objection to Arif Durrani's Second Request for Production of Documents, *United States v. Arif Durrani*, D. Conn., B-90-090 (TFGD) and B-86-59 (TFGD), September 9, 1991, pp. 7, 12. CIA CREST document 0001474388. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/0001474388 -[^21]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (Sheridan Square, 1992). Index entry "GMT" at p. 155. Sole source for the itemization of $3,242,000 and the $5 million figure. +[^21]: Sharon Walsh and Saundra Torry, "Washington, Perito Law Firm Losing Additional Attorneys; Name Partner Among Those Leaving," *The Washington Post*, July 20, 1991. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1991/07/20/washington-perito-law-firm-losing-additional-attorneys/0a7d8d2e-2958-4283-9860-874855bd0ca6/ +[^22]: In re Washington, Perito & Dubuc, 154 B.R. 853 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. June 2, 1993), statement of facts, paragraphs 1 to 3 and 19. https://static.case.law/br/154/cases/0853-01.json +[^23]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 4772, Exhibit B, March 1, 1993. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Exhibit-AB-19930301-D1Y3N102.pdf +[^24]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (Sheridan Square, 1992). Index entry "GMT" at p. 155. Sole source for the itemization of $3,242,000 and the $5 million figure. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Louis Petrillo.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Louis Petrillo.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..b922ece9 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Louis Petrillo.md @@ -0,0 +1,86 @@ +--- +title: Louis Petrillo +aliases: + - Louis Petrillo + - Louis F. Petrillo + - Louis Petrillo (banker) +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +category: "Business & Finance" +tags: + - Person + - BayshoreBank + - GeoMiliTech + - IranContra + - Contras + - BankFraud + - BarbaraStudley + - JohnSinglaub +summary: "Miami bank president whom the Miami Herald reported in 1987 to have moved $2 million of Bayshore Bank of Florida funds to GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.; he later pleaded guilty to bank fraud." +location: "Miami, Florida" +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[Bayshore Bank of Florida]]" + role: "president" + end: 1987 + fn: 2 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Bayshore Bank of Florida]]" + role: "president and director" + end: 1987 + fn: 3 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Florida National Bank]]" + fn: 2 + - type: funded + with: "[[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]]" + start: 1986 + end: 1987 + role: "bank funds and letters of credit" + fn: 1 + - type: investigated + with: "[[Lawrence Walsh]]" + reverse: true + start: 1987 + fn: 1 + - type: prosecuted + with: "[[United States Department of Justice]]" + reverse: true + start: 1994 + fn: 2 +--- + +Louis F. Petrillo was the president of [[Bayshore Bank of Florida]], a bank in [[Miami]], when the [[Miami Herald]] reported in June 1987 that he had moved $2 million of the bank's money to [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]], a [[Washington, D.C.]] firm that the newspaper said bought weapons for the [[Contras]]. He later pleaded guilty to misapplication of funds and bank fraud. + +### Career and departure from Bayshore + +The [[United Press International]] account of the Herald's reporting described Petrillo as 46 years old, "considered an expert on international banking," and a regional chairman of the [[Florida Chamber of Commerce]].[^1] The Herald reported that he had left his post as chief executive of Bayshore just as federal authorities, including [[Iran-Contra Affair|Iran-Contra]] special prosecutor [[Lawrence Walsh]], began investigating the transactions at the small Miami bank.[^1] [[American Banker]] later reported that Petrillo committed his crimes while working first at [[Florida National Bank]] and then at Bayshore, where he was president.[^2] Bayshore's corporate filing with the [[Florida Department of State]], with annual reports for 1985, 1986 and 1987, lists Louis F. Petrillo of 10800 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, under title code PD, with Anthony S. Caserta under code C, Matthew H. Bradley under code D, and Gary B. Cole, Kenneth L. Harris and Robert Tankersley under code V.[^3] + +### The GeoMiliTech transfers, 1986 + +The Herald's records showed that Petrillo paid out a total of $2 million of bank money on behalf of GeoMiliTech during 1986. The debts were unsecured, were supposed to be repaid within weeks, and remained outstanding. The newspaper said that the sum was nearly all of the bank's net worth that year, and that federal law limits an unsecured loan to one borrower to 15 percent of a bank's net worth.[^1] The company, which the Herald said lists retired Maj. Gen. [[John Singlaub]] as an adviser, acknowledged helping arrange rebel arms supplies.[^1] The company was run by the former Miami radio talk-show host [[Barbara Studley]].[^1] + +A bank director, [[Matthew Bradley]], said the board had been told by bank executives about three weeks earlier that Petrillo had made questionable transfers on GeoMiliTech's behalf. Bradley said that payments that "exceeded his limits" had gone unpaid.[^1] + +Petrillo told the Herald that he had no knowledge of any arms deals and that he had quit the bank because it was changing hands. He said, "I don't know where they're getting that," and "There is no money missing." He also said, "Somebody's blowing it all out of proportion."[^1] Studley told the Herald that the case involved private banking matters and declined to discuss the details.[^1] + +### Plea, sentence and the claim of CIA backing + +American Banker reported on March 31, 1995 that Petrillo, who had pleaded guilty "last September" to misapplication of funds and bank fraud, had been sentenced to one year in prison, with five years of probation and $2 million in restitution.[^2] The article said that he had issued letters of credit for more than $2 million, without his bank's knowledge, to GeoMiliTech in 1986 and 1987, and that he diverted $53,000 for personal use while at the two banks.[^2] + +American Banker reported that Petrillo asserted in court that his dealings with GeoMiliTech were carried out in conjunction with the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. [[Willie Fernandez]], a spokesman for the [[United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|United States attorney's office in Miami]], said of that claim: "All that stuff was discounted in court."[^2] + +[[Gerald J. Tobin]], a Miami lawyer who said he lost $100,000 when the bank failed, told American Banker that if the CIA claims were true, the government should compensate the 235 holders of Bayshore stock. Tobin said he intended to take Petrillo's court statements to state and federal justice officials and to request an independent counsel investigation. "I object to someone stealing my money, and that's what happened here," Tobin said.[^2] Fernandez replied that Tobin "is free to pursue any avenue he wants to."[^2] + +### A different Louis Petrillo in the Casolaro record + +The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] on the allegations of [[INSLAW]] identifies a "Dr. Louis Petrillo," a New York psychologist and part-time author, as the cousin of the journalist [[Danny Casolaro]]. The report states that in September 1990 he arranged for Casolaro to meet a New York City literary agent, that he attended meetings in New York in December 1990 with Casolaro, the agent and other publishing and agency representatives, that Casolaro spoke with him by telephone on August 7, 1991, and that in a letter dated August 17, 1991 he wrote that Casolaro sounded "enthusiastic" and was "looking forward to meeting with a 'source.'"[^4] He later told investigators that he believed Casolaro "could very well have committed suicide."[^4] + +That Dr. Louis Petrillo, a psychologist working in New York in 1990 and 1991, and Louis F. Petrillo, the Miami bank president named in the 1987 reports and the 1994 plea, are two different men who share a name. + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: "Newspaper says banker involved in loans for Contra arms," United Press International, dated June 10, 1987, reporting a *Miami Herald* story published on the preceding Thursday in its early editions. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/10/Newspaper-says-banker-involved-in-loans-for-Contra-arms/9700550296000/ +[^2]: "Former Miami Banker Gets Prison Term for Diverting Funds to Contras," *American Banker*, March 31, 1995. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/former-miami-banker-gets-prison-term-for-diverting-funds-to-contras +[^3]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, "Bayshore Bank of Florida," Florida profit corporation, document number F64039 (filed January 21, 1982; involuntarily dissolved November 4, 1988), officer and director detail and annual reports 1985 to 1987. https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults?inquiryType=EntityName&searchNameOrder=BAYSHOREBANKOFFLORIDA&searchTerm=Bayshore%20Bank%20of%20Florida +[^4]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (U.S. Department of Justice, March 1993), pp. 137 (August 7, 1991 call, August 17, 1991 letter, later interview), 146 (September 1990 agent meeting, "part-time author") and 148 to 149 (New York meetings of December 1990). https://archive.org/details/InslawPROMISBuaReport. Sole source for the passages so cited. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Paul L. Perito.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Paul L. Perito.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..09853339 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Paul L. Perito.md @@ -0,0 +1,78 @@ +--- +title: Paul L. Perito +aliases: + - Paul L. Perito + - Paul Perito + - Paul Louis Perito +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +category: "Law Enforcement & Legal" +tags: + - Person + - Lawyer + - Prosecutor + - IranContra + - FinleyKumble + - WhiteCollarDefense +summary: "Washington lawyer, former federal prosecutor and White House drug-policy counsel, named in an April 1987 letter on Barbara Studley's file, and a name partner of Washington, Perito & Dubuc before joining Paul Hastings in 1991." +location: "Washington, D.C." +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]" + role: "Assistant United States Attorney" + start: 1966 + end: 1970 + fn: 1 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[House Select Committee on Crime]]" + role: "chief counsel and staff director" + start: 1970 + end: 1971 + fn: 1 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention]]" + role: "chief counsel and deputy director" + start: 1971 + end: 1973 + fn: 1 + - type: represented + with: "[[Barbara Studley]]" + start: 1987 + end: 1987 + fn: 3 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]]" + role: "name partner, head of white-collar litigation group" + start: 1988 + end: 1991 + fn: 4 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]]" + role: "partner, later senior counsel; chair of the Washington litigation department" + start: 1991 + fn: 4 +--- + +Paul Louis Perito (January 23, 1937 to March 22, 2020) was a Washington lawyer. A Paul L. Perito is the lawyer named in the April 28, 1987 letter on [[Barbara Studley]]'s file to the House Iran-Contra committee, and a Paul Perito was a name partner of [[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]] in 1991; the records found do not state in so many words that these are the same man. + +### Government service + +He was born in Medford, Massachusetts, graduated from Tufts University in 1960 and from Harvard Law School in 1964. From 1966 to 1970 he was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he tried twenty-one cases including *United States v. Roy M. Cohn, et al.* From 1970 to 1971 he was chief counsel and later staff director of the House Select Committee on Crime, and from 1971 to 1973 chief counsel and deputy director of the White House Special Action Office on Drug Abuse Prevention.[^1] + +### The Studley letter, 1987 + +On April 28, 1987 [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]] of the Washington office of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]] wrote to [[Kenneth Ballen]], assistant counsel of the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran: "During your telephone conference with Paul L. Perito this afternoon, you requested a copy of the memorandum from Barbara F. Studley's file regarding Oliver North."[^2] In the deposition of [[Daniel O. Graham]] on May 26, 1987, counsel asked whether Graham had met "her attorney, Mr. Perito," and Graham answered, "The one I know is Perito."[^3] + +### Washington, Perito & Dubuc and Paul Hastings + +The [[Washington Post]] reported on December 23, 1987 that [[Paul Laxalt]] and Robert B. Washington Jr., partners in the dissolving Finley Kumble, had announced the formation of a Washington-based firm. The bankruptcy court later found that the partnership, Washington, Perito & Dubuc, was organized in January 1988 by thirty-one partners of Finley Kumble's Washington office and others, and ceased practice in August 1991.[^4] On July 20, 1991 the Post reported that Paul Perito, "one of the firm's name partners and head of its important white-collar litigation group," was moving the following Monday with a half-dozen other lawyers to the Washington office of [[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]].[^5] + +[[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]] was described in July 1991 as a partner at Washington, Perito & Dubuc and became a partner of Paul Hastings on July 18, 1994, and Frank Koszorus Jr. signed that firm's registration papers for the Hungarian embassy from March 1993.[^6] Perito's obituary states that he was ultimately a partner and later senior counsel at Paul Hastings, where he was national co-chair of the White Collar Corporate Defense Practice Group and chair of the Litigation Department of the Washington office, and that after leaving private practice he was an officer and director of Star Scientific, Inc., whose mission the obituary gives as reducing toxins in tobacco products. He was president of the Harvard Law School Alumni Association from 2012 to 2014.[^7] + +[^1]: "Paul Perito Obituary (1937 - 2020)," *The Washington Post*, March 29, 2020. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/paul-perito-obituary?id=2005298 +[^2]: Letter from Frank Koszorus Jr., Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, Washington, to Kenneth Ballen, April 28, 1987, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12, printed p. 1040 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234). +[^3]: Deposition of Daniel O. Graham, May 26, 1987, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). +[^4]: Karlyn Barker and Kathleen Day, "Robert Washington, Laxalt Team Up to Replace Failed Law Firm," *The Washington Post*, December 23, 1987, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/12/23/robert-washington-laxalt-team-up-to-replace-failed-law-firm/71c2b588-772c-47c4-acdb-68bc9bdfe123/ ; In re Washington, Perito & Dubuc, 154 B.R. 853 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. June 2, 1993), https://static.case.law/br/154/cases/0853-01.json +[^5]: Sharon Walsh and Saundra Torry, "Washington, Perito Law Firm Losing Additional Attorneys; Name Partner Among Those Leaving," *The Washington Post*, July 20, 1991. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1991/07/20/washington-perito-law-firm-losing-additional-attorneys/0a7d8d2e-2958-4283-9860-874855bd0ca6/ +[^6]: "Kinder, gentler profession urged," *Chicago Tribune*, July 23, 1991, https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/07/23/kinder-gentler-profession-urged/ ; U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 4772, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Supplemental Statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994, Attachment 1, https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Supplemental-Statement-19940930-DHFIFJ02.pdf ; Exhibit B, March 1, 1993, https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Exhibit-AB-19930301-D1Y3N102.pdf +[^7]: "Paul Perito Obituary (1937 - 2020)," *The Washington Post*, March 29, 2020 (note 1). diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/James D. Theberge.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/James D. Theberge.md index 8b817ac3..b1c7eb90 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/James D. Theberge.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/James D. Theberge.md @@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ The Senate report describes Theberge, during much of the period he served on the On May 26, 1993 a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a twenty-one count indictment against eight defendants, among them [[Carlos Cardoen]], Industrias Cardoen and Swissco Management Group, Inc., on charges arising from exports of zirconium and fuze components to Chile.[^32] -A Florida Division of Corporations record for document number H19133 shows a Florida profit corporation filed August 31, 1984 as Swissco Investing, Inc.; a name change amendment of October 3, 1984 to Swissco Management Group, Inc.; and a name change amendment of October 5, 1990 to Westfield Holdings, Inc., followed by administrative dissolution for failure to file an annual report on October 11, 1991. The record gives a [[Miami Lakes]] principal address (changed July 1, 1985), a Brickell Avenue registered agent, the attorney Abbey Kaplan (address changed August 18, 1986), annual reports for 1988, 1989 and 1990, and two officers, [[Augusto Giangrandi]] as president and [[Jorge Ondarza]] as vice-secretary.[^33] Giangrandi is also listed in the Florida registry as an officer, with Anthony Mijares Jr., of Swissco Leasing, Inc. and Swissco Yachting, Inc., at the same Miami Lakes address.[^34] The registry records found do not name Cardoen or Theberge, and do not establish whether the corporation under document number H19133 is the Swissco Management Group of the Senate report and the 1993 indictment, which was returned after the 1990 name change. +A Florida Division of Corporations record for document number H19133 shows a Florida profit corporation filed August 31, 1984 as Swissco Investing, Inc.; a name change amendment of October 3, 1984 to Swissco Management Group, Inc.; and a name change amendment of October 5, 1990 to Westfield Holdings, Inc., followed by administrative dissolution for failure to file an annual report on October 11, 1991. The record gives a [[Miami Lakes]] principal address (changed July 1, 1985), a Brickell Avenue registered agent, the attorney [[Abbey Kaplan]] (address changed August 18, 1986), annual reports for 1988, 1989 and 1990, and two officers, [[Augusto Giangrandi]] as president and [[Jorge Ondarza]] as vice-secretary.[^33] Giangrandi is also listed in the Florida registry as an officer, with Anthony Mijares Jr., of Swissco Leasing, Inc. and Swissco Yachting, Inc., at the same Miami Lakes address.[^34] The Commerce Department order of September 11, 1995 names the convicted company Swissco Management Group, Inc. at 15485 Eagle Nest Lane, #210, Miami Lakes, the address the registry gives for the corporation from July 1, 1985. It states that the company was convicted on August 7, 1995 of exporting zirconium from the United States to Chile in violation of the terms of a Commerce export license.[^35] The registry records do not name Cardoen or Theberge. ### Death @@ -201,3 +201,4 @@ The New York Times obituary of January 24, 1988 states that he "died of a heart [^32]: *United States v. Cardoen*, 898 F. Supp. 1563 (S.D. Fla. 1995), No. 93-241-CR, decided August 29, 1995, https://static.case.law/f-supp/898/cases/1563-01.json. Indictment of May 26, 1993 and list of defendants. [^33]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Detail by Entity Name for document number H19133 (Westfield Holdings, Inc.), with the Events and Name History page, reached from the entity name search "Swissco Management Group," https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName. Retrieved October 8, 2026. Name history: name change amendment October 5, 1990, old name Swissco Management Group, Inc.; name change amendment October 3, 1984, old name Swissco Investing, Inc. FEI/EIN 59-2453121; effective date August 29, 1984. [^34]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, officer search "Giangrandi Augusto" (entities Westfield Holdings, Inc. H19133, Swissco Leasing, Inc. M24568, Swissco Yachting, Inc. M35237) and the detail records of the two Swissco entities, https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByOfficerOrRegisteredAgent. Retrieved October 8, 2026. Principal address 15485 Eagle Nest Lane, Suite 210, Miami Lakes; annual reports filed 1988. +[^35]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Swissco Management Group, Inc.; Order Denying Permission To Apply for or Use Export Licenses," dated September 11, 1995, 60 Federal Register 48964-48965 (September 21, 1995), FR Doc. 95-23363, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-09-21/pdf/95-23363.pdf. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md index 55c4fdc0..4a166420 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md @@ -62,13 +62,15 @@ A [[Deutsche Bank]] know-your-customer page headed "The 2013 Butterfly Trust," p ### Errands for the Office -On May 16, 2014, Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]] asked Visoski to "poke around tonight about Black Diamond Trading," a company he had heard was trying to buy the St. Thomas Jet Center. Visoski replied, "Here you go Rich ask and ye shall receive," supplied the tail number of the Black Diamond Learjet, and asked, "can you ask if you want me to introduce myself?" Kahn forwarded the information to Epstein, noting that "Larry has obtained some good info on them." Black Diamond Capital Management's founder, [[Stephen Deckoff]], bought Little St. James and [[Great St. James]] from Epstein's estate in May 2023 through his firm SD Investments.[^7] +On October 1, 2012, Lesley Groff wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, copying Visoski, that [[Todd Meister]] "called to confirm he will be going to the island tomorrow with his Venezuelan friend and that Larry is to pick them up in the helicopter upon arrival."[^7] Meister's forwarded message gave a landing time at the St. Thomas fixed-base operator of [[Alliance Aviation]] and the tail number N3FD. A message to Meister at 7:38 AM on October 2, sender redacted, stated that Visoski "is definitely aware of your arrival today and will be there with the helicopter to pick you guys up."[^8] -At 5:40 PM that day Visoski sent Kahn a message listing "LearJet 60," "N114BD," and "Is Blackdiamond."[^8] At 6:08 PM, under the subject line "Barn," he wrote, "Here you go Rich ask and ye shall receive," and "They arrived this evening at 7 PM in the Learjet, can you ask if you want me to introduce myself?" Kahn forwarded the exchange to Epstein, asking, "should larry meet the aircraft and poke around with them tonight at 7:30pm?" A reply from the account "jeffrey E." reads "yes why not?"[^9] Data Set 9 of the Justice Department's release contains an undated photograph of Stephen Deckoff's Black Diamond business card (EFTA01204007) and, numbered immediately before it, a screenshot of an aviation application with a 5:40 PM AST radar timestamp and the route "TIST KEWR," St. Thomas to Newark (EFTA01204006).[^10] +On May 16, 2014, Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]] asked Visoski to "poke around tonight about Black Diamond Trading," a company he had heard was trying to buy the [[St. Thomas Jet Center]]. Visoski replied, "Here you go Rich ask and ye shall receive," supplied the tail number of the Black Diamond Learjet, and asked, "can you ask if you want me to introduce myself?" Kahn forwarded the information to Epstein, noting that "Larry has obtained some good info on them." Black Diamond Capital Management's founder, [[Stephen Deckoff]], bought Little St. James and [[Great St. James]] from Epstein's estate in May 2023 through his firm SD Investments.[^9] -The FAA's releasable aircraft database lists N114BD in 2026 as a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X registered to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC of Greenwich, Connecticut, and its deregistered-aircraft file lists a 1999 Learjet 60 (serial number 166) under the mark N112BD, cancelled on July 1, 2025.[^11] A listing of FAA registry records for Greenwich shows N114BD on that Learjet 60, serial number 166, with a certificate issued December 9, 2004 to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC.[^12] +At 5:40 PM that day Visoski sent Kahn a message listing "LearJet 60," "N114BD," and "Is Blackdiamond."[^10] At 6:08 PM, under the subject line "Barn," he wrote, "Here you go Rich ask and ye shall receive," and "They arrived this evening at 7 PM in the Learjet, can you ask if you want me to introduce myself?" Kahn forwarded the exchange to Epstein, asking, "should larry meet the aircraft and poke around with them tonight at 7:30pm?" A reply from the account "jeffrey E." reads "yes why not?"[^11] Data Set 9 of the Justice Department's release contains an undated photograph of Stephen Deckoff's Black Diamond business card (EFTA01204007) and, numbered immediately before it, a screenshot of an aviation application with a 5:40 PM AST radar timestamp and the route "TIST KEWR," St. Thomas to Newark (EFTA01204006).[^12] -On September 9, 2014, a charter booker emailed Kahn and Visoski that a JEGE LLC charter flight carrying the New Mexico attorney general and gubernatorial candidate [[Gary King]] and his running mate, [[Deb Haaland]], from Santa Fe was "on the ground at IAD."[^13] On July 25, 2016 the head of security at [[Bard College]] wrote that a helicopter landing for Epstein's visit to the campus would be coordinated with "Epstein's pilot, Larry Visoski, and the local fire company"; the college's president, [[Leon Botstein]], replied "Excellent."[^14] +The FAA's releasable aircraft database lists N114BD in 2026 as a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X registered to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC of Greenwich, Connecticut, and its deregistered-aircraft file lists a 1999 Learjet 60 (serial number 166) under the mark N112BD, cancelled on July 1, 2025.[^13] A listing of FAA registry records for Greenwich shows N114BD on that Learjet 60, serial number 166, with a certificate issued December 9, 2004 to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC.[^14] The FAA's releasable file lists the Falcon 7X under N114BD with a certificate issued November 4, 2023, and does not pair N114BD with serial number 166.[^15] + +On September 9, 2014, a charter booker emailed Kahn and Visoski that a JEGE LLC charter flight carrying the New Mexico attorney general and gubernatorial candidate [[Gary King]] and his running mate, [[Deb Haaland]], from Santa Fe was "on the ground at IAD."[^16] On July 25, 2016 the head of security at [[Bard College]] wrote that a helicopter landing for Epstein's visit to the campus would be coordinated with "Epstein's pilot, Larry Visoski, and the local fire company"; the college's president, [[Leon Botstein]], replied "Excellent."[^17] ### Tuition and Favors @@ -80,7 +82,7 @@ On April 7, 2011, after his elder daughter was denied an interview for an [[NBC] Visoski testified on November 29 and 30, 2021. He named passengers he had flown with Epstein, including [[Donald Trump]] ("There was more than once, I believe"), [[Bill Clinton]], [[Prince Andrew]], Senators [[John Glenn]] and [[George Mitchell]], the actors [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Chris Tucker]], and the violinist [[Itzhak Perlman]]. He testified that he flew Epstein to [[Columbus, Ohio]] to see [[Leslie Wexner]], whom Epstein called his client, and that "Ms. Maxwell had nothing to do with the passenger manifests." Under cross-examination he said he "never saw any sexual activity" on the aircraft, and of the accuser known at trial as "Jane," "I didn't know her age. She didn't look young." He testified that Epstein kept the cockpit door closed during flights, and confirmed that Epstein had paid for both of his daughters' college education and given him acreage at Zorro Ranch.[^1][^2][^3] -Judge [[Alison Nathan]] relied at sentencing in part on the testimony of two of Epstein's pilots that [[Sarah Kellen]] had been Maxwell's assistant, one element of the four-level leadership enhancement that the [[Second Circuit]] upheld in September 2024.[^15] +Judge [[Alison Nathan]] relied at sentencing in part on the testimony of two of Epstein's pilots that [[Sarah Kellen]] had been Maxwell's assistant, one element of the four-level leadership enhancement that the [[Second Circuit]] upheld in September 2024.[^18] ### Footnotes @@ -90,12 +92,15 @@ Judge [[Alison Nathan]] relied at sentencing in part on the testimony of two of [^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00021675 to EFTA00021680, DataSet 8, email chain, "RE: FAA Question," between a Special Agent of the Federal Aviation Administration, Law Enforcement Assistance Program, Atlanta, and federal investigators, August 24 to September 29, 2021. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00021675.pdf [^5]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 33 to 36, 137 to 139, filed as Exhibit 1 to Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01364303, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank know-your-customer page "The 2013 Butterfly Trust" (DB-SDNY-0054829); EFTA01372887, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank "KYC Print," July 15, 2019 (DB-SDNY-0066790). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01364303.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01372887.pdf -[^7]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html -[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02383246, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Jeffrey Epstein," May 16, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02383246.pdf -[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02583238, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Re: Barn," May 16, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02583238.pdf -[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01204007 (photograph of a business card) and EFTA01204006 (screenshot of an aviation application), DataSet 9, undated. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204007.pdf and https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204006.pdf -[^11]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database, MASTER.txt entry for N114BD and DEREG.txt entry for N112BD (serial 166), downloaded October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip -[^12]: City-Data.com, "FAA Registered Aircraft, Dealers and Manufacturers in Greenwich, Connecticut" (listing derived from FAA registry data, retrieved October 8, 2026). https://www.city-data.com/aircraft/air-Greenwich-Connecticut.html -[^13]: Paras, Julian, and Pat Davis. "Records show Gary King, Deb Haaland used Epstein-linked jet during 2014 campaign." *New Mexico Political Report,* February 17, 2026. https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2026/02/17/records-show-gary-king-deb-haaland-used-epstein-linked-jet-during-2014-campaign/ -[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02047292, DataSet 10, email chain "Re: Jeffrey Epstein visit to Bard," July 25, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02047292.pdf -[^15]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426-cr (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024) (Cabranes, Wesley, Lohier, JJ.), reported at 118 F.4th 256. https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2024/09/17/united_states_v._maxwell.pdf +[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403872, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, October 1, 2012, 19:44 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf +[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403903, DataSet 9, "Re: Flight," October 2, 2012, 11:38 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403903.pdf +[^9]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html +[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02383246, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Jeffrey Epstein," May 16, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02383246.pdf +[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02583238, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Re: Barn," May 16, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02583238.pdf +[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01204007 (photograph of a business card) and EFTA01204006 (screenshot of an aviation application), DataSet 9, undated. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204007.pdf and https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204006.pdf +[^13]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database, MASTER.txt entry for N114BD and DEREG.txt entry for N112BD (serial 166), downloaded October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip +[^14]: City-Data.com, "FAA Registered Aircraft, Dealers and Manufacturers in Greenwich, Connecticut" (listing derived from FAA registry data, retrieved October 8, 2026). https://www.city-data.com/aircraft/air-Greenwich-Connecticut.html +[^15]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Inquiry, N-Number Inquiry Results for N114BD, retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=114BD +[^16]: Paras, Julian, and Pat Davis. "Records show Gary King, Deb Haaland used Epstein-linked jet during 2014 campaign." *New Mexico Political Report,* February 17, 2026. https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2026/02/17/records-show-gary-king-deb-haaland-used-epstein-linked-jet-during-2014-campaign/ +[^17]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02047292, DataSet 10, email chain "Re: Jeffrey Epstein visit to Bard," July 25, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02047292.pdf +[^18]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426-cr (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024) (Cabranes, Wesley, Lohier, JJ.), reported at 118 F.4th 256. https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2024/09/17/united_states_v._maxwell.pdf diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Central Intelligence Agency.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Central Intelligence Agency.md index 8556d798..eeb762c4 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Central Intelligence Agency.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Central Intelligence Agency.md @@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ category: "U.S. Government" summary: "The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the principal U.S. civilian foreign intelligence service, established by the National Security Act of 1947 and headquartered at Langley, Virginia." start: 1947-09-18 location: "Langley, Virginia" +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Bobby Ray Inman]]" + reverse: true + role: "deputy director" + start: 1981-02 + end: 1982-04 + fn: 15 --- The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a primary intelligence-gathering organization of the United States government. In the context of psychic research, the CIA played a significant, albeit often covert, role in funding and overseeing programs aimed at exploring and utilizing psychic phenomena for intelligence purposes.[^1] @@ -65,9 +73,15 @@ The CIA sent the [[Inter-Services Intelligence|Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) In 1980, Jimmy Carter signed a presidential "finding" authorizing the CIA to aid the Afghan rebels in "harassment" of the Soviet occupying forces through secret supplies of light weapons and limited funds.[^13] This became the largest covert-action program since [[World War Two]].[^13] +### Deputy Director Bobby Ray Inman, 1981 to 1982 + +President Ronald Reagan nominated [[Bobby Ray Inman]], then director of the [[NSA]], as deputy director of Central Intelligence in 1981.[^14] The White House announced his resignation on April 21, 1982.[^15] The White House biography gives March 1982 as the date he resigned.[^14] + +The [[Philadelphia Inquirer]] reported that Inman had submitted his resignation during a "heated internal debate" over a secret counterintelligence study, and that he and other intelligence officials had since narrowed the study's scope. Its sources said two topics that Inman, Casey and FBI Director William Webster had feared might be included, the organization of U.S. counterintelligence agencies and deceptive Soviet missile telemetry, were not on the agenda approved by an interagency working group chaired by John Kohler of the intelligence community staff.[^16] A CBS radio commentary of April 22, 1982 described William J. Casey, the director, as "a professional politician."[^17] + ### Senior Review Panel -The Senior Review Panel was an advisory body within the Director's area that reviewed draft national intelligence estimates and commented on them to the Director of Central Intelligence, the Chairman of the National Intelligence Council and the relevant National Intelligence Officer. In a 1991 letter printed in the Senate report on the nomination of [[Robert Gates]], Gates wrote that "The SRP's sole function was to review draft national estimates and offer comments as a group to the DCI, the Chairman/NIC and the relevant NIO."[^14] The Senate report records that [[James D. Theberge]] served on the panel from January 1986 until his death in January 1988, and that he had been hired on a three-days-per-week basis.[^14] Panel memoranda in the CIA reading room carry his name among the signers of comments dated September 1, September 8, September 24, October 22 and December 1, 1987, alongside [[William Leonhart]], B. McPherson and, on some, [[Richard L. Walker]] or [[Courtland D. Perkins]].[^15] +The Senior Review Panel was an advisory body within the Director's area that reviewed draft national intelligence estimates and commented on them to the Director of Central Intelligence, the Chairman of the National Intelligence Council and the relevant National Intelligence Officer. In a 1991 letter printed in the Senate report on the nomination of [[Robert Gates]], Gates wrote that "The SRP's sole function was to review draft national estimates and offer comments as a group to the DCI, the Chairman/NIC and the relevant NIO."[^18] The Senate report records that [[James D. Theberge]] served on the panel from January 1986 until his death in January 1988, and that he had been hired on a three-days-per-week basis.[^18] Panel memoranda in the CIA reading room carry his name among the signers of comments dated September 1, September 8, September 24, October 22 and December 1, 1987, alongside [[William Leonhart]], B. McPherson and, on some, [[Richard L. Walker]] or [[Courtland D. Perkins]].[^19] ### UAP Research and Secrecy @@ -79,29 +93,29 @@ In recent years, the CIA has been more involved in the official UAP investigatio ### Dark Alliance Investigation -The CIA's covert action division, the Directorate of Operations, created and managed the Contra project during the 1980s, with its Latin American Division headed by [[Dewey Clarridge]] from 1981 to 1984. The agency recruited Contra leaders including [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]] in 1980 and [[Eden Pastora]] in 1981. The CIA maintained station chiefs in [[Costa Rica]], notably [[Joseph Fernandez|Joseph Fernández]] from 1984 to 1986, who were integral to Oliver North's illegal Contra resupply operation.[^16] +The CIA's covert action division, the Directorate of Operations, created and managed the Contra project during the 1980s, with its Latin American Division headed by [[Dewey Clarridge]] from 1981 to 1984. The agency recruited Contra leaders including [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]] in 1980 and [[Eden Pastora]] in 1981. The CIA maintained station chiefs in [[Costa Rica]], notably [[Joseph Fernandez|Joseph Fernández]] from 1984 to 1986, who were integral to Oliver North's illegal Contra resupply operation.[^20] ### Contra Drug Trafficking and the Frogman Case -Federal law enforcement records and congressional testimony established that the CIA had reports of [[Cocaine]] being transshipped through Contra-linked facilities, including [[Ilopango Airbase]] in [[El Salvador]]. When defense attorneys in the [[Frogman Case]] obtained letters from CIA assets claiming seized drug money belonged to the Contras, the CIA's Costa Rican station cabled Langley that both men were assets of an organization that had "unwittingly received CIA support." CIA lawyer Lee Strickland flew to [[San Francisco]] and asked the prosecutor to ensure depositions did not go forward. The government returned $36,020 in seized drug money and a CIA cable declared: "CIA equities are fully protected."[^17] +Federal law enforcement records and congressional testimony established that the CIA had reports of [[Cocaine]] being transshipped through Contra-linked facilities, including [[Ilopango Airbase]] in [[El Salvador]]. When defense attorneys in the [[Frogman Case]] obtained letters from CIA assets claiming seized drug money belonged to the Contras, the CIA's Costa Rican station cabled Langley that both men were assets of an organization that had "unwittingly received CIA support." CIA lawyer Lee Strickland flew to [[San Francisco]] and asked the prosecutor to ensure depositions did not go forward. The government returned $36,020 in seized drug money and a CIA cable declared: "CIA equities are fully protected."[^21] -The pseudonymous agent [[Ivan Gomez|Iván Gómez]], assigned to Costa Rica in 1982 as the CIA's liaison to the Contra armies, admitted during polygraph tests that he had laundered drug money. He was fired in 1989 for repeated polygraph failures concerning drug dealing.[^17] +The pseudonymous agent [[Ivan Gomez|Iván Gómez]], assigned to Costa Rica in 1982 as the CIA's liaison to the Contra armies, admitted during polygraph tests that he had laundered drug money. He was fired in 1989 for repeated polygraph failures concerning drug dealing.[^21] ### The Secret 1982 Agreement with the Justice Department -In early 1982, CIA director William J. Casey and Attorney General [[William French Smith]] signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding that exempted the CIA from reporting drug crimes committed by its non-employees - a category including agents, assets, and non-staff employees. Drug offenses were specifically removed from the list of crimes the CIA was required to report. The agreement remained in effect from 1982 to 1995.[^18] +In early 1982, CIA director William J. Casey and Attorney General [[William French Smith]] signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding that exempted the CIA from reporting drug crimes committed by its non-employees - a category including agents, assets, and non-staff employees. Drug offenses were specifically removed from the list of crimes the CIA was required to report. The agreement remained in effect from 1982 to 1995.[^22] ### Ilopango Obstruction -When [[DEA]] agent [[Celerino Castillo]] began investigating Contra drug trafficking at Ilopango, the CIA intervened directly. In April 1986 the El Salvador station sent a cable asking the Costa Rica station to persuade the DEA to back off: "El Salvador Station would appreciate Costa Rica Station advising DEA not to make any inquiries into anyone re: Hangar No. 4 at Ilopango since only legitimate CIA supported operations were conducted from this facility."[^19] +When [[DEA]] agent [[Celerino Castillo]] began investigating Contra drug trafficking at Ilopango, the CIA intervened directly. In April 1986 the El Salvador station sent a cable asking the Costa Rica station to persuade the DEA to back off: "El Salvador Station would appreciate Costa Rica Station advising DEA not to make any inquiries into anyone re: Hangar No. 4 at Ilopango since only legitimate CIA supported operations were conducted from this facility."[^23] ### Inspector General Investigation -CIA Inspector General [[Fred Hitz]] testified before the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]] in March 1998 that the CIA "did not, in an expeditious or consistent fashion, cut off relationships with individuals supporting the Contra program who were alleged to have engaged in drug trafficking activity," including trafficking within the United States. His 400-page report documented CIA relationships with more than 50 suspected drug traffickers during the Contra war.[^18] +CIA Inspector General [[Fred Hitz]] testified before the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]] in March 1998 that the CIA "did not, in an expeditious or consistent fashion, cut off relationships with individuals supporting the Contra program who were alleged to have engaged in drug trafficking activity," including trafficking within the United States. His 400-page report documented CIA relationships with more than 50 suspected drug traffickers during the Contra war.[^22] ### Iran-Contra Indictments -Multiple CIA officials were indicted during the Iran-Contra investigation. Clarridge was indicted on seven counts of perjury. Fernández was indicted on four counts. [[Alan Fiers]] pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress. All were pardoned by former CIA director [[George H.W. Bush]].[^16] +Multiple CIA officials were indicted during the Iran-Contra investigation. Clarridge was indicted on seven counts of perjury. Fernández was indicted on four counts. [[Alan Fiers]] pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress. All were pardoned by former CIA director [[George H.W. Bush]].[^20] ### Footnotes @@ -118,9 +132,13 @@ Multiple CIA officials were indicted during the Iran-Contra investigation. Clarr [^11]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm [^12]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 334. [^13]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 341. -[^14]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, *Nomination of Robert M. Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence*, S. Exec. Rept. 102-19, 102d Cong., 1st sess., October 24, 1991, section 5, PDF pages 186 to 188. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-filesations-10219.pdf -[^15]: CREST Senior Review Panel memoranda CIA-RDP93T00837R000400110005-3 (NIC-03024-87, September 1, 1987), CIA-RDP93T01222R000100010013-9 (NIC-03595-87, September 8, 1987), CIA-RDP92T00306R000300090020-0 (September 24, 1987), CIA-RDP93T00451R000300080006-5 (NIC-04228-87, October 22, 1987) and CIA-RDP93T00451R000400110014-1 (December 1, 1987). https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t00837r000400110005-3, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t01222r000100010013-9, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp92t00306r000300090020-0, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t00451r000300080006-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t00451r000400110014-1 -[^16]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Prologue and Chapter 5: "God, Fatherland and Freedom" -[^17]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 5: "God, Fatherland and Freedom" -[^18]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Epilogue: "The damage that has been done" -[^19]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends" +[^14]: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Biography of Bobby Ray Inman," December 16, 1993. https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1993/12/1993-12-16-biography-of-bobby-ray-inman.html +[^15]: George C. Wilson and George Gardner Jr., "Leaving for Private Industry: Inman Quitting," *The Washington Post*, April 22, 1982, CIA CREST copy CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230020-3. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230020-3 +[^16]: Michael J. Sniffen, *Philadelphia Inquirer*, April 1982, CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230017-7. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230017-7 +[^17]: CBS Radio network commentary, April 22, 1982, "Admiral Inman Resigns," CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230019-5. https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP90-00552R000201230019-5 +[^18]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, *Nomination of Robert M. Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence*, S. Exec. Rept. 102-19, 102d Cong., 1st sess., October 24, 1991, section 5, PDF pages 186 to 188. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-filesations-10219.pdf +[^19]: CREST Senior Review Panel memoranda CIA-RDP93T00837R000400110005-3 (NIC-03024-87, September 1, 1987), CIA-RDP93T01222R000100010013-9 (NIC-03595-87, September 8, 1987), CIA-RDP92T00306R000300090020-0 (September 24, 1987), CIA-RDP93T00451R000300080006-5 (NIC-04228-87, October 22, 1987) and CIA-RDP93T00451R000400110014-1 (December 1, 1987). https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t00837r000400110005-3, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t01222r000100010013-9, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp92t00306r000300090020-0, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t00451r000300080006-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp93t00451r000400110014-1 +[^20]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Prologue and Chapter 5: "God, Fatherland and Freedom" +[^21]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 5: "God, Fatherland and Freedom" +[^22]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Epilogue: "The damage that has been done" +[^23]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends" diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Defense Intelligence Agency.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Defense Intelligence Agency.md index 4d044d94..f676fe72 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Defense Intelligence Agency.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/Defense Intelligence Agency.md @@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ category: "U.S. Government" summary: "The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is a major intelligence agency of the United States, specializing in defense and military intelligence." start: 1961-10-01 location: "Washington, D.C." +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Bobby Ray Inman]]" + reverse: true + role: "vice director for plans, operations and support" + start: 1976 + end: 1977 + fn: 7 --- The [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] (DIA) is a major intelligence agency of the United States, specializing in defense and military intelligence. The DIA played a significant role in the oversight and funding of the [[Stargate Project]], particularly after the Army's initial involvement.[^1] @@ -23,19 +31,23 @@ In March 1979, when [[Jimmy Carter]] decided to provide [[Israel]] with KH-11 sa [[Daniel O. Graham]] directed the agency from September 1974. He declared his intention to retire on November 3, 1975, when the dismissal of Secretary of Defense [[James R. Schlesinger]] and Director of Central Intelligence [[William Colby|William E. Colby]] was announced, and retired on January 1, 1976.[^3] He told the Senate Select Committee in 1987 that the DIA "coordinates all military intelligence activities."[^4] On June 23, 1975 he submitted a written statement to the House Appropriations Military Construction Subcommittee asking for $86.1 million in the fiscal 1976 budget for a new DIA building.[^5] The DIA report "Soviet and Czechoslovakian Parapsychology Research" was issued in September 1975, during his directorship, under the task number PT-1810-12-75.[^6] +### Vice director Bobby Ray Inman, 1976 to 1977 + +[[Bobby Ray Inman]], who had been Director of Naval Intelligence in 1974, became vice director of the agency in 1976. His title in that post was "Vice Director for Plans, Operations and Support." He became director of the [[NSA]] in July 1977.[^7][^8] + ### Involvement in Psi Research The DIA's interest in psi research was driven by concerns over perceived Soviet advancements. A 1972 DIA report, *Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR*, highlighted the potential threat of Soviet psi capabilities.[^1] [[Jack Vorona]], head of the DIA's Scientific and Technical Intelligence Directorate, was the overall manager of the Grill Flame program. The DIA continued to oversee the program even after the Army's funding was initially terminated in 1985.[^1] ### Dark Alliance Investigation -Historian [[Roger Morris]] wrote that [[Barry Seal]] worked for the DIA "where coded records reportedly showed him on the payroll beginning in 1982." Arms manufacturer [[Tim LaFrance]] told journalist [[Nick Schou]] that the DIA was involved in [[Ronald Lister]]'s weapons manufacturing plant in [[El Salvador]], and that meetings Lister had with death squad commander [[Roberto D'Aubuisson]] "happened because the DIA wanted them to happen." Records found in Lister's house in the 1986 raid disclosed connections between Lister and "a DIA subcontractor."[^7] +Historian [[Roger Morris]] wrote that [[Barry Seal]] worked for the DIA "where coded records reportedly showed him on the payroll beginning in 1982." Arms manufacturer [[Tim LaFrance]] told journalist [[Nick Schou]] that the DIA was involved in [[Ronald Lister]]'s weapons manufacturing plant in [[El Salvador]], and that meetings Lister had with death squad commander [[Roberto D'Aubuisson]] "happened because the DIA wanted them to happen." Records found in Lister's house in the 1986 raid disclosed connections between Lister and "a DIA subcontractor."[^9] ### Role in Modern UAP Investigation -The DIA was the original home of the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AAWSAP), the precursor to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The program was led by [[James Lacatski]] and initially enjoyed the support of DIA leadership. According to [[Luis Elizondo]], new leadership was hostile to the investigation of paranormal aspects of the UAP phenomenon.[^8] +The DIA was the original home of the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AAWSAP), the precursor to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The program was led by [[James Lacatski]] and initially enjoyed the support of DIA leadership. According to [[Luis Elizondo]], new leadership was hostile to the investigation of paranormal aspects of the UAP phenomenon.[^10] -The DIA is also central to the events described in the [[Wilson-Davis Memo]], in which Admiral Thomas R. Wilson, then Director of the DIA, described his discovery of and subsequent denial of access to a secret UAP reverse-engineering program.[^8] +The DIA is also central to the events described in the [[Wilson-Davis Memo]], in which Admiral Thomas R. Wilson, then Director of the DIA, described his discovery of and subsequent denial of access to a secret UAP reverse-engineering program.[^10] ### Footnotes @@ -45,5 +57,7 @@ The DIA is also central to the events described in the [[Wilson-Davis Memo]], in [^4]: Deposition of Daniel O. Graham, May 26, 1987, Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234), pp. 976-978. [^5]: Statement of Lieutenant General Daniel O. Graham, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, before the Military Construction Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, June 1975, CIA-RDP80B01495R000300020008-2. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp80b01495r000300020008-2 [^6]: Louis F. Maire III and J. D. LaMothe, "Soviet and Czechoslovakian Parapsychology Research," Defense Intelligence Agency, DST-1810S-387-75, September 1975, CIA-RDP96-00792R000600350001-3, cover page. -[^7]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty" -[^8]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024. +[^7]: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Biography of Bobby Ray Inman," December 16, 1993. https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1993/12/1993-12-16-biography-of-bobby-ray-inman.html +[^8]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, Nomination of Admiral B. R. Inman to Be Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, hearing of February 3, 1981, prepared statement. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/hearings/97inman.pdf +[^9]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty" +[^10]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/NSA.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/NSA.md index 4512c48f..c28c56d5 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/NSA.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/USA/NSA.md @@ -28,12 +28,12 @@ relations: role: "Navy officer assigned to a research billet; Project LIGHTNING (ultra-high-speed computers)" start: 1960 end: 1963 - fn: 2 + fn: 5 - type: employed_by with: "[[Bill Hamilton]]" reverse: true role: "worked for NSA in the 1960s according to NSA's statement to the Bua inquiry; personnel records purged" - fn: 10 + fn: 13 - type: investigated with: "[[Church Committee]]" reverse: true @@ -42,63 +42,81 @@ relations: end: 1975 fn: 1 --- + - type: head_of + with: "[[Bobby Ray Inman]]" + reverse: true + role: "director" + start: 1977-07-05 + end: 1981-02 + fn: 2 The National Security Agency (NSA) was established by a presidential memorandum of October 1952, which directed the creation of the agency, designated the Secretary of Defense as the President's executive agent for communications intelligence, and set out the agency's missions. The agency's director, Lieutenant General [[Lew Allen]], described it in that form to the [[Church Committee]] on October 29, 1975.[^1] Its headquarters are at [[Fort Meade]], Maryland, where the Army's [[United States Army Intelligence and Security Command]] (INSCOM) also kept its remote viewing unit. +### Director Bobby Ray Inman, 1977 to 1981 + +Bobby Ray Inman became director on July 5, 1977. In February 1981 he told the [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] that he had served as director "since 5 July 1977."[^2] He told the committee that during his four years at the agency "this committee constantly pressed on the administration the question of the adequacy of the intelligence assets."[^2] + +The BBC's Tim Harford wrote in 2017 that the agency's head "was genuinely puzzled about the academics' motives" in the public-key cryptography episode, and that he "soon accepted that the professor had a point and no prosecutions followed."[^3] + +A Senate executive summary of January 1993 records that Inman testified that the NSA's signals intelligence collection in Southeast Asia was dismantled after the war and was not resumed until at least 1978.[^4] + ### SHAMROCK and the watch list activity The Church Committee's statement of November 6, 1975 described SHAMROCK as a message collection program in which the government persuaded three international telegraph companies, [[RCA Global]], [[ITT World Communications]] and [[Western Union International]], to make their international telegraph traffic available, so that "for almost 30 years, copies of most international telegrams originating in or forwarded through the United States were turned over to the National Security Agency and its predecessor agencies." The committee found that the [[Army Security Agency]], later folded into INSCOM, was the first agency with operational responsibility for SHAMROCK; the [[Armed Forces Security Agency]] inherited it in 1949 and NSA assumed operational control when it was created in 1952. The committee added that no documents at NSA or the Department of Defense reflected the operational arrangements between the government and the companies.[^1] In his own testimony Allen separately described a "watch list activity" conducted by NSA between 1967 and 1973 in response to requirements levied by other government agencies, and the committee chairman's opening statement noted that NSA, like the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and the [[Internal Revenue Service]], had maintained a watch list containing the names of United States citizens.[^1] ### Hal Puthoff at the NSA -[[Hal Puthoff]], later the principal investigator of the [[Stanford Research Institute]] remote viewing work, reported to active duty as a [[U.S. Navy|Navy]] officer in 1960 after taking a master's degree at the [[University of Florida]] and was assigned to a research billet at the NSA at Fort Meade. According to the biography SRI filed with its 1979 Grill Flame protocol, he pursued research and monitored contracts on the development of ultra-high-speed computers under Project LIGHTNING, started a program on the potential of lasers, fiber optics and related devices for optical computers, received a Department of Defense Certificate of Commendation, and won second prize for outstanding paper of the year in the NSA Technical Journal in 1963. He left active duty in February 1963 and remained a civilian (GS-13) until September 1963, when he entered [[Stanford University]].[^2] +[[Hal Puthoff]], later the principal investigator of the [[Stanford Research Institute]] remote viewing work, reported to active duty as a [[U.S. Navy|Navy]] officer in 1960 after taking a master's degree at the [[University of Florida]] and was assigned to a research billet at the NSA at Fort Meade. According to the biography SRI filed with its 1979 Grill Flame protocol, he pursued research and monitored contracts on the development of ultra-high-speed computers under Project LIGHTNING, started a program on the potential of lasers, fiber optics and related devices for optical computers, received a Department of Defense Certificate of Commendation, and won second prize for outstanding paper of the year in the NSA Technical Journal in 1963. He left active duty in February 1963 and remained a civilian (GS-13) until September 1963, when he entered [[Stanford University]].[^5] ### The 1973 West Virginia target -SRI's final report for the period January 1974 through February 1975 describes experiments "under the control of the sponsor," in which an SRI experimenter requested geographical coordinates of a site unknown to the experimenters and subjects from "the sponsor's group responsible for threat analysis." The coordinates received were 38 degrees 23 minutes 45 seconds to 48 seconds north, 79 degrees 25 minutes west, described only as being in West Virginia. On May 29, 1973 [[Puthoff]] relayed them by telephone to a first subject, designated S3 in the final report and named as [[Ingo Swann]] in SRI's October 1, 1973 proposal, whose sessions of May 29 and 30 described rolling hills, lawns like those around a military base, and "either some old bunkers around, or maybe this is a covered reservoir." On June 1, 1973 Puthoff gave the coordinates to a second subject, designated S1 and named as [[Pat Price]] in the proposal, whose written response of June 2 reported a peak in a mountain chain, a concealed road, a "former missile site" where underground rooms held records, microfilm and file cabinets under "Army 5th Corps Engineers," and, beyond them, bays "with computers, communication equipment, large maps" staffed by the Army Signal Corps. The report states that both West Virginia reports and the report on a Urals site that Price volunteered were "verified by personnel in the sponsor organization as being substantially correct."[^3] +SRI's final report for the period January 1974 through February 1975 describes experiments "under the control of the sponsor," in which an SRI experimenter requested geographical coordinates of a site unknown to the experimenters and subjects from "the sponsor's group responsible for threat analysis." The coordinates received were 38 degrees 23 minutes 45 seconds to 48 seconds north, 79 degrees 25 minutes west, described only as being in West Virginia. On May 29, 1973 [[Puthoff]] relayed them by telephone to a first subject, designated S3 in the final report and named as [[Ingo Swann]] in SRI's October 1, 1973 proposal, whose sessions of May 29 and 30 described rolling hills, lawns like those around a military base, and "either some old bunkers around, or maybe this is a covered reservoir." On June 1, 1973 Puthoff gave the coordinates to a second subject, designated S1 and named as [[Pat Price]] in the proposal, whose written response of June 2 reported a peak in a mountain chain, a concealed road, a "former missile site" where underground rooms held records, microfilm and file cabinets under "Army 5th Corps Engineers," and, beyond them, bays "with computers, communication equipment, large maps" staffed by the Army Signal Corps. The report states that both West Virginia reports and the report on a Urals site that Price volunteered were "verified by personnel in the sponsor organization as being substantially correct."[^6] -On a later date, the report says, S1 was asked to return to the site "with the goal of obtaining information on code words," and supplied the following: top of desk with papers labeled "Flytrap" and "Minerva"; a file cabinet labeled "Operation Pool"; folders labeled "Cueball," "14 Ball," "4 Ball," "8 Ball" and "Rackup"; a site name that "vaguely seems like Hayfork or Haystack"; and the personnel "Col. R. J. Hamilton, Maj. Gen. George R. Nash, Major John C. Calhoun (??)."[^3] The name Sugar Grove does not appear in the SRI report. An article by the former [[Time]] science correspondent John L. Wilhelm in [[The Washington Post]] (c. 1977) wrote that the coordinates were encoded and passed through an NSA monitor in the Washington area to a CIA scientist at [[Menlo Park]], that the site was a satellite interrogation station which "eavesdrops on Soviet space vehicles," that an officer exclaimed "Hell, there's no security left," and that a security investigation was launched to determine whether the information had leaked to Price. Wilhelm, who also names Sugar Grove in listing the explanations later offered, quoted a source as saying the security men "wouldn't buy the idea of remote viewing."[^4] An Army briefing script on the Grill Flame program, describing the same episode without naming the site, states that the viewer "actually entered the place, calling out names of people who were working there," that he "read" classified codewords on folders, some locked inside security containers, and that "the CIA later confirmed with NSA the validity of much of the subject's information."[^5] +On a later date, the report says, S1 was asked to return to the site "with the goal of obtaining information on code words," and supplied the following: top of desk with papers labeled "Flytrap" and "Minerva"; a file cabinet labeled "Operation Pool"; folders labeled "Cueball," "14 Ball," "4 Ball," "8 Ball" and "Rackup"; a site name that "vaguely seems like Hayfork or Haystack"; and the personnel "Col. R. J. Hamilton, Maj. Gen. George R. Nash, Major John C. Calhoun (??)."[^6] The name Sugar Grove does not appear in the SRI report. An article by the former [[Time]] science correspondent John L. Wilhelm in [[The Washington Post]] (c. 1977) wrote that the coordinates were encoded and passed through an NSA monitor in the Washington area to a CIA scientist at [[Menlo Park]], that the site was a satellite interrogation station which "eavesdrops on Soviet space vehicles," that an officer exclaimed "Hell, there's no security left," and that a security investigation was launched to determine whether the information had leaked to Price. Wilhelm, who also names Sugar Grove in listing the explanations later offered, quoted a source as saying the security men "wouldn't buy the idea of remote viewing."[^7] An Army briefing script on the Grill Flame program, describing the same episode without naming the site, states that the viewer "actually entered the place, calling out names of people who were working there," that he "read" classified codewords on folders, some locked inside security containers, and that "the CIA later confirmed with NSA the validity of much of the subject's information."[^8] ### NSA and the Army remote viewing program -An INSCOM staff paper of 1982, written when [[Congress]] was ending National Foreign Intelligence Program funding for the Army's Grill Flame project, listed among the options for its future a determination "if the Director, NSA would integrate the current INSCOM GRILL FLAME project into any NSA program."[^6] A September 22, 1982 memorandum from the 902d Military Intelligence Group set out the mechanics of NSA sponsorship: the psi personnel could be carried on the rolls of the CONUS MI Group, the housekeeping organization for Army personnel working at NSA, under a "Strategic Systems Planning Detachment" with funding provided by the NSA sponsor and tasking exercised by the INSCOM commander through an INSCOM liaison officer at the NSA.[^7] INSCOM's chronology records that Lieutenant General [[Lincoln D. Faurer]], director of the NSA, was briefed on the program on August 2, 1982.[^6] +An INSCOM staff paper of 1982, written when [[Congress]] was ending National Foreign Intelligence Program funding for the Army's Grill Flame project, listed among the options for its future a determination "if the Director, NSA would integrate the current INSCOM GRILL FLAME project into any NSA program."[^9] A September 22, 1982 memorandum from the 902d Military Intelligence Group set out the mechanics of NSA sponsorship: the psi personnel could be carried on the rolls of the CONUS MI Group, the housekeeping organization for Army personnel working at NSA, under a "Strategic Systems Planning Detachment" with funding provided by the NSA sponsor and tasking exercised by the INSCOM commander through an INSCOM liaison officer at the NSA.[^10] INSCOM's chronology records that Lieutenant General [[Lincoln D. Faurer]], director of the NSA, was briefed on the program on August 2, 1982.[^9] -On August 27, 1982 the Grill Flame project manager, Lieutenant Colonel [[Robert Jachim]], recorded a conversation with NSA personnel. The NSA people said the agency had "no active remote viewers," asked INSCOM how remote viewers were selected, what psychological battery was used, whether a screening questionnaire could be provided and what training SRI had offered, and were given copies of articles from Signal, [[Omni]] and an [[IEEE]] article by [[Robert Jahn]] of Princeton. Jachim wrote that Puthoff had telephoned an NSA contact to say that some of SRI's funding had not materialized and to invite NSA into the program, and that the NSA contact "was noncommittal." The memorandum gives an internal NSA designation for the agency's own parapsychology activity, which is redacted in the released copy.[^8] A 1984 INSCOM commanding general's memorandum lists the NSA among the agencies that had tasked remote viewing and says an evaluation from the NSA, with one from the CIA, was attached to it.[^9] +On August 27, 1982 the Grill Flame project manager, Lieutenant Colonel [[Robert Jachim]], recorded a conversation with NSA personnel. The NSA people said the agency had "no active remote viewers," asked INSCOM how remote viewers were selected, what psychological battery was used, whether a screening questionnaire could be provided and what training SRI had offered, and were given copies of articles from Signal, [[Omni]] and an [[IEEE]] article by [[Robert Jahn]] of Princeton. Jachim wrote that Puthoff had telephoned an NSA contact to say that some of SRI's funding had not materialized and to invite NSA into the program, and that the NSA contact "was noncommittal." The memorandum gives an internal NSA designation for the agency's own parapsychology activity, which is redacted in the released copy.[^11] A 1984 INSCOM commanding general's memorandum lists the NSA among the agencies that had tasked remote viewing and says an evaluation from the NSA, with one from the CIA, was attached to it.[^12] ### PROMIS -An NSA database named PROMIS appears in the [[Department of Justice]] inquiry into the INSLAW matter. The 1993 report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] records that [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] told Bua's team that the "PROMIS" software [[Earl Brian]] distributed to the Israelis was an NSA program and not INSLAW's, that the NSA had developed it to translate Vietnamese into English, and that [[Bill Hamilton]] had worked on it while employed at the NSA before INSLAW existed. Ben-Menashe had earlier sworn affidavits for INSLAW stating that Brian told a 1987 Israeli meeting that the CIA, the NSA, the Department of Justice and Israeli intelligence had been allowed to use PROMIS since 1982; he told Bua that he had let the Hamiltons "assume" he meant INSLAW's product. The Bua report states that the NSA told the investigators Hamilton had worked for the NSA in the 1960s but that, because his personnel records had been purged, it could not say whether he had worked on such a program. The NSA also told them it used a commercial software package from [[Computer Corporation of America]] and that in 1974 and 1975, six years before INSLAW was incorporated, it had developed a database in the M204 language called PROMIS, an acronym for Product Related On-line Management Information System ("product" being the agency's term for its intelligence reports), which it said had no relationship to INSLAW's product and shared the name coincidentally. The NSA general counsel's office told the investigators that many NSA personnel knew of its PROMIS and that many had since moved to other agencies and private employers. The Bua report declined to credit the rest of Ben-Menashe's account.[^10] +An NSA database named PROMIS appears in the [[Department of Justice]] inquiry into the INSLAW matter. The 1993 report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] records that [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] told Bua's team that the "PROMIS" software [[Earl Brian]] distributed to the Israelis was an NSA program and not INSLAW's, that the NSA had developed it to translate Vietnamese into English, and that [[Bill Hamilton]] had worked on it while employed at the NSA before INSLAW existed. Ben-Menashe had earlier sworn affidavits for INSLAW stating that Brian told a 1987 Israeli meeting that the CIA, the NSA, the Department of Justice and Israeli intelligence had been allowed to use PROMIS since 1982; he told Bua that he had let the Hamiltons "assume" he meant INSLAW's product. The Bua report states that the NSA told the investigators Hamilton had worked for the NSA in the 1960s but that, because his personnel records had been purged, it could not say whether he had worked on such a program. The NSA also told them it used a commercial software package from [[Computer Corporation of America]] and that in 1974 and 1975, six years before INSLAW was incorporated, it had developed a database in the M204 language called PROMIS, an acronym for Product Related On-line Management Information System ("product" being the agency's term for its intelligence reports), which it said had no relationship to INSLAW's product and shared the name coincidentally. The NSA general counsel's office told the investigators that many NSA personnel knew of its PROMIS and that many had since moved to other agencies and private employers. The Bua report declined to credit the rest of Ben-Menashe's account.[^13] -The House Judiciary Committee's 1992 report on the INSLAW affair had recorded a different claim: [[Juval Aviv]], a former Israeli intelligence officer and head of the investigative firm [[Interfor]], told committee investigators in January 1991 that Brian had sold INSLAW's Enhanced PROMIS to United States agencies outside the Department of Justice, including the CIA, the NSA, [[NASA]] and the [[National Security Council]], and to [[Interpol]], the [[Mossad]], the Israeli Air Force and the Egyptian government.[^11] +The House Judiciary Committee's 1992 report on the INSLAW affair had recorded a different claim: [[Juval Aviv]], a former Israeli intelligence officer and head of the investigative firm [[Interfor]], told committee investigators in January 1991 that Brian had sold INSLAW's Enhanced PROMIS to United States agencies outside the Department of Justice, including the CIA, the NSA, [[NASA]] and the [[National Security Council]], and to [[Interpol]], the [[Mossad]], the Israeli Air Force and the Egyptian government.[^14] ### UFO records and Citizens Against UFO Secrecy v. NSA -In [[Ground Saucer Watch]] v. CIA (D.D.C., Civil Action 78-859) the Central Intelligence Agency located documents that originated with the NSA and referred them to that agency in four separate referrals, the last on July 27, 1979. The attorney for the plaintiff, [[Peter A. Gersten]], then requested the documents from the NSA; by letters of January 9, 1979 and December 19, 1979 the NSA's policy staff chief, [[Roy R. Banner]], told him the records were classified in their entirety and exempt under 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(1) and (b)(3), the latter on the strength of 18 U.S.C. 798, 50 U.S.C. 403(d)(3) and Public Law 86-36. The NSA appeals authority affirmed on March 24, 1980, and in Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v. National Security Agency (D.D.C., Civil Action 80-1562) the agency's Chief of the Office of Policy, [[Eugene F. Yeates]], swore an affidavit that the withheld material consisted of communications intelligence reports that were "all based on intercepted foreign communications," whose disclosure would identify communications "successfully intercepted and processed," together with four non-COMINT records, and that he would supply a second affidavit classified Top Secret for the court's in camera consideration. A portion of one responsive document was declassified and released to plaintiff's counsel on September 15, 1980.[^12] +In [[Ground Saucer Watch]] v. CIA (D.D.C., Civil Action 78-859) the Central Intelligence Agency located documents that originated with the NSA and referred them to that agency in four separate referrals, the last on July 27, 1979. The attorney for the plaintiff, [[Peter A. Gersten]], then requested the documents from the NSA; by letters of January 9, 1979 and December 19, 1979 the NSA's policy staff chief, [[Roy R. Banner]], told him the records were classified in their entirety and exempt under 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(1) and (b)(3), the latter on the strength of 18 U.S.C. 798, 50 U.S.C. 403(d)(3) and Public Law 86-36. The NSA appeals authority affirmed on March 24, 1980, and in Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v. National Security Agency (D.D.C., Civil Action 80-1562) the agency's Chief of the Office of Policy, [[Eugene F. Yeates]], swore an affidavit that the withheld material consisted of communications intelligence reports that were "all based on intercepted foreign communications," whose disclosure would identify communications "successfully intercepted and processed," together with four non-COMINT records, and that he would supply a second affidavit classified Top Secret for the court's in camera consideration. A portion of one responsive document was declassified and released to plaintiff's counsel on September 15, 1980.[^15] ### The KH-11 and the Israeli access dispute -[[Seymour Hersh]] wrote in *The Samson Option* that a former NSA official told him the KH-11 satellite, launched in December 1976, was considered the most important advance of its time in reconnaissance photography, that every military and civilian intelligence agency had an urgent requirement for its imagery, and that the NSA, responsible for all communications intelligence, had a role in scheduling the satellite to maximize collection. Hersh wrote that [[Jimmy Carter]]'s decision in March 1979 to give [[Israel]] direct access to KH-11 photographs disrupted that scheduling and was unpopular within the NSA and other agencies, and that during the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration it was learned that Israeli military officers were permitted to attend Pentagon meetings where future KH-11 missions and orbital paths were discussed, which dismayed some NSA officials.[^13] +[[Seymour Hersh]] wrote in *The Samson Option* that a former NSA official told him the KH-11 satellite, launched in December 1976, was considered the most important advance of its time in reconnaissance photography, that every military and civilian intelligence agency had an urgent requirement for its imagery, and that the NSA, responsible for all communications intelligence, had a role in scheduling the satellite to maximize collection. Hersh wrote that [[Jimmy Carter]]'s decision in March 1979 to give [[Israel]] direct access to KH-11 photographs disrupted that scheduling and was unpopular within the NSA and other agencies, and that during the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration it was learned that Israeli military officers were permitted to attend Pentagon meetings where future KH-11 missions and orbital paths were discussed, which dismayed some NSA officials.[^16] ### USS Liberty intercepts, 2003 to 2007 -The NSA released transcripts of intercepts made after the June 8, 1967, attack on the [[USS Liberty Incident|USS Liberty]] in July 2003, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by [[A. Jay Cristol]] filed April 26, 2001. The letter of July 2, 2003, enclosed three recordings of Israeli communications in Hebrew, three transcripts and two summary reports, and states that "No communications of the attacking aircraft or torpedo boats were available" and that an EC-121 aircraft had collected conversations between two Israeli helicopter pilots and the control tower at Hazor Airfield; it states that portions were withheld under Executive Order 12958 and under statutes including 18 U.S.C. 798 and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36.[^14] In January 2004 the agency's historian, [[David Hatch]], said the new material "doesn't settle much," according to the Financial Times, and that his reading of the air controller's conversations with two helicopter pilots "suggested strongly" that the Israelis did not know at first that the ship was American.[^15] On June 8, 2007, the NSA announced that it had finished its review of all material relating to the attack and had posted additional documents, stating: "It is not NSA's intention to prove or disprove any one set of conclusions, many of which can be drawn from a thorough review of this material."[^16] [[Oliver Kirby]], the NSA deputy director for operations/production in 1967, said in an interview of February 14, 2003 that within weeks of the attack he read transcripts of the Israeli pilots' conversations that made it "absolutely certain" the Israelis knew the ship was American.[^17] The Chicago Tribune reported on October 2, 2007 that the NSA's position was that it never intercepted the communications of the attacking Israeli pilots; quoted Kirby as saying "I'm willing to swear on a stack of Bibles that we knew they knew"; quoted Michael Prostinak, a Hebrew linguist aboard the EC-121, as saying "there were more tapes than just the three on the Internet"; and reported that the posted tape designated A1104/A-02 begins at 2:29 p.m. local time and that a preceding tape designated A1104/A-01 is absent. An NSA media adviser did not respond to the Tribune's question about the difference.[^18] +The NSA released transcripts of intercepts made after the June 8, 1967, attack on the [[USS Liberty Incident|USS Liberty]] in July 2003, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by [[A. Jay Cristol]] filed April 26, 2001. The letter of July 2, 2003, enclosed three recordings of Israeli communications in Hebrew, three transcripts and two summary reports, and states that "No communications of the attacking aircraft or torpedo boats were available" and that an EC-121 aircraft had collected conversations between two Israeli helicopter pilots and the control tower at Hazor Airfield; it states that portions were withheld under Executive Order 12958 and under statutes including 18 U.S.C. 798 and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36.[^17] In January 2004 the agency's historian, [[David Hatch]], said the new material "doesn't settle much," according to the Financial Times, and that his reading of the air controller's conversations with two helicopter pilots "suggested strongly" that the Israelis did not know at first that the ship was American.[^18] On June 8, 2007, the NSA announced that it had finished its review of all material relating to the attack and had posted additional documents, stating: "It is not NSA's intention to prove or disprove any one set of conclusions, many of which can be drawn from a thorough review of this material."[^19] [[Oliver Kirby]], the NSA deputy director for operations/production in 1967, said in an interview of February 14, 2003 that within weeks of the attack he read transcripts of the Israeli pilots' conversations that made it "absolutely certain" the Israelis knew the ship was American.[^20] The Chicago Tribune reported on October 2, 2007 that the NSA's position was that it never intercepted the communications of the attacking Israeli pilots; quoted Kirby as saying "I'm willing to swear on a stack of Bibles that we knew they knew"; quoted Michael Prostinak, a Hebrew linguist aboard the EC-121, as saying "there were more tapes than just the three on the Internet"; and reported that the posted tape designated A1104/A-02 begins at 2:29 p.m. local time and that a preceding tape designated A1104/A-01 is absent. An NSA media adviser did not respond to the Tribune's question about the difference.[^21] ### Footnotes [^1]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, *Intelligence Activities, Senate Resolution 21*, Hearings, vol. 5, "The National Security Agency and Fourth Amendment Rights," 94th Cong., 1st sess., October 29 and November 6, 1975 (testimony of Lt. Gen. Lew Allen, Jr.; committee statement on SHAMROCK read November 6), https://archive.org/details/Church-Committee-Hearings-Volume5-National-Security-Agency (text at https://archive.org/download/Church-Committee-Hearings-Volume5-National-Security-Agency/Vol5-NSA_djvu.txt). -[^2]: "Proposed Grill Flame Protocol: Proposed SRI International Applied Remote Viewing Protocol," SRI 9-4107, March 23, 1979, CIA-RDP96-00788R001300070001-1, biography of Harold E. Puthoff, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001300070001-1. -[^3]: Harold E. Puthoff and Russell Targ, "Perceptual Augmentation Techniques, Part Two: Research Report," final report covering January 1974 through February 1975, SRI International, December 1, 1975, section on "West Virginia Site (S3)," "West Virginia Site (S1)" and "Urals Site," CIA-RDP96-00788R001300030001-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001300030001-5; and SRI Proposal for Research ISH 73-146, "Perceptual Augmentation Techniques, Part One," October 1, 1973, CIA-RDP96-00787R000700100001-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00787r000700100001-5, which names Price in the same passage. -[^4]: John L. Wilhelm, "The CIA, the Pentagon and the Russians: The Military Potential of Parapsychology," *The Washington Post* (c. 1977), as reproduced in CIA-RDP96-00788R001700360003-3, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001700360003-3. Wilhelm is the sole source for the NSA monitor, the "satellite interrogation station," the exclamation and the security investigation. -[^5]: "Army's Role in a Sensitive, Close-Hold DoD Project," Army briefing script on psychoenergetics (undated), CIA-RDP96-00787R000200020023-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00787r000200020023-5. -[^6]: Staff paper on termination of the Army Grill Flame program, 1982, and "Center Lane Historical Overview," CIA-RDP96-00788R001500180001-7, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001500180001-7 and CIA-RDP96-00788R000400060001-2. -[^7]: Memorandum, "Detachment G Reorganization," 902d Military Intelligence Group Security Support Detachment, September 22, 1982, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700350013-3, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001700350013-3. -[^8]: Memorandum for the record, "NSA Involvement in GRILL FLAME," Lt. Col. Robert J. Jachim, August 1982, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700230009-1, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001700230009-1. -[^9]: INSCOM commanding general's memorandum and talking paper, May 4, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001500180001-7. -[^10]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc. (1993), pp. 73 to 80, released by the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy on September 30, 2013 (AG/13-00675 (F)), https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf. -[^11]: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, *The INSLAW Affair*, H. Rept. 102-857, September 10, 1992, pp. 67 to 68, https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport. Aviv is the sole source for these statements, which the report records as his account to committee investigators. -[^12]: Affidavit of Eugene F. Yeates, Chief, Office of Policy, National Security Agency, *Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v. National Security Agency*, Civil Action No. 80-1562 (D.D.C. 1980), https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/assets/files/affadavit_yeates.pdf (archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2020/https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/assets/files/affadavit_yeates.pdf). -[^13]: Seymour M. Hersh, *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy* (Random House, 1991). Hersh attributes the account of the KH-11 scheduling to an unnamed former NSA official. -[^14]: National Security Agency, letter from Louis F. Giles, Director of Policy, to A. Jay Cristol, FOIA Case 40039A, July 2, 2003. https://irp.fas.org/nsa/liberty.html -[^15]: Guy Dinmore, *Financial Times*, January 13, 2004, reprinted by the History News Network. https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/3027 -[^16]: National Security Agency, "U.S.S. Liberty," release page (Wayback Machine 2007 capture). http://web.archive.org/web/2007/http://www.nsa.gov/liberty -[^17]: David C. Walsh, "Former NSA Officials Agree," *U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings*, June 2003. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2003/june/former-nsa-officials-agree -[^18]: "New revelations in attack on American spy ship," *Chicago Tribune*, October 2, 2007. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/10/02/new-revelations-in-attack-on-american-spy-ship/ +[^2]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, Nomination of Admiral B. R. Inman to Be Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, hearing of February 3, 1981 (Washington: GPO, 1981). https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/hearings/97inman.pdf +[^3]: Tim Harford, "Geeks v government: The battle over public key cryptography," BBC News, April 24, 2017. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39341663 +[^4]: U.S. Senate, Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, S. Rept. 103-1, Executive Summary, January 13, 1993. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html +[^5]: "Proposed Grill Flame Protocol: Proposed SRI International Applied Remote Viewing Protocol," SRI 9-4107, March 23, 1979, CIA-RDP96-00788R001300070001-1, biography of Harold E. Puthoff, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001300070001-1. +[^6]: Harold E. Puthoff and Russell Targ, "Perceptual Augmentation Techniques, Part Two: Research Report," final report covering January 1974 through February 1975, SRI International, December 1, 1975, section on "West Virginia Site (S3)," "West Virginia Site (S1)" and "Urals Site," CIA-RDP96-00788R001300030001-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001300030001-5; and SRI Proposal for Research ISH 73-146, "Perceptual Augmentation Techniques, Part One," October 1, 1973, CIA-RDP96-00787R000700100001-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00787r000700100001-5, which names Price in the same passage. +[^7]: John L. Wilhelm, "The CIA, the Pentagon and the Russians: The Military Potential of Parapsychology," *The Washington Post* (c. 1977), as reproduced in CIA-RDP96-00788R001700360003-3, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001700360003-3. Wilhelm is the sole source for the NSA monitor, the "satellite interrogation station," the exclamation and the security investigation. +[^8]: "Army's Role in a Sensitive, Close-Hold DoD Project," Army briefing script on psychoenergetics (undated), CIA-RDP96-00787R000200020023-5, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00787r000200020023-5. +[^9]: Staff paper on termination of the Army Grill Flame program, 1982, and "Center Lane Historical Overview," CIA-RDP96-00788R001500180001-7, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001500180001-7 and CIA-RDP96-00788R000400060001-2. +[^10]: Memorandum, "Detachment G Reorganization," 902d Military Intelligence Group Security Support Detachment, September 22, 1982, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700350013-3, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001700350013-3. +[^11]: Memorandum for the record, "NSA Involvement in GRILL FLAME," Lt. Col. Robert J. Jachim, August 1982, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700230009-1, https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00788r001700230009-1. +[^12]: INSCOM commanding general's memorandum and talking paper, May 4, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001500180001-7. +[^13]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc. (1993), pp. 73 to 80, released by the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy on September 30, 2013 (AG/13-00675 (F)), https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf. +[^14]: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, *The INSLAW Affair*, H. Rept. 102-857, September 10, 1992, pp. 67 to 68, https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport. Aviv is the sole source for these statements, which the report records as his account to committee investigators. +[^15]: Affidavit of Eugene F. Yeates, Chief, Office of Policy, National Security Agency, *Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v. National Security Agency*, Civil Action No. 80-1562 (D.D.C. 1980), https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/assets/files/affadavit_yeates.pdf (archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2020/https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/assets/files/affadavit_yeates.pdf). +[^16]: Seymour M. Hersh, *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy* (Random House, 1991). Hersh attributes the account of the KH-11 scheduling to an unnamed former NSA official. +[^17]: National Security Agency, letter from Louis F. Giles, Director of Policy, to A. Jay Cristol, FOIA Case 40039A, July 2, 2003. https://irp.fas.org/nsa/liberty.html +[^18]: Guy Dinmore, *Financial Times*, January 13, 2004, reprinted by the History News Network. https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/3027 +[^19]: National Security Agency, "U.S.S. Liberty," release page (Wayback Machine 2007 capture). http://web.archive.org/web/2007/http://www.nsa.gov/liberty +[^20]: David C. Walsh, "Former NSA Officials Agree," *U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings*, June 2003. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2003/june/former-nsa-officials-agree +[^21]: "New revelations in attack on American spy ship," *Chicago Tribune*, October 2, 2007. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/10/02/new-revelations-in-attack-on-american-spy-ship/ diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Bayshore Bank of Florida.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Bayshore Bank of Florida.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..71a89cb3 --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Bayshore Bank of Florida.md @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ +--- +title: Bayshore Bank of Florida +aliases: + - Bayshore Bank of Florida + - Bayshore Bank + - Bayshore Bank of Florida, Miami +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +category: "Private Organization" +tags: + - Organization + - BayshoreBank + - FDIC + - BankFailure + - GeoMiliTech + - IranContra + - Miami +summary: "Miami bank closed by Florida's comptroller on August 7, 1987, with its deposits passed to Eagle National Bank of Miami; its president was named in reports of $2 million in transfers to GeoMiliTech." +location: "Miami, Florida" +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[Louis Petrillo]]" + reverse: true + role: "president" + end: 1987 + fn: 8 + - type: funded + with: "[[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]]" + start: 1986 + end: 1987 + role: "unsecured debts and letters of credit" + fn: 3 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Matthew Bradley]]" + reverse: true + end: 1987 + fn: 1 + - type: investigated + with: "[[Lawrence Walsh]]" + reverse: true + start: 1987 + fn: 3 +--- + +Bayshore Bank of Florida was a bank in [[Miami]] that the Florida State Comptroller, [[Gerald Lewis]], closed on August 7, 1987. Its president, [[Louis Petrillo]], had resigned by June 1987, according to the [[Miami Herald]].[^3] + +### Charter and officers + +The [[Florida Department of State]] has a profit-corporation filing for Bayshore Bank of Florida, document number F64039, filed January 21, 1982, with its principal address at 10800 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami. Annual reports are on file for 1985, 1986 and 1987, and the corporation was involuntarily dissolved on November 4, 1988. The record lists Louis F. Petrillo under title code PD, Anthony S. Caserta of 12000 North Bayshore Drive, Miami, under code C, Matthew H. Bradley of Miami Beach under code D, and Gary B. Cole of Pembroke Pines, Kenneth L. Harris of Miami Shores and Robert Tankersley of Miami under code V.[^1] + +The [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] institution record gives the bank's FDIC certificate number as 23670, insured from January 27, 1982, state-chartered with the [[Federal Reserve Board]] as its primary federal regulator, and ended on August 7, 1987. The FDIC's history file records the October 4, 1985 acquisition of three branches of Tower Bank: 8200 N.W. 103rd Street in Hialeah Gardens, 5241 N.W. 79th Avenue (West Dade Banking Center) and 8311 Bird Road (Southwest Banking Center).[^2] + +### Deposits from Tower Bank, October 1985 + +The FDIC announced on October 3, 1985 that Bayshore Bank of Florida would assume the deposit liabilities of [[Tower Bank]], N.A., of [[Hialeah Gardens, Florida]], which had been closed that day by [[Michael Patriarca]], deputy comptroller of the [[Office of the Comptroller of the Currency]]. Bayshore agreed to take about $14.7 million in 2,600 deposit accounts. These included $1.2 million in 12 accounts placed by deposit brokers and $1.9 million in 15 accounts established by investors using [[INNERLINE]], a rate information database for certificates of deposit. Bayshore agreed to pay the FDIC a purchase premium of $829,000 and to buy certain loans and other assets for $10.4 million, and the FDIC advanced $3.4 million to the assuming bank. The FDIC said the brokered funds in Tower Bank had originated through [[First Atlantic Investment Corporation]] of Miami. The three Tower offices reopened as Bayshore branches on October 4, 1985.[^4] + +### Leases with Bayshore Executive Plaza, 1986 to 1991 + +On or about August 31, 1986, [[Bayshore Executive Plaza Partnership]] entered two lease agreements of about seven years with Bayshore Bank. The Florida comptroller declared the bank insolvent on August 7, 1987 and named the FDIC as liquidator. The FDIC accepted the appointment and, within a month, terminated both leases. The partnership sued the FDIC for a year's rent. The district court granted summary judgment for the FDIC, and the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit|Eleventh Circuit]] affirmed on October 4, 1991, holding that federal law governed the FDIC's authority as liquidator to repudiate the leases and that the contract clause did not apply.[^5] The [[United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida|Middle District of Florida]] described the same dispute in 1991, saying the leases had been entered into approximately eleven months before the bank was declared insolvent in August 1987.[^6] + +### The GeoMiliTech transfers, 1986 and 1987 + +The Herald reported in June 1987 that Bayshore's president, Petrillo, had resigned, that the bank was being sold, and that he had paid out $2 million of bank funds on behalf of [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]] during 1986. The unsecured debts remained outstanding, and the sum was nearly all of the bank's net worth that year. The Herald said that Petrillo left just as federal authorities, including [[Lawrence Walsh]], began investigating the transactions. The bank's director [[Matthew Bradley]] said that the board had been told of the transfers about three weeks earlier.[^3] + +### Closure and receivership, August 1987 + +On August 7, 1987, Florida State Comptroller Gerald Lewis closed the bank, and the FDIC was named receiver. The FDIC's news release that day gave total assets of $40.4 million at closing. Deposits totaled about $35.9 million in 5,100 deposit accounts, including $1.5 million in 27 accounts above the $100,000 federal insurance limit. The FDIC's board arranged an insured deposit transfer "because of an inability to determine losses in contingent liabilities of the failed bank."[^7] + +The insured deposits, and fully secured or preferred deposits, went to [[Eagle National Bank of Miami]], which paid the FDIC a premium of $625,000 for the right to receive them. Eagle would immediately purchase the failed bank's assets for $10.8 million and had a 60-day option to purchase its other assets. The bank's offices reopened as Eagle branches on Monday, August 10, 1987. Insured depositors could continue banking with the acquirer for 18 months, and uninsured depositors and nondepositor creditors would share with the FDIC in the proceeds of liquidation.[^7] [[American Banker]] later reported that state regulators shut Bayshore shortly after Petrillo stepped down in 1987.[^8] + +### Eagle National Bank of Miami + +The Federal Reserve Board issued a cease and desist order against [[Eagle National Holding Company]] of [[Doral, Florida]], a registered bank holding company that owns and controls Eagle National Bank of Miami. The order recites commitments that the holding company, the bank and certain individuals had made in connection with a 1999 action of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta]] not to disapprove a change-in-control notice filed by [[GNB Holdings Trust]]. It says the deficiencies it addresses included those "particularly with regard to certain transactions with affiliated entities and individuals."[^9] The Federal Reserve terminated the order on March 24, 2009, and its termination notice lists the holding company as currently named JGB Financial Holding Company.[^10] + +### Shareholders and related lawsuits + +[[Gerald J. Tobin]], a Miami lawyer, told American Banker that he lost $100,000 when the bank failed. He said that if the claims made by Petrillo in court were true, the government should compensate the 235 holders of Bayshore stock.[^8] + +In June 1988 the FDIC, as liquidator, sued several parties on a note under which Bayshore Bank had financed a restaurant project. The defendants counterclaimed that the bank had released them from their obligations, had issued a letter of credit in connection with a sale and refinancing arrangement, and had breached financing commitments. The FDIC answered that the documents relied on were not in the bank's files and asserted immunity under [[D'Oench, Duhme & Co. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.]]. The defendants sought the bank's minutes, letter of credit files and release files for the period. On July 24, 1990 the [[Florida Third District Court of Appeal]] granted the FDIC's petition and quashed the discovery order, which the court said would allow a fishing expedition into loan records unrelated to the case. The caption names [[Caron J. Balkany]] as respondent.[^11] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, "Bayshore Bank of Florida," document number F64039, officer and director detail. https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults?inquiryType=EntityName&searchNameOrder=BAYSHOREBANKOFFLORIDA&searchTerm=Bayshore%20Bank%20of%20Florida +[^2]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, BankFind Suite API, institutions, history and failures endpoints, certificate 23670 (Bayshore Bank of Florida, Miami, failure date 8/7/1987) and certificate 24573 (Tower Bank, National Association, Hialeah Gardens, failure date 10/3/1985). https://api.fdic.gov/banks/institutions?filters=CERT%3A23670 +[^3]: "Newspaper says banker involved in loans for Contra arms," United Press International, dated June 10, 1987, reporting a *Miami Herald* story published on the preceding Thursday in its early editions. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/10/Newspaper-says-banker-involved-in-loans-for-Contra-arms/9700550296000/ +[^4]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, news release PR-150-85, "FDIC Announces Deposit Assumption of Tower Bank, N.A., Hialeah Gardens, Florida," October 3, 1985. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/press-releases-federal-deposit-insurance-corporation-7031/fdic-announces-deposit-assumption-tower-bank-na-hialeah-gardens-florida-642341 +[^5]: *Bayshore Executive Plaza Partnership v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.*, 943 F.2d 1290 (11th Cir. 1991), No. 90-5921, October 4, 1991, affirming 750 F. Supp. 507 (S.D. Fla. 1990). https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2861994068766344132 +[^6]: *First Nationwide Bank v. Florida Software Services, Inc.*, 770 F. Supp. 1537, 1541 (M.D. Fla. 1991). https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6352988180950394068 +[^7]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, news release PR-139-87, "FDIC Transfers Insured Deposits of Bayshore Bank of Florida, Miami, Florida," August 7, 1987. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/press-releases-federal-deposit-insurance-corporation-7031/fdic-transfers-insured-deposits-bayshore-bank-florida-miami-florida-641646 +[^8]: "Former Miami Banker Gets Prison Term for Diverting Funds to Contras," *American Banker*, March 31, 1995. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/former-miami-banker-gets-prison-term-for-diverting-funds-to-contras +[^9]: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, press release of March 31, 2005, "Cease and desist order against Eagle National Holding Company," and Order, Docket No. 04-031-B-HC (Doral, Florida). https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/enforcement/2005/20050331/default.htm +[^10]: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, "Termination of enforcement action against Eagle National Holding Company" (release dated March 26, 2009; order terminated March 24, 2009). https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/enforcement/20090326a.htm +[^11]: *Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., as Liquidator of Bayshore Bank of Florida v. Balkany*, 564 So. 2d 580 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990), No. 90-242, July 24, 1990. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4481783679100311459 diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Black Diamond Capital Management.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Black Diamond Capital Management.md index e1e1d88d..2602b344 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Black Diamond Capital Management.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Black Diamond Capital Management.md @@ -52,13 +52,21 @@ Schedule B lists [[SD Investments|SD Investments, LLC]], a domestic entity, as a The Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority's fiscal 2016 annual report lists Black Diamond Advisors, LLLP and Black Diamond Holding, LLLP among site visits for beneficiaries of the [[Economic Development Commission]] program.[^5] The fiscal 2023 report lists certificate orientations on February 7, 2023 for Black Diamond Advisors, LLC and Black Diamond Holdings, LLC, both recorded as modifications on St. Thomas.[^5] [[Suzanne Carlson]] reported in February 2026 that the two companies had received tax-incentive benefits from the commission since 2012.[^6] +### Aviation + +Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC is the registered owner of N114BD, a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X, with its address at 1 Sound Shore Drive, Suite 200, Greenwich, Connecticut.[^7] A business card for Stephen Deckoff as managing principal of Black Diamond Capital Management, L.L.C., found in the [[Epstein Files]] (Data Set 9), gives the office as One Sound Shore Drive, Suite 200, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830.[^8] The Westfair Business Journal reported on May 27, 2026 that Black Diamond Aviation Group is owned by Stephen Deckoff.[^9] + +On May 16, 2014, [[Richard Kahn]] wrote to [[Larry Visoski]] that "Danny" had said the firm was "trying to buy Jet Center," and Kahn described the firm as: "They appear to be an nyc hedge fund with an office in stt as an EDC company as well." Kahn asked who the principals were, what type of plane it was and what its tail number was.[^10] + +At the Economic Development Commission session of August 12, 2021, Black Diamond Advisors, LLLP and Black Diamond Holdings, LLLP applied for 10-year extensions of benefits. Mounir Nahas, chief executive officer, told the commission that the company employed more than 20 people, had a 4,000-square-foot office at Yacht Haven Grande and managed $9 billion in investment funds, with main revenue from management fees; he said the holding company had 10 employees and that the two companies shared office space.[^11] + ### PTC Alliance Acquisition, 2009 -In October 2009, [[PTC Alliance]] filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Funds managed by the firm, identified as the pre-petition term lenders, signed an asset purchase agreement to act as stalking horse bidder for substantially all of the company's assets under Section 363. Deckoff, as managing principal, described the proposed transaction as establishing "a new corporation with a stronger balance sheet and lower cost structure."[^7] +In October 2009, [[PTC Alliance]] filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Funds managed by the firm, identified as the pre-petition term lenders, signed an asset purchase agreement to act as stalking horse bidder for substantially all of the company's assets under Section 363. Deckoff, as managing principal, described the proposed transaction as establishing "a new corporation with a stronger balance sheet and lower cost structure."[^12] ### Schedule 13D filings -The firm (CIK 0001282197) and Stephen Deckoff filed Amendment No. 3 to a Schedule 13D for [[Consumer Portfolio Services]] (event date March 10, 2022) reporting 4,647,042 shares, 22.05 percent of the class, and an Amendment No. 1 for [[KVH Industries]] (event date February 3, 2023) reporting 3,298,597 shares, 17.20 percent. The KVH filing states that the company's board agreed in a cooperation agreement to nominate Deckoff as a Class III director. The EDGAR index also lists Schedule 13G filings by the firm for [[Hawaiian Telcom Holdco]], [[Viasystems Group]], Saratoga Investment Corp and Canterbury Park Holding Corp, and Form D notices for its funds.[^8] +The firm (CIK 0001282197) and Stephen Deckoff filed Amendment No. 3 to a Schedule 13D for [[Consumer Portfolio Services]] (event date March 10, 2022) reporting 4,647,042 shares, 22.05 percent of the class, and an Amendment No. 1 for [[KVH Industries]] (event date February 3, 2023) reporting 3,298,597 shares, 17.20 percent. The KVH filing states that the company's board agreed in a cooperation agreement to nominate Deckoff as a Class III director. The EDGAR index also lists Schedule 13G filings by the firm for [[Hawaiian Telcom Holdco]], [[Viasystems Group]], Saratoga Investment Corp and Canterbury Park Holding Corp, and Form D notices for its funds.[^13] ### Footnotes @@ -68,5 +76,10 @@ The firm (CIK 0001282197) and Stephen Deckoff filed Amendment No. 3 to a Schedul [^4]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Form ADV Part 1A, Schedule D Section 1.F (other offices), firm ID 154495, 2026 filing. https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/154495/PDF/154495.pdf [^5]: Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, *FY 2016 Annual Report,* Table 3, Site Visits, p. 30, https://usvieda.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2016_EDA_Annual_Report_FINAL.pdf ; *FY 2023 Annual Report,* Certificate Orientations, pp. 24 to 25, https://usvieda.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023-Annual-Report_Revised-Apr-4-2025.pdf [^6]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html -[^7]: "PTC Alliance Files for Chapter 11 Protection." Association for Iron & Steel Technology, posted October 2, 2009. https://www.aist.org/ptc-alliance-files-for-chapter-11-protection -[^8]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR, Schedule 13D/A accessions 0001140361-22-009441 (Consumer Portfolio Services) and 0001140361-23-004863 (KVH Industries), and EDGAR full-text search for "Black Diamond Capital Management," October 8, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1007587/000114036123004863/brhc10047604_sc13da.htm +[^7]: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Inquiry, N-Number Inquiry Results for N114BD (registered owner BLACK DIAMOND AVIATION GROUP LLC, 1 SOUND SHORE DR STE 200, GREENWICH, CT; certificate issued 11/04/2023), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=114BD +[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01204007, DataSet 9, photograph of a Black Diamond Capital Management, L.L.C. business card for Stephen H. Deckoff, Managing Principal, One Sound Shore Drive, Suite 200, Greenwich, CT 06830 (office and fax numbers redacted in the release). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204007.pdf +[^9]: Bill Heltzel, "Cabinetry dispute grounds Falcon 7X business jet," *Westfair Business Journal,* May 27, 2026. https://westfaironline.com/courts/cabinetry-dispute-grounds-falcon-7x-business-jet/ +[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02383246, DataSet 11, email from Richard Kahn to Larry Visoski, May 16, 2014, 5:15 PM, within the chain headed "Jeffrey Epstein." https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02383246.pdf +[^11]: Susan Ellis, "EDC Grants Tax Benefits to Paragon Surgical Center and Amends V.I. Paving's Requirements," *St. Croix Source,* August 12, 2021. https://stcroixsource.com/2021/08/12/edc-grants-tax-benefits-to-paragon-surgical-center-and-amends-v-i-pavings-requirements/ +[^12]: "PTC Alliance Files for Chapter 11 Protection." Association for Iron & Steel Technology, posted October 2, 2009. https://www.aist.org/ptc-alliance-files-for-chapter-11-protection +[^13]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR, Schedule 13D/A accessions 0001140361-22-009441 (Consumer Portfolio Services) and 0001140361-23-004863 (KVH Industries), and EDGAR full-text search for "Black Diamond Capital Management," October 8, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1007587/000114036123004863/brhc10047604_sc13da.htm diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Fluor Corporation.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Fluor Corporation.md index d086ec90..8fc4aa98 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Fluor Corporation.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Fluor Corporation.md @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ --- +updated: 2026-10-08 category: "Private Organization" tags: - organization @@ -7,6 +8,14 @@ tags: summary: Fluor Corporation employed former CIA Deputy Director of Operations Bill Nelson and was connected to Ron Lister's security business that supplied weapons and night vision equipment. start: 1912 location: "Irvine, California" +relations: + - type: director_of + with: "[[Bobby Ray Inman]]" + reverse: true + role: "director" + start: 1985 + end: 2000-11-30 + fn: 3 --- Fluor Corporation, a major engineering and construction firm, employed former [[Central Intelligence Agency]] Deputy Director of Operations Bill Nelson as its vice president for security and administration. Nelson had been the CIA's head of covert operations worldwide from 1973 to 1976. A Fluor spokeswoman initially denied Nelson had been affiliated with the company until confronted with documentary evidence.[^1] @@ -14,7 +23,13 @@ Fluor Corporation, a major engineering and construction firm, employed former [[ [[Ronald Lister|Ron Lister]], the former [[Laguna Beach Police Department|Laguna Beach]] police officer who partnered with [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] in drug trafficking and weapons procurement, claimed to have high-level CIA contacts. [[Chris Moore]], who worked in Lister's office, recounted that "Ron said the guy was the former Deputy Director of Operations or something, real high up there. All I know is that this supposed contact of his was working at the Fluor Corporation." Lister's notes chronicled meetings at the Fairmont Hotel in [[San Jose|San Jose, California]] with a customer named "Ivan," who was uninterested in Lister's scrambler phones but asked him to procure "Varo night vision equipment." Lister told drug dealers he dealt with that his "friends in Washington" could make their legal problems disappear.[^2] +### Directors + +[[Bobby Ray Inman]], the former director of the [[NSA]] and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has been a director of the company since 1985.[^3] The proxy statement of February 2, 1994 lists him as chairman of the Nominating Committee and a member of the Organization and Compensation Committee, and as a director of Science Applications International Corporation, Southwestern Bell Corporation, Temple-Inland and Xerox.[^4] On November 30, 2000 the company completed a reverse spin-off in which the new Fluor Corporation was separated. The old company was renamed Massey Energy Company and retained its coal-related businesses.[^3] The 2002 proxy lists Inman as a director of the new Fluor Corporation, Science Applications International Corporation, SBC Communications and Temple-Inland.[^3] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 9. [^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 9. +[^3]: Massey Energy Company, definitive proxy statements, 2001 (EDGAR 0000931763-01-000307), 2002 (EDGAR 0000950168-02-000299), and 2003 (EDGAR 0000916641-03-001118). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/37748/000093176301000307/0000931763-01-000307-0001.txt ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000037748/000095016802000299/ddef14a.htm ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000037748/000091664103001118/ddef14a.htm +[^4]: Fluor Corporation (CIK 37748), definitive proxy statement filed February 2, 1994 (EDGAR 0000898430-94-000061). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/37748/0000898430-94-000061.txt diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp..md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp..md index b3f24747..be36606b 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp..md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp..md @@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ The Hartford Courant reported that Singlaub and Studley arranged a private shipm ### The Barcella opinion -The Courant reported that the shipment was cleared by a legal opinion from [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]], then an assistant United States attorney in Washington. Barcella said that someone in government came to him, that he contacted the State Department's Office of Munitions Control and the Justice Department's office of internal security, that "I orally passed that back to the person that had made the request of me," and, asked why the person came to him, that there was "a very logical reason that is none of your business." The United States attorney, [[Joseph diGenova]], said he never authorized any such opinion.[^1] In a deposition taken by the New Haven lawyer [[William M. Bloss]] in 1991, Studley said the shipment was "approved in writing by the justice department before we shipped it" and "Larry Barcella signed it"; her lawyer, [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]], said he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^1] Studley was not called to testify before the congressional committees.[^1] +The Courant reported that [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]], then an assistant United States attorney in Washington, had given a legal opinion clearing the way for the shipment. Barcella said that someone in government came to him, that he contacted the State Department's Office of Munitions Control and the Justice Department's office of internal security, that "I orally passed that back to the person that had made the request of me," and, asked why the person came to him, that there was "a very logical reason that is none of your business." The United States attorney, [[Joseph diGenova]], said he never authorized any such opinion.[^1] In a deposition taken by the New Haven lawyer [[William M. Bloss]] in 1991, Studley said the shipment was "approved in writing by the justice department before we shipped it" and "Larry Barcella signed it"; her lawyer, [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]], said he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^1] Studley was not called to testify before the congressional committees.[^1] ### Werner Glatt and the Graham deposition @@ -110,13 +110,15 @@ Graham Exhibit 2 contains a letter on GeoMiliTech letterhead, addressed "Dear Bi Committee counsel stated in the Graham deposition that Lieutenant General Robert Schweitzer was hired by GeoMiliTech in late August or early September 1986, was interviewed by Singlaub, met North with Singlaub on or about December 2, 1986 on company matters, and left in early 1987; Graham said he had no role in the hiring and that Studley had come to have little confidence in Schweitzer's advice. Counsel also asked Graham about efforts by [[Ray Cline]] in 1987 to obtain CIA contracts for the company, which Graham said he knew nothing of.[^2] [[Charles Allen]], who became National Intelligence Officer for Counterterrorism in October 1986, was asked whether he discussed with Schweitzer his employment with "Geomilitech Consultants Corporation" or Schweitzer's efforts to obtain covert procurement contracts for it; he answered no to both.[^17] -Graham Exhibit 3 holds Studley's papers on the Pia Vesta, a vessel loaded with arms and seized at the [[Panama Canal]] in 1986, including notes of conversations with Dan Cummings and David Duncan; the notes state that Duncan had been to the White House and met a person named Vince at the NSC, and that General [[Manuel Noriega]] had agreed to release the shipment.[^18] A letter to the House committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]] dated April 28, 1987, from the Washington firm of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]] on the "Barbara F. Studley/GMT" matter, refers to a telephone conference between Ballen and [[Paul L. Perito]] and encloses Studley's memorandum on North.[^19] The Courant reported that Barcella left the United States attorney's office in June 1986 and went into private practice in Washington initially at the same firm where Koszorus worked.[^1] The April 28, 1987 letter on the Finley Kumble letterhead closes with Koszorus's name above the enclosure notation.[^20] +Graham Exhibit 3 holds Studley's papers on the Pia Vesta, a vessel loaded with arms and seized at the [[Panama Canal]] in 1986, including notes of conversations with Dan Cummings and David Duncan; the notes state that Duncan had been to the White House and met a person named Vince at the NSC, and that General [[Manuel Noriega]] had agreed to release the shipment.[^18] A letter to the House committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]] dated April 28, 1987, from the Washington firm of [[Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey|Finley, Kumble]] on the "Barbara F. Studley/GMT" matter, refers to a telephone conference between Ballen and [[Paul L. Perito]] and encloses Studley's memorandum on North.[^19] The Courant reported that Barcella left the United States attorney's office in June 1986 and went into private practice in Washington initially at the same firm where Koszorus worked.[^1] The April 28, 1987 letter was signed by Frank Koszorus Jr., whose typed name appears beneath the signature, and carries the notations "Enclosure" and "cc: Charles M. Kerr, Esq."[^20] ### The Miami bank transfers, 1986 and 1987 The [[Miami Herald]] reported in June 1987 that Louis Petrillo, president of [[Bayshore Bank of Florida]], had resigned, that the bank was being sold, and that he had transferred a total of $2 million of bank funds on behalf of GeoMiliTech during 1986. The debts were unsecured, were supposed to be repaid within weeks, and remained outstanding; the newspaper said the sum was nearly all of the bank's net worth that year, that federal authorities including Iran-Contra independent counsel [[Lawrence Walsh]] had begun investigating, and that the company acknowledged helping arrange arms supplies for the rebels. Studley told the newspaper the case involved private banking matters and refused to discuss details; Petrillo said he had no knowledge of any arms deals and left because the bank was changing hands.[^21] -The [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]]'s news release of August 7, 1987 states that Bayshore Bank of Florida, with total assets of $40.4 million, was closed that day by Florida State Comptroller [[Gerald Lewis]], that the FDIC was named receiver, and that its insured deposits were transferred to [[Eagle National Bank of Miami]].[^22] Petrillo pleaded guilty in September 1994 to misapplication of funds and bank fraud and in March 1995 was sentenced to one year in prison, five years' probation and $2 million in restitution; American Banker reported that he had issued letters of credit of more than $2 million in 1986 and 1987 to GeoMiliTech without his bank's knowledge, that he asserted in court that he acted in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, and that the United States attorney's office in Miami said the claims were "discounted in court."[^6] [[Frank Bovenkerk]] and [[Michael Levi]] write that the $2 million covered two bad checks written by Studley and that she tried and failed to sell about 20 percent of the company's stock to raise it.[^23] +The [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]]'s news release of August 7, 1987 states that Bayshore Bank of Florida, with total assets of $40.4 million, was closed that day by Florida State Comptroller [[Gerald Lewis]], that the FDIC was named receiver, and that its insured deposits were transferred to [[Eagle National Bank of Miami]].[^22] Petrillo pleaded guilty in September 1994 to misapplication of funds and bank fraud and was sentenced to one year in prison, five years' probation and $2 million in restitution, as American Banker reported on March 31, 1995; American Banker reported that he had issued letters of credit of more than $2 million in 1986 and 1987 to GeoMiliTech without his bank's knowledge, that he asserted in court that he acted in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, and that [[Willie Fernandez]], a spokesman for the United States attorney's office in Miami, said of the claim: "All that stuff was discounted in court."[^6] [[Frank Bovenkerk]] and [[Michael Levi]] write that the $2 million covered two bad checks written by Studley and that she tried and failed to sell about 20 percent of the company's stock to raise it.[^23] + +A bank director, [[Matthew Bradley]], said that the board had been told by bank executives about three weeks earlier that Petrillo had made questionable transfers on GeoMiliTech's behalf, and that payments that "exceeded his limits" had gone unpaid.[^21] The Herald reported that federal law limits an unsecured loan to one borrower to 15 percent of a bank's net worth.[^21] American Banker reported that Petrillo diverted $53,000 for his personal use while at [[Florida National Bank]] and at Bayshore.[^6] [[Gerald J. Tobin]], a Miami lawyer who said he lost $100,000 when the bank failed, told American Banker that if Petrillo's CIA claims were true, the government should compensate the 235 holders of Bayshore stock.[^6] The banker Louis F. Petrillo is a different man from Dr. Louis Petrillo, a New York psychologist named in the Justice Department's 1993 report on the death of [[Danny Casolaro]]. ### Durrani-case depositions, 1991 @@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ In its September 9, 1991 objection to Arif Durrani's second request for document [^17]: Deposition of Charles E. Allen, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 1 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0228), examination on Robert L. Schweitzer and "Geomilitech Consultants Corporation." [^18]: Graham Exhibit 3 (Studley papers on the Pia Vesta, with notes of conversations with [[Dan Cummings]] and [[David Duncan]]), in the Graham deposition, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). [^19]: Letter from the firm of Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, Washington, to Kenneth Ballen, Assistant Counsel, House Select Committee, April 28, 1987, "Re: Barbara F. Studley/GMT," in the Graham deposition exhibits, Appendix B, vol. 12 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234). -[^20]: Letter of April 28, 1987 on the Finley Kumble letterhead; signature block as indexed in the 1988 published volume of the report, p. 1040. +[^20]: Letter of April 28, 1987 on the Finley Kumble letterhead, Appendix B, vol. 12, printed p. 1040 (Internet Archive item micro_IA41152840_0234, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234); typed name "Frank Koszorus, Jr." beneath the handwritten signature. [^21]: "Newspaper says banker involved in loans for Contra arms," United Press International, June 10, 1987, reporting the Miami Herald. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/10/Newspaper-says-banker-involved-in-loans-for-Contra-arms/9700550296000/ [^22]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, news release PR-139-87, August 7, 1987. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/press-releases-federal-deposit-insurance-corporation-7031/fdic-transfers-insured-deposits-bayshore-bank-florida-miami-florida-641646 [^23]: Frank Bovenkerk and Michael Levi, eds., *The Organized Crime Community* (Springer, 2007), p. 22. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Industrias Cardoen.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Industrias Cardoen.md index 66776762..752ee698 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Industrias Cardoen.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Industrias Cardoen.md @@ -34,13 +34,13 @@ relations: - type: owned with: "[[Swissco Management Group]]" role: "described by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries" - fn: 11 + fn: 12 - type: contractor_to with: "[[Iraq]]" start: 1984 end: 1988 role: "cluster bombs sold to Iraq, as found by the Eleventh Circuit" - fn: 15 + fn: 19 --- [[Industrias Cardoen]] is a Chilean manufacturer of munitions, mines, and armored vehicles owned by [[Carlos Cardoen]]. Its sales sheet dates its military manufacture to 1978, and the company was named in a twenty-one count indictment returned in [[Miami]] on May 26, 1993, over zirconium and fuze components exported to [[Chile]] for cluster bombs sold to [[Iraq]].[^1][^2] @@ -52,79 +52,87 @@ The product list includes demolition charges, Bangalore torpedo charges, hand gr ### Miami arrest, 1983 -[[Kenneth R. Timmerman]] wrote that on August 2, 1983, [[U.S. Customs]] officers arrested Cardoen in Miami over night-vision goggles bound for Chile, and that the case ended in a plea bargain with a fine of 100,000 dollars on his company.[^3] Timmerman quoted Thomas L. Flannery, who investigated [[James Guerin]] for the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, as saying that by the time fuzes for cluster bombs made by [[International Signal and Control]] were shipped to Iraq in 1984, Guerin and Cardoen were old friends who had made a sweeping agreement "to split the world cluster bomb market in two," with Cardoen taking Latin America and "special" countries such as Iraq and Guerin the rest of the Gulf, Pakistan and South Africa.[^4] A sworn declaration by [[Howard Teicher]], a former [[National Security Council]] staff member, dates the arrest to 1983 in Miami in a sting operation concerning the smuggling of night-vision goggles to Cuba and Libya, and states that the highest levels of the U.S. government, including the NSC staff and the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], were well aware of it.[^5] +[[Kenneth R. Timmerman]] wrote that on August 2, 1983, [[U.S. Customs]] officers arrested Cardoen in Miami over night-vision goggles bound for Chile, and that the case ended in a plea bargain with a fine of 100,000 dollars on his company.[^3] Timmerman quoted Thomas L. Flannery, who investigated [[James Guerin]] for the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, as saying that by the time fuzes for cluster bombs made by [[International Signal and Control]] were shipped to Iraq in 1984, Guerin and Cardoen were old friends who had made a sweeping agreement "to split the world cluster bomb market in two," with Cardoen taking Latin America and "special" countries such as Iraq and Guerin the rest of the Gulf, Pakistan and South Africa.[^4] A declaration signed by [[Howard Teicher]], a former [[National Security Council]] staff member, on January 31, 1995 dated the arrest to 1983 in Miami in a sting operation concerning the smuggling of night-vision goggles to Cuba and Libya and stated that the highest levels of the U.S. government, including the NSC staff and the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], were well aware of it.[^5] In a corrective declaration of October 3, 1996 Teicher wrote that, although he understood Cardoen had been arrested, "the other information in this paragraph is incorrect."[^6] ### Iraqi sales and the Israeli approach -According to [[Ari Ben-Menashe]], whose book is the sole source for the passages so cited, Cardoen obtained a brokering license from [[ARMSCOR]], the South African state arms maker, after an application to [[SIBAT]], the [[Israel|Israeli]] foreign defense sales office, was refused in 1979. By 1985 Cardoen was selling arms to Iraq with the help of Armscor and of individuals connected to the CIA, among them [[Alan Sanders]] of [[ITICO]], who supplied cluster-bomb blueprints.[^6] +According to [[Ari Ben-Menashe]], whose book is the sole source for the passages so cited, Cardoen obtained a brokering license from [[ARMSCOR]], the South African state arms maker, after an application to [[SIBAT]], the [[Israel|Israeli]] foreign defense sales office, was refused in 1979. By 1985 Cardoen was selling arms to Iraq with the help of Armscor and of individuals connected to the CIA, among them [[Alan Sanders]] of [[ITICO]], who supplied cluster-bomb blueprints.[^7] -Ben-Menashe also wrote that in 1985 he approached Sanders to buy cluster bombs for Israel and was told that Cardoen would sell to anyone who paid. He wrote that in September 1988 he was sent to Chile to offer Cardoen a license to produce [[Uzi]]s and [[Galil assault rifles]] in exchange for ending the Iraq trade, and that Cardoen introduced him to [[Mark Thatcher]] during the visit.[^6] +Ben-Menashe also wrote that in 1985 he approached Sanders to buy cluster bombs for Israel and was told that Cardoen would sell to anyone who paid. He wrote that in September 1988 he was sent to Chile to offer Cardoen a license to produce [[Uzi]]s and [[Galil assault rifles]] in exchange for ending the Iraq trade, and that Cardoen introduced him to [[Mark Thatcher]] during the visit.[^7] -[[Alan Friedman]] described the same network in *Spider's Web*. In Friedman's account, Cardoen's [[Iquique]] plant turned out about a thousand cluster bombs a month, the first Iraq shipment worth 21 million dollars reached Iraq early in 1984, and Iraq took about three quarters of the company's arms exports of 100 million dollars a year. A former Cardoen agent for Iraq, [[Nasser Beydoun]], later sued for 30 million dollars in commissions. Friedman quotes a Cardoen statement: "I'll have to build [[Jimmy Carter]] a statue," and a Cardoen associate, Robert Johnson, who said that he saw [[Robert Gates]] arrive at Cardoen's house near Miami in the summer of 1986. The White House said in July 1991: "The whole story is unfounded. There never were any sales, overt or covert, to Iraq or Iran through a third country. Mr. Gates never met with Carlos Cardoen."[^7] +[[Alan Friedman]] described the same network in *Spider's Web*. In Friedman's account, Cardoen's [[Iquique]] plant turned out about a thousand cluster bombs a month, the first Iraq shipment worth 21 million dollars reached Iraq early in 1984, and Iraq took about three quarters of the company's arms exports of 100 million dollars a year. A former Cardoen agent for Iraq, [[Nasser Beydoun]], later sued for 30 million dollars in commissions. Friedman quotes a Cardoen statement: "I'll have to build [[Jimmy Carter]] a statue," and a Cardoen associate, Robert Johnson, who said that he saw [[Robert Gates]] arrive at Cardoen's house near Miami in the summer of 1986. The White House said in July 1991: "The whole story is unfounded. There never were any sales, overt or covert, to Iraq or Iran through a third country. Mr. Gates never met with Carlos Cardoen."[^8] Timmerman wrote that Beydoun offered [[Saddam Hussein]] the Chilean cluster bomb in March 1984 at about 7,100 dollars apiece, that Cardoen made eighteen deliveries to Iraq during the summer of 1984, and that the cluster bomb sales earned Cardoen a total of 467 million dollars.[^3] ### Matrix Churchill and the Congressional record, 1993 -In January 1993 Representative [[Henry B. Gonzalez]] had reprinted in the Congressional Record a press report on the British trial of three [[Matrix Churchill]] executives, which says the jury had heard testimony about a 1988 Matrix Churchill sale to Industries Cardoen, "a Chilean arms manufacturer believed to have acted as a conduit for Iraq's military buildup," and that an official in the department that issued export credit guarantees said the agency agreed to assist the Cardoen deal despite suspicions that the equipment might eventually be put to military use.[^8] In an earlier reprinted report, David Byars, a senior principal with the Export Credits Guarantee Department, agreed that the department had known that Industries Cardoen, "the Chilean intermediary in an earlier transaction, was an arms manufacturer."[^9] +In January 1993 Representative [[Henry B. Gonzalez]] had reprinted in the Congressional Record a press report on the British trial of three [[Matrix Churchill]] executives, which says the jury had heard testimony about a 1988 Matrix Churchill sale to Industries Cardoen, "a Chilean arms manufacturer believed to have acted as a conduit for Iraq's military buildup," and that an official in the department that issued export credit guarantees said the agency agreed to assist the Cardoen deal despite suspicions that the equipment might eventually be put to military use.[^9] In an earlier reprinted report, David Byars, a senior principal with the Export Credits Guarantee Department, agreed that the department had known that Industries Cardoen, "the Chilean intermediary in an earlier transaction, was an arms manufacturer."[^10] -In the same statement Gonzalez said that Rexon Corp., a New Jersey firm, was under criminal investigation for shipments of artillery fuse parts to Iraq, that the investigation involved Cardoen's activities in Iraq, and that Rexon refused to talk to the committee.[^10] +In the same statement Gonzalez said that Rexon Corp., a New Jersey firm, was under criminal investigation for shipments of artillery fuse parts to Iraq, that the investigation involved Cardoen's activities in Iraq, and that Rexon refused to talk to the committee.[^11] ### Swissco Management Group and James D. Theberge -The [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]], in its October 24, 1991 report on the nomination of Robert Gates as director of central intelligence, recorded that during its inquiry into alleged relationships between the nominee and Cardoen it received information about a relationship between Cardoen Industries and a former part-time senior CIA employee, which "may have constituted a conflict of interest and security concerns at worst, or an awkward appearance at best." The report states that the CIA employed [[James D. Theberge]] as a member of its Senior Review Panel from January 1986 to January 1988, that during much of that period he was a consultant to [[Swissco Management Group]], "a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries of Chile," and that he had been U.S. ambassador to [[Nicaragua]] in the 1970s and ambassador to Chile from 1982 to 1985.[^11] +The [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]], in its October 24, 1991 report on the nomination of Robert Gates as director of central intelligence, recorded that during its inquiry into alleged relationships between the nominee and Cardoen it received information about a relationship between Cardoen Industries and a former part-time senior CIA employee, which "may have constituted a conflict of interest and security concerns at worst, or an awkward appearance at best." The report states that the CIA employed [[James D. Theberge]] as a member of its Senior Review Panel from January 1986 to January 1988, that during much of that period he was a consultant to [[Swissco Management Group]], "a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries of Chile," and that he had been U.S. ambassador to [[Nicaragua]] in the 1970s and ambassador to Chile from 1982 to 1985.[^12] -The report continues: "Between 1984 and 1988, Cardoen Industries was of significant intelligence interest to CIA, which believed Cardoen was the primary supplier of cluster bombs to the Iraqi government, and an important supplier of other categories of ordnance to Iraq and other Middle Eastern states." It names [[William J. Casey]], Deputy Director [[John McMahon]] and Executive Director [[James Taylor]] as the officials involved in Theberge's recruitment, states that there was no evidence that Gates took part in it, and records that Theberge disclosed the Swissco consulting and its Cardoen parentage in the personal history statement he submitted to the CIA in December 1985. It also states that Theberge served until his death in January 1988 and that the committee found no evidence the CIA identified or acted upon the potential conflict.[^11] +The report continues: "Between 1984 and 1988, Cardoen Industries was of significant intelligence interest to CIA, which believed Cardoen was the primary supplier of cluster bombs to the Iraqi government, and an important supplier of other categories of ordnance to Iraq and other Middle Eastern states." It names [[William J. Casey]], Deputy Director [[John McMahon]] and Executive Director [[James Taylor]] as the officials involved in Theberge's recruitment, states that there was no evidence that Gates took part in it, and records that Theberge disclosed the Swissco consulting and its Cardoen parentage in the personal history statement he submitted to the CIA in December 1985. It also states that Theberge served until his death in January 1988 and that the committee found no evidence the CIA identified or acted upon the potential conflict.[^12] -The report also states that "The Committee found no evidence that Mr. Theberge wittingly or unwittingly provided intelligence information to Carlos Cardoen or any other unauthorized person," and that the committee was "continuing to develop information about this matter."[^11] A Florida Division of Corporations record for document number H19133 shows a corporation filed August 31, 1984 as Swissco Investing, Inc., renamed Swissco Management Group, Inc. by amendment of October 3, 1984, and renamed Westfield Holdings, Inc. by amendment of October 5, 1990, administratively dissolved on October 11, 1991. Its Miami Lakes address dates from July 1, 1985, its officers are Augusto Giangrandi (president) and Jorge Ondarza (vice-secretary), and Giangrandi is also an officer, with Anthony Mijares Jr., of Swissco Leasing, Inc. and Swissco Yachting, Inc. at the same address. The registry records found do not name Cardoen, and do not establish whether this corporation is the Swissco of the Senate report and the indictment.[^12] +The report also states that "The Committee found no evidence that Mr. Theberge wittingly or unwittingly provided intelligence information to Carlos Cardoen or any other unauthorized person," and that the committee was "continuing to develop information about this matter."[^12] A Florida Division of Corporations record for document number H19133 shows a corporation filed August 31, 1984 as Swissco Investing, Inc., renamed Swissco Management Group, Inc. by amendment of October 3, 1984, and renamed Westfield Holdings, Inc. by amendment of October 5, 1990, administratively dissolved on October 11, 1991. Its Miami Lakes address dates from July 1, 1985, its officers are Augusto Giangrandi (president) and Jorge Ondarza (vice-secretary), and Giangrandi is also an officer, with Anthony Mijares Jr., of Swissco Leasing, Inc. and Swissco Yachting, Inc. at the same address. The Commerce Department order of September 11, 1995 names the convicted defendant Swissco Management Group, Inc. at 15485 Eagle Nest Lane, #210, Miami Lakes, the address the registry gives for the corporation from July 1, 1985. The registry records the same corporation as renamed Westfield Holdings, Inc. in October 1990.[^13] The Senate report describes the company as a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries.[^14] -In the same section the report records that [[Richard Babayan|Richard H. Babayan]] had alleged that Gates sought to transfer cluster bomb technology to Cardoen, that Cardoen denied meeting the nominee in a letter of July 16, 1991 to the U.S. ambassador in Chile, and that the committee had been presented with no credible evidence to support the allegations after the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and the CIA inspector general reviewed them. Swissco Management Group, Inc. was one of the eight defendants named in the 1993 indictment.[^2][^11] +In the same section the report records that [[Richard Babayan|Richard H. Babayan]] had alleged that Gates sought to transfer cluster bomb technology to Cardoen, that Cardoen denied meeting the nominee in a letter of July 16, 1991 to the U.S. ambassador in Chile, and that the committee had been presented with no credible evidence to support the allegations after the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and the CIA inspector general reviewed them. Swissco Management Group, Inc. was one of the eight defendants named in the 1993 indictment.[^2][^12] Timmerman quotes a CIA statement of July 16, 1991 that "the CIA has never had a relationship of any type with Carlos Cardoen."[^3] ### Helicopter project and Moyle -Friedman also wrote that the British journalist [[Jonathan Moyle]], who was inquiring into Cardoen's helicopter project, was found dead in a Santiago hotel on March 31, 1990.[^7] +Friedman also wrote that the British journalist [[Jonathan Moyle]], who was inquiring into Cardoen's helicopter project, was found dead in a Santiago hotel on March 31, 1990.[^8] ### PROMIS software and the Ben-Menashe affidavit -The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] to the Attorney General (March 1993) records that [[INSLAW]] submitted two affidavits by Ben-Menashe to the bankruptcy court, the first dated February 17, 1991, and that in the first Ben-Menashe claimed that in 1989, in Chile, he was told by Carlos Cardoen that Cardoen had brokered a sale of [[PROMIS]] by [[Earl Brian]] to a representative of Iraqi military intelligence. The report spells the name "Carduen" and states that Ben-Menashe made "a number of extraordinary claims, most of which are not subject to corroboration."[^13] +The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] to the Attorney General (March 1993) records that [[INSLAW]] submitted two affidavits by Ben-Menashe to the bankruptcy court, the first dated February 17, 1991, and that in the first Ben-Menashe claimed that in 1989, in Chile, he was told by Carlos Cardoen that Cardoen had brokered a sale of [[PROMIS]] by [[Earl Brian]] to a representative of Iraqi military intelligence. The report spells the name "Carduen" and states that Ben-Menashe made "a number of extraordinary claims, most of which are not subject to corroboration."[^15] -Among the newspaper clippings in the INSLAW folder of the Casolaro papers is a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* report of February 19, 1991 on documents filed the day before in the bankruptcy litigation. It states that Ben-Menashe's affidavit said that in January 1989, while serving as a special consultant for intelligence affairs in the Israeli prime minister's office, he was told by Cardoen that Cardoen had brokered a deal between Brian and an Iraqi military intelligence representative for the use of PROMIS. The article reports that the sale was consummated in [[Santiago]], where Industrias Cardoen S.A. had its headquarters, and that "Until recently, Iraq was that company's biggest customer." In a separate item of the same report, Ben-Menashe is described as saying that one of his last assignments in 1989 was to try to stop Cardoen's company from selling chemical arms to Iraq, and that he failed.[^14] +Among the newspaper clippings in the INSLAW folder of the Casolaro papers is a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* report of February 19, 1991 on documents filed the day before in the bankruptcy litigation. It states that Ben-Menashe's affidavit said that in January 1989, while serving as a special consultant for intelligence affairs in the Israeli prime minister's office, he was told by Cardoen that Cardoen had brokered a deal between Brian and an Iraqi military intelligence representative for the use of PROMIS. The article reports that the sale was consummated in [[Santiago]], where Industrias Cardoen S.A. had its headquarters, and that "Until recently, Iraq was that company's biggest customer." In a separate item of the same report, Ben-Menashe is described as saying that one of his last assignments in 1989 was to try to stop Cardoen's company from selling chemical arms to Iraq, and that he failed.[^16] -The article reports Brian's answer. Brian called the allegations "nonsense," said he had never been to Santiago or [[Tel Aviv]], did not know of Cardoen or Ben-Menashe, and had never heard of INSLAW or PROMIS before press accounts. The same article describes Brian's position that he had acquired the property rights to the software and sold it to Israel in 1987.[^14] +The article reports Brian's answer. Brian called the allegations "nonsense," said he had never been to Santiago or [[Tel Aviv]], did not know of Cardoen or Ben-Menashe, and had never heard of INSLAW or PROMIS before press accounts. The same article describes Brian's position that he had acquired the property rights to the software and sold it to Israel in 1987.[^16] ### The Miami indictment On May 26, 1993, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a twenty-one count indictment. The court's order describes the charges as arising "from the exportation of zirconium and fuze components to Chile, which were allegedly destined for the manufacture of cluster bombs later sold to Iraq." The eight defendants were Carlos Cardoen, [[Franco Saffa]], [[Jorge Burr]], Industrias Cardoen Limitada (also called INCAR), Swissco Management Group, [[Edward A. Johnson]], [[Ronald W. Griffin]], and [[Teledyne Wah Chang Albany]] (Teledyne Industries, Inc.).[^2] -The court record places the indictment on May 26, 1993. A Ben-Menashe account places the charges in April 1992, filed by the United States Customs Service.[^2][^6] The court's order also records that the five defendants who had not appeared (Cardoen, Saffa, Burr, INCAR and Swissco) were not before the court, and that the court noted Cardoen's "present fugitive status."[^2] +The court record places the indictment on May 26, 1993. A Ben-Menashe account places the charges in April 1992, filed by the United States Customs Service.[^2][^7] The court's order also records that the five defendants who had not appeared (Cardoen, Saffa, Burr, INCAR and Swissco) were not before the court, and that the court noted Cardoen's "present fugitive status."[^2] + +The Commerce order states that on August 7, 1995 Swissco Management Group, Inc. was convicted in the same case on one count of exporting zirconium from the United States to Chile in violation of the terms of a U.S. Department of Commerce export license, among other crimes. The State Department's debarment notice of June 12, 1996 lists the conviction under 18 U.S.C. section 371 (conspiracy to violate 22 U.S.C. section 2778) in criminal docket 93-241-CR-Highsmith.[^13][^17] [[Justin Hibbard]] wrote in 2003 that Edward A. Johnson, sentenced on August 7, 1995, was "the only person convicted in the case."[^18] + +Hibbard wrote that customs agents seized Swissco's helicopter at the Dallas airport on March 27, 1991 while investigating a shipment to Industrias Cardoen; that Swissco and Teledyne had shipped more than 130 tons of zirconium to the company in five years under license applications that said the material was for "mining operations"; and that on April 6, 1992 the Commerce Department and the Customs Service announced in Miami a civil suit against Swissco, through which the government sought to seize 30 million dollars in real estate bought with Iraqi payments.[^18] On March 22, 1994, the court dismissed Counts II through VI against Teledyne on statute-of-limitations grounds. On April 25, 1994, it severed the ten zirconium counts from the eleven fuze-component counts. The zirconium counts were set for trial in February 1995, with Count I charging conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. section 371 against Cardoen, INCAR, Swissco, Johnson and Teledyne.[^2] ### Zirconium and Teledyne Wah Chang Albany -The [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] described the export chain in its 1998 opinion in the case of Edward A. Johnson. Between 1983 and 1988 the Albany unit of Teledyne Wah Chang exported over 3.5 million dollars worth of zirconium to Chile. The court wrote: "The zirconium was sold to Carlos Cardoen, an international arms merchant based in that country. The zirconium was used as an incendiary agent in cluster bombs that Cardoen was selling to Iraq for use in the [[Iran-Iraq War|Iran-Iraq war]]." The opinion adds that Cardoen supplied the exporter with false end-use statements describing the zirconium as a booster material in industrial explosives for the mining industry.[^15] +The [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] described the export chain in its 1998 opinion in the case of Edward A. Johnson. Between 1983 and 1988 the Albany unit of Teledyne Wah Chang exported over 3.5 million dollars worth of zirconium to Chile. The court wrote: "The zirconium was sold to Carlos Cardoen, an international arms merchant based in that country. The zirconium was used as an incendiary agent in cluster bombs that Cardoen was selling to Iraq for use in the [[Iran-Iraq War|Iran-Iraq war]]." The opinion adds that Cardoen supplied the exporter with false end-use statements describing the zirconium as a booster material in industrial explosives for the mining industry.[^19] -Johnson, a Teledyne sales manager, was convicted by a jury on four counts: criminal conspiracy, false statements, and two counts of exporting zirconium compacts under the Arms Export Control Act. The appeals court wrote that Johnson had visited Cardoen's cluster-bomb factory in Chile in 1987 and witnessed burn testing of zirconium compacts supplied for the MK 83 and MK 84 bombs. The court affirmed the verdict.[^15] +Johnson, a Teledyne sales manager, was convicted by a jury on four counts: criminal conspiracy, false statements, and two counts of exporting zirconium compacts under the Arms Export Control Act. The appeals court wrote that Johnson had visited Cardoen's cluster-bomb factory in Chile in 1987 and witnessed burn testing of zirconium compacts supplied for the MK 83 and MK 84 bombs. The court affirmed the verdict.[^19] -On January 26, 1995, according to a [[State Department]] notice published in the Federal Register, Teledyne Industries "entered a guilty plea to conspiring to violate and violating the AECA" in the Southern District of Florida, and on January 27, 1995 it entered a second guilty plea in the District of Columbia on a separate indictment concerning zirconium compacts exported to [[Greece]] for reexport to [[Jordan]]. The notice describes the Florida indictment as charging an illegal export of "United States origin ordnance-grade zirconium to Chile, for use in cluster bombs and other munitions for Iraq."[^16] +On January 26, 1995, according to a [[State Department]] notice published in the Federal Register, Teledyne Industries "entered a guilty plea to conspiring to violate and violating the AECA" in the Southern District of Florida, and on January 27, 1995 it entered a second guilty plea in the District of Columbia on a separate indictment concerning zirconium compacts exported to [[Greece]] for reexport to [[Jordan]]. The notice describes the Florida indictment as charging an illegal export of "United States origin ordnance-grade zirconium to Chile, for use in cluster bombs and other munitions for Iraq."[^20] + +On September 22, 1994 the Bureau of Export Administration published an order against [[Augusto Giangrandi]] (Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, also known as Augusto Giangrandi), of Santiago, Chile. The order recites allegations that between February 14, 1983 and June 11, 1988 he conspired with Carlos Cardoen and others to export zirconium from the United States to Chile contrary to the terms of export licenses. Under a consent agreement the order denied him export privileges for ten years, the last five suspended.[^21] ### The CIA question in the trial record Defendants Johnson and Griffin asserted four defenses before trial, among them CIA actual authority and the claim that Cardoen was an alleged agent of the United States government. The court held a hearing under the Classified Information Procedures Act in November 1994 (an order issued December 28, 1994 and reissued in unclassified form in 1995). Its order records that a witness identified as "Linda C." of the CIA Directorate of Operations, who had reviewed the agency file on Cardoen covering 1984 to 1993, testified that Cardoen "was not an agent or source of intelligence for the United States government; on the contrary, Cardoen was a target; that is, an individual of intelligence interest to the government."[^2] -The court also admitted into evidence the defendants' proffer of a portion of the Senate Executive Report on the Gates nomination, which the court quotes. The court wrote that the report "corroborates Witness Linda C.'s assessment" that Cardoen was a target of intelligence interest, and adopted her conclusion for purposes of the hearing, limited to whether the defendants had met their burden of showing the agent theory as a predicate for introducing classified information.[^2][^11] +The court also admitted into evidence the defendants' proffer of a portion of the Senate Executive Report on the Gates nomination, which the court quotes. The court wrote that the report "corroborates Witness Linda C.'s assessment" that Cardoen was a target of intelligence interest, and adopted her conclusion for purposes of the hearing, limited to whether the defendants had met their burden of showing the agent theory as a predicate for introducing classified information.[^2][^12] -The district court found no evidence supporting the theory that the CIA had secretly arranged to supply Cardoen with zirconium. The appeals court, after its own review of the classified materials, agreed that the government had not withheld evidence supporting that theory.[^15] +The district court found no evidence supporting the theory that the CIA had secretly arranged to supply Cardoen with zirconium. The appeals court, after its own review of the classified materials, agreed that the government had not withheld evidence supporting that theory.[^19] -On January 31, 1995, Howard Teicher signed a declaration under penalty of perjury in case No. 93-241-CR, captioned for Judge Highsmith. It states that he was on the NSC staff from 1982 to 1987, that "the CIA authorized, approved and assisted Cardoen in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs," and that CIA Director Casey directed the secretaries of State and Commerce on the necessary licenses. The declaration opens by stating that nothing in it is classified. [[Robert Parry]] reported that Teicher named Casey and his deputy Gates as having "authorized, approved and assisted" the delivery of cluster bombs to Iraq, that the defense attorney [[Gerald Houlihan]] angered prosecutors by publicly filing it, that the government sealed it as a state secret while attacking Teicher's credibility, and that Teicher was blocked from testifying and his statements kept from the jury on grounds of relevance. [[Consortium News]] added that a federal grand jury had begun hearing testimony on a related complaint over the submission of a defense affidavit.[^5][^17][^18] +On January 31, 1995, Howard Teicher signed a declaration under penalty of perjury in case No. 93-241-CR, captioned for Judge Highsmith. It states that he was on the NSC staff from 1982 to 1987, that "the CIA authorized, approved and assisted Cardoen in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs," and that CIA Director Casey directed the secretaries of State and Commerce on the necessary licenses. The declaration opens by stating that nothing in it is classified. [[Robert Parry]] reported that Teicher named Casey and his deputy Gates as having "authorized, approved and assisted" the delivery of cluster bombs to Iraq, that the defense attorney [[Gerald Houlihan]] angered prosecutors by publicly filing it, that the government sealed it as a state secret while attacking Teicher's credibility, and that Teicher was blocked from testifying and his statements kept from the jury on grounds of relevance. [[Consortium News]] added that a federal grand jury had begun hearing testimony on a related complaint over the submission of a defense affidavit.[^5][^22][^23] + +The United States served a corrective declaration signed by Teicher on October 3, 1996, with a notice of filing served November 8, 1996. In it Teicher wrote that attorneys for Teledyne had prepared the January 31, 1995 declaration and faxed it to him; that he had not reviewed or indexed his National Security Council files since 1987; that his statements in paragraphs 15 through 18, which refer to what his files "will contain," reflected his best memory and belief and were not intended as "categorical statements of fact"; and that he has no actual knowledge that his files contain such information. He wrote that he is "not aware of any specific evidence that the United States government or any government official or agency took steps to help Cardoen obtain any U.S.-origin components for use in cluster bombs," and is not aware of specific evidence that any such official or agency helped Cardoen supply munitions to Iraq in any other way. As to paragraph 17, he wrote that although he understood Cardoen had been arrested, "the other information in this paragraph is incorrect." The corrective declaration does not address paragraphs 1 through 14 of the January text, including paragraph 14, which describes the supply of Cardoen's cluster bombs to Iraq as an "extension" of United States policy toward Iraq.[^6] ### Extradition, 2019 and 2020 -The [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] reports that the United States did not formally request extradition until March 2019, 26 years after the indictment, and that the [[Chilean Supreme Court]] rejected the request in March 2020 on the grounds that too many years had passed since the charges and that the alleged conduct had no equivalent offense under Chilean law. The same report quotes Cardoen as saying that he was made a scapegoat after Iraq invaded neighboring [[Kuwait]].[^19] +The [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] reports that the United States did not formally request extradition until March 2019, 26 years after the indictment, and that the [[Chilean Supreme Court]] rejected the request in March 2020 on the grounds that too many years had passed since the charges and that the alleged conduct had no equivalent offense under Chilean law. The same report quotes Cardoen as saying that he was made a scapegoat after Iraq invaded neighboring [[Kuwait]].[^24] -A Chilean press report of August 24, 2020 gives a different account of the court action: the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the extradition on August 24, 2020, confirming a first rejection in March 2020 by the instructing minister Carlos Aranguiz, on the grounds of dual criminality and prescription. It reports that Cardoen's lawyers argued the company's activities were known and supported by the United States and that the United States had repeatedly said it would not pursue the case (translated from the Spanish).[^20] +A Chilean press report of August 24, 2020 gives a different account of the court action: the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the extradition on August 24, 2020, confirming a first rejection in March 2020 by the instructing minister Carlos Aranguiz, on the grounds of dual criminality and prescription. It reports that Cardoen's lawyers argued the company's activities were known and supported by the United States and that the United States had repeatedly said it would not pursue the case (translated from the Spanish).[^25] ### Casolaro papers @@ -137,18 +145,23 @@ The sales sheet is one of five items in the "Promotional Material" folder, a sin [^3]: Kenneth R. Timmerman, *The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq* (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991), pp. 166-170. Sole source for the passages so cited (1983 arrest and plea, Beydoun's 1984 offer, 1984 deliveries and earnings, the CIA statement of July 16, 1991). [^4]: Kenneth R. Timmerman, *The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq* (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991), pp. 168-169. Sole source for the agreement; the quotation is Timmerman's quotation of Thomas L. Flannery. [^5]: Declaration of Howard Teicher, executed January 31, 1995, *United States v. Cardoen*, No. 93-241-CR-HIGHSMITH (S.D. Fla.), paragraphs 14 to 18, as transcribed at http://spikethenews.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-teicher-affidavit.html (January 2016). The declaration was reported sealed in the court file. -[^6]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (New York: TrineDay, 1992). Sole source for the passages so cited, including the 1979 SIBAT refusal, the 1985 Sanders contacts, the 1988 Chile visit and the April 1992 charge date. -[^7]: Alan Friedman, *Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White House Illegally Armed Iraq* (New York: Bantam, 1993), pp. 46-54, 64. Sole source for the Beydoun, Johnson and Moyle passages and the quoted White House statement. -[^8]: Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, "Update on BNL Investigation," *Congressional Record*, House of Representatives, January 21, 1993, p. H140 (reprinted article by William Tuohy and Douglas Frantz, "Three British Executives Cleared in Iraq Arms Sale Case"). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_cr/h930121-bnl.htm -[^9]: Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, "Update on BNL Investigation," *Congressional Record*, January 21, 1993, immediately preceding the page marker H140 (an unattributed reprinted report on testimony in the Matrix Churchill trial). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_cr/h930121-bnl.htm -[^10]: Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, "Update on BNL Investigation," *Congressional Record*, House of Representatives, January 21, 1993, p. H132. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_cr/h930121-bnl.htm -[^11]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, *Nomination of Robert M. Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence*, S. Exec. Rept. 102-19, 102d Cong., 1st sess., October 24, 1991, section 5, "Allegations Relating to CIA's Relationship with Carlos Cardoen," https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-filesations-10219.pdf (PDF pages 186 to 188). -[^12]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, entity name search "Swissco Management Group," document H19133, detail record and name history, https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName; officer search "Giangrandi Augusto," https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByOfficerOrRegisteredAgent. -[^13]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (March 1993), pp. 73-74 (the affidavit of February 17, 1991). -[^14]: *St. Louis Post-Dispatch*, February 19, 1991, "Stolen Software Scattered: Affidavits Allege Sales To Iraqis And Israelis" and the sidebar "Colorful Characters, Prized Product Lend Spice To Case," clipping in the INSLAW folder of the Casolaro papers, https://archive.org/download/casolaro-notebooks/InslawIi_djvu.txt. Sole source for the affidavit's contents as reported there. -[^15]: *United States v. Edward A. Johnson*, No. 95-5021 (11th Cir. Apr. 28, 1998) (published opinion, Tjoflat, Birch and Roney, JJ.), on appeal from No. 93-241-CR (S.D. Fla.), https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/19955021.OPN.pdf. -[^16]: Department of State, Office of Defense Trade Controls, Public Notice 2206, "Rescission of Suspended Exports Regarding Teledyne Wah Chang Albany," 60 Fed. Reg. 30151 (June 7, 1995), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13834.pdf; Public Notice 2207, 60 Fed. Reg. 30150, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13835.pdf. -[^17]: Robert Parry, "Iraqgate: Confession and Cover-up," *Extra!* (FAIR), 1995, as reposted at https://scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0212/S00074.htm. -[^18]: Consortium News, "Iraqgate Cover-Up Goes After Defense Lawyers," undated, https://consortiumnews.com/archive/story1.html. Sole source for the grand jury passage and for Houlihan's filing as reported. -[^19]: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, "Most wanted Chilean arms dealer concealed ties to companies with help from Panama's offshore industry," September 2022, https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2022/09/most-wanted-chilean-arms-dealer-concealed-ties-to-companies-with-help-from-panamas-offshore-industry/. -[^20]: "Suprema rechaza extradición Cardoen," Emol, August 24, 2020, https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2020/08/24/995884/Suprema-rechaza-extradicion-Cardoen.html. +[^6]: Declaration of Howard R. Teicher (corrective), *United States v. Carlos Cardoen et al.*, No. 93-241-CR-Highsmith (S.D. Fla.), dated October 3, 1996, with the United States' notice of filing served November 8, 1996, paragraphs 2 to 7, https://archive.org/details/utf-893cr-241-de-679. Addresses paragraphs 15 to 18 of the January 31, 1995 declaration. +[^7]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (New York: TrineDay, 1992). Sole source for the passages so cited, including the 1979 SIBAT refusal, the 1985 Sanders contacts, the 1988 Chile visit and the April 1992 charge date. +[^8]: Alan Friedman, *Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White House Illegally Armed Iraq* (New York: Bantam, 1993), pp. 46-54, 64. Sole source for the Beydoun, Johnson and Moyle passages and the quoted White House statement. +[^9]: Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, "Update on BNL Investigation," *Congressional Record*, House of Representatives, January 21, 1993, p. H140 (reprinted article by William Tuohy and Douglas Frantz, "Three British Executives Cleared in Iraq Arms Sale Case"). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_cr/h930121-bnl.htm +[^10]: Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, "Update on BNL Investigation," *Congressional Record*, January 21, 1993, immediately preceding the page marker H140 (an unattributed reprinted report on testimony in the Matrix Churchill trial). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_cr/h930121-bnl.htm +[^11]: Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, "Update on BNL Investigation," *Congressional Record*, House of Representatives, January 21, 1993, p. H132. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1993_cr/h930121-bnl.htm +[^12]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, *Nomination of Robert M. Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence*, S. Exec. Rept. 102-19, 102d Cong., 1st sess., October 24, 1991, section 5, "Allegations Relating to CIA's Relationship with Carlos Cardoen," https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-filesations-10219.pdf (PDF pages 186 to 188). +[^13]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Swissco Management Group, Inc.; Order Denying Permission To Apply for or Use Export Licenses," dated September 11, 1995, 60 Federal Register 48964-48965 (September 21, 1995), FR Doc. 95-23363, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-09-21/pdf/95-23363.pdf. Registry detail for H19133, https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/SWISSCO%20MANAGEMENT/Page1. +[^14]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, entity name search "Swissco Management Group," document H19133, detail record and name history, https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName; officer search "Giangrandi Augusto," https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByOfficerOrRegisteredAgent. +[^15]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (March 1993), pp. 73-74 (the affidavit of February 17, 1991). +[^16]: *St. Louis Post-Dispatch*, February 19, 1991, "Stolen Software Scattered: Affidavits Allege Sales To Iraqis And Israelis" and the sidebar "Colorful Characters, Prized Product Lend Spice To Case," clipping in the INSLAW folder of the Casolaro papers, https://archive.org/download/casolaro-notebooks/InslawIi_djvu.txt. Sole source for the affidavit's contents as reported there. +[^17]: Department of State, Office of Defense Trade Controls, Public Notice 2395, 61 Federal Register 29784-29785 (June 12, 1996), FR Doc. 96-14826, entry 3, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1996-06-12/pdf/96-14826.pdf. +[^18]: Justin Hibbard, "The Chilean Connection," *San Francisco Chronicle Magazine*, March 2, 2003, https://www.sfgate.com/magazine/article/THE-CHILEAN-CONNECTION-Carlos-Cardoen-arms-2667085.php. Sole source for the helicopter seizure, the 1992 civil suit and the statement that Johnson was the only person convicted. +[^19]: *United States v. Edward A. Johnson*, No. 95-5021 (11th Cir. Apr. 28, 1998) (published opinion, Tjoflat, Birch and Roney, JJ.), on appeal from No. 93-241-CR (S.D. Fla.), https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/19955021.OPN.pdf. +[^20]: Department of State, Office of Defense Trade Controls, Public Notice 2206, "Rescission of Suspended Exports Regarding Teledyne Wah Chang Albany," 60 Fed. Reg. 30151 (June 7, 1995), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13834.pdf; Public Notice 2207, 60 Fed. Reg. 30150, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13835.pdf. +[^21]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, Also Known As Augusto Giangrandi," entered September 15, 1994, published September 22, 1994, FR Doc. 94-23471, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1994/09/22/94-23471/action-affecting-export-privileges-augusto-giacomo-giangrandi-valenzuela-also-known-as-augusto. +[^22]: Robert Parry, "Iraqgate: Confession and Cover-up," *Extra!* (FAIR), 1995, as reposted at https://scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0212/S00074.htm. +[^23]: Consortium News, "Iraqgate Cover-Up Goes After Defense Lawyers," undated, https://consortiumnews.com/archive/story1.html. Sole source for the grand jury passage and for Houlihan's filing as reported. +[^24]: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, "Most wanted Chilean arms dealer concealed ties to companies with help from Panama's offshore industry," September 2022, https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2022/09/most-wanted-chilean-arms-dealer-concealed-ties-to-companies-with-help-from-panamas-offshore-industry/. +[^25]: "Suprema rechaza extradición Cardoen," Emol, August 24, 2020, https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2020/08/24/995884/Suprema-rechaza-extradicion-Cardoen.html. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/St. Thomas Jet Center.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/St. Thomas Jet Center.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e15b901b --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/St. Thomas Jet Center.md @@ -0,0 +1,82 @@ +--- +aliases: + - St. Thomas Jet Center + - St Thomas Jet Center + - Jet Center +category: "Private Organization" +tags: + - Company + - Aviation + - FixedBaseOperator + - VirginIslands + - SignatureFlightSupport + - JeffreyEpstein + - EpsteinLibrary +summary: "St. Thomas Jet Center is the fixed-base operator at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas, which Signature Flight Support agreed to buy in November 2018 with its Alliance Aviation affiliate." +location: "Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands" +relations: + - type: owned + with: "[[Signature Flight Support]]" + reverse: true + start: 2018-11 + role: "49 percent holding at signing, remaining 51 percent to follow within 14 months" + fn: 1 + - type: owned + with: "[[Michael Hancock]]" + reverse: true + start: 2002 + role: "bought the business from the Boehlke family in 2002 with Susan Hancock, per the Virgin Islands Daily News" + fn: 3 + - type: owned + with: "[[Susan Hancock]]" + reverse: true + start: 2002 + role: "bought the business from the Boehlke family in 2002 with Michael Hancock, per the Virgin Islands Daily News" + fn: 3 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Michael Hancock]]" + reverse: true + start: 2018-11 + role: "president, per Signature Flight Support release" + fn: 2 +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +--- + +St. Thomas Jet Center is a full-service fixed-base operator at [[Cyril E. King Airport]] in [[Charlotte Amalie]], [[St. Thomas]], [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and the operator of the lower-cost service provider [[Alliance Aviation]] at the same field.[^1] In November 2018 the [[BBA Aviation]] subsidiary [[Signature Flight Support]] agreed to acquire the business, with Alliance Aviation, [[Jet Set Rental Cars]] and [[Tri Island Energy Fuel Logistics]].[^1][^2] + +### Ownership and the 2018 sale + +The Virgin Islands Daily News reported in 2018 and again in 2020 that [[Michael Hancock]] and [[Susan Hancock]] bought St. Thomas Jet Center from the Boehlke family in 2002, and that Michael Hancock had started his own aviation business with locations on the mainland and St. Thomas in 1995.[^3][^4] Aviation International News, reporting the sale on November 1, 2018, wrote that the Hancocks had owned the FBO for more than two decades and would remain with the business, along with the staff, for at least the next two years.[^1] The Daily News added that the Hancocks had opened Jet Set Auto Rentals, entered bulk and marine fuel distribution through Tri-Island Energy, and in 2008 started a small charter airline, Capital Air.[^3] The family-owned [[Bohlke International Airways]] has had a presence at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix since 1959; records found do not establish whether the St. Thomas "Boehlke family" is the same family.[^5] + +Michael Hancock was identified as president of St. Thomas Jet Center in the company's release, and Signature's release quotes him: "Having received offers from other potential buyers, we decided that Signature Flight Support presented the best opportunity both for our customers and employees alike."[^2] + +The purchase was phased. Signature held a 49 percent interest on the date of the agreement and was to acquire the remaining 51 percent within 14 months.[^1][^2] The Daily News reported that a joint venture company, Signature-STT-LLC, was incorporated at the time of the stock sale, jointly owned by the Hancocks and [[BBA Aviation]] under the Signature Flight Support brand, with Michael Hancock as president.[^4] The executive terminal and two hangars of 8,000 and 16,200 square feet were described as generally reserved for tenant aircraft, and the FBO had been certified as a U.S. Customs and Immigration clearance and pre-clearance facility.[^1][^2] Aviation International News reported that the operation had repaired most of its damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.[^1] + +In December 2020 the Daily News reported that the FBO had been awarded a three-year contract as preferred provider of fuel and handling for three fractional and charter operators that had recently been bought by a venture capitalist and hedge fund, and that it was building a 2,000 square foot VIP lounge.[^4] + +### Epstein flight notices, 2012 + +On October 1, 2012, at 12:29 PM Eastern, Francisco D'Agostino wrote to [[Todd Meister]]: "Hey! We will land at 12:15PM in St. Thomas FBO: Alliance Aviation. Tail # N3FD."[^6] Meister forwarded the message to [[Jeffrey Epstein]] that afternoon with the note "Here is the info below on landing time etc."[^6] At 3:31 PM Eastern he sent it to [[Lesley Groff]]; at 3:44 PM Groff wrote to Epstein, copying [[Larry Visoski]], that Meister "called to confirm he will be going to the island tomorrow with his Venezuelan friend and that Larry is to pick them up in the helicopter upon arrival."[^7] At 4:42 PM an addressee whose name is redacted asked Groff whether the party would be staying overnight on "lsj" or whether it was "just a drop."[^8] At 7:38 AM on October 2 a further message to Meister, sender redacted, stated that Larry "is definitely aware of your arrival today and will be there with the helicopter to pick you guys up."[^9] The Epstein Library search for "N3FD" returns 29 documents, in Data Sets 9 and 10.[^10] + +The FAA's releasable deregistered file lists two earlier registrations of N3FD: a Wittman W-8 cancelled February 1, 1994, and a 1997 Extra EA300/200 registered to a St. Augustine, Florida aviation sales company and cancelled March 15, 2005 on export to Germany. The FAA shows the mark as a reserved N-number held since July 21, 2022 by a Groveland, Florida reservation service, and no aircraft was registered under N3FD in October 2012.[^11] + +### Black Diamond's 2014 inquiry + +On May 16, 2014, [[Richard Kahn]] wrote to [[Larry Visoski]]: "Can you poke around tonight about Black Diamond Trading as Danny says they are trying to buy Jet Center."[^12] Kahn's message names no FBO beyond "Jet Center." Records found do not establish whether that "Jet Center" is the St. Thomas operator sold in 2018. Kahn's forward of the exchange to Epstein called the company "the black diamond guys trying to buy aircraft."[^13] The firm of that name in the adjacent records is [[Black Diamond Capital Management]], headed by [[Stephen Deckoff]]. + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Curt Epstein, "Signature Acquires Virgin Islands Bases," *Aviation International News,* November 1, 2018. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-11-01/signature-acquires-virgin-islands-bases +[^2]: "Signature Flight Support to acquire St. Thomas Jet Center," Signature Flight Support newsroom, November 1, 2018. https://articles.signatureflight.com/blog/about/newsroom/2018/11/01/signature-flight-support-to-acquire-st.-thomas-jet-center +[^3]: Lori Abbotts, "St. Thomas Jet Center forms joint venture with Signature Flight Support," *Virgin Islands Daily News,* November 5, 2018. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/business/st-thomas-jet-center-forms-joint-venture-with-signature-flight-support/article_f65a7ade-c80e-5c92-9740-a52250559195.html +[^4]: Lori Abbotts, "St. Thomas Jet Center is fueling up to service more aircraft," *Virgin Islands Daily News,* December 14, 2020. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/business/st-thomas-jet-center-is-fueling-up-to-service-more-aircraft/article_a4f6e6ac-3922-520f-9c00-8a469214bca3.html +[^5]: "FBO Profile: Bohlke International Airways, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix," *Aviation International News,* May 10, 2015. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-05-10/fbo-profile-bohlke-international-airways-henry-e-rohlsen +[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00644307, DataSet 9, email from Todd Meister to Jeffrey Epstein, "Fwd: Flight," October 1, 2012, 16:30 UTC, forwarding a message dated October 1, 2012, 12:29:32 PM EDT. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00644307.pdf +[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403869, DataSet 9, email from Todd Meister to Lesley Groff, "FW: Flight," October 1, 2012, 19:31 UTC (https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403869.pdf); EFTA00403872, DataSet 9, email from Lesley Groff to Jeffrey Epstein, subject "Todd Meister," October 1, 2012, 19:44 UTC (https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf); same message, EFTA00693561, DataSet 9. +[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403880, DataSet 9, reply to Lesley Groff, "Re: Todd Meister," October 1, 2012, 20:42 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403880.pdf +[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00403903, DataSet 9, "Re: Flight," October 2, 2012, 11:38 UTC. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403903.pdf +[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, in-page search for "N3FD," 29 results including EFTA00403871, EFTA01889076, EFTA02034231, EFTA02157575, EFTA02157629 and EFTA02158009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein +[^11]: Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, DEREG.txt entries 3FD (serial 358, model 9790816, Wittman W-8, cancel date 02/01/1994; serial 011, model 7021803, Extra EA300/200, cancel date 03/15/2005, export country Germany) and RESERVED.txt; N-Number Inquiry Results for N3FD (reserved July 21, 2022), retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=3FD +[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02383246, DataSet 11, email from Richard Kahn to Larry Visoski, May 16, 2014, 5:15 PM, within the chain headed "Jeffrey Epstein." https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02383246.pdf +[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02583238, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Re: Barn," May 16, 2014, including Kahn's forward ("these are the black diamond guys trying to buy aircraft") and the reply from "jeffrey E." https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02583238.pdf diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Swissco Management Group.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Swissco Management Group.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e52927e8 --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Swissco Management Group.md @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ +--- +title: Swissco Management Group +aliases: + - Swissco Management Group + - Swissco Management Group, Inc. + - Swissco Management Group Inc + - Swissco Management Group Inc. + - SWISSCO + - Swissco + - Swissco Investing, Inc. + - Swissco Investing + - Westfield Holdings, Inc. + - Westfield Holdings + - H19133 +category: "Private Organization" +tags: + - Organization + - Private + - Florida + - MiamiLakes + - ExportControls + - Zirconium + - ClusterBombs + - Cardoen + - Theberge + - Teledyne + - Mijares +summary: "Miami Lakes corporation, filed in Florida in 1984, named with Carlos Cardoen and Industrias Cardoen in the 1993 Miami zirconium indictment and denied export privileges after an August 7, 1995 conviction." +location: "Miami Lakes, Florida" +created: 2026-10-08 +updated: 2026-10-08 +relations: + - type: owned + with: "[[Industrias Cardoen]]" + reverse: true + role: "described by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries of Chile" + fn: 4 + - type: contractor_to + with: "[[James D. Theberge]]" + reverse: true + start: 1985-12 + end: 1988-01 + role: "consultant to the company during much of his Senior Review Panel service, as recorded in the Senate report and his December 1985 personal history statement" + fn: 4 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Augusto Giangrandi]]" + reverse: true + role: "president (PDT) on the Florida registry record for H19133; the registry gives no dates for the office" + fn: 5 +--- +[[Swissco Management Group]], Inc. was a [[Florida]] corporation with an address in [[Miami Lakes]], filed in 1984, and one of eight defendants named in the twenty-one count indictment returned in [[Miami]] on May 26, 1993, with [[Carlos Cardoen]] and [[Industrias Cardoen]], over zirconium exported to [[Chile]]. The [[Department of Commerce]] recorded its conviction in the Southern District of Florida on August 7, 1995. The [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] described it in 1991 as a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries and as the firm for which [[James D. Theberge]] consulted while he sat on the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] Senior Review Panel.[^1][^2][^3][^4] + +### Florida registration and name history + +The Florida Division of Corporations record for document number H19133 shows a profit corporation filed August 31, 1984 (effective August 29, 1984) as Swissco Investing, Inc. An amendment dated October 3, 1984 changed the name to Swissco Management Group, Inc. A second amendment dated October 5, 1990 changed it to [[Westfield Holdings]], Inc. The corporation was administratively dissolved for failure to file an annual report on October 11, 1991. Annual reports for 1988, 1989 and 1990 are on the record.[^5] + +The principal and mailing address on the record is 15485 Eagle Nest Lane, #210, Miami Lakes, from July 1, 1985. The registered agent is [[Abbey Kaplan]], Esq., at 1428 Brickell Avenue, Suite 800, Miami, from August 18, 1986. The officer detail lists [[Augusto Giangrandi]] as president (PDT) and [[Jorge Ondarza]] as VS, each at the Eagle Nest Lane address.[^5] + +### Related Swissco entities in the Florida registry + +[[Swissco Leasing]], Inc. (document M24568) was filed December 12, 1985 at the same Eagle Nest Lane address, with Giangrandi as president (PDT) and [[Anthony Mijares Jr.]] as vice president (VP), the same registered agent, and a voluntary dissolution filed October 5, 1990, the date of the Westfield Holdings name change.[^6] Swissco Corporate Centre, Ltd. (document A28561), a limited partnership filed June 22, 1989 at 7975 N.W. 154 Street, #400, Miami Lakes, lists Swissco Corporate Centre, Inc. as general partner and Kaplan, of the law firm Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin, P.A., as registered agent; it was revoked for failure to file an annual report on April 2, 1993.[^7] The officer searches also return Swissco Corporate Centre, Inc. (L02937) for Mijares, Swissco Yachting, Inc. (M35237) for Giangrandi, Swissco Charter Company, Inc. (M85686) for Ondarza, and a corporation named Soliberts Properties for both Giangrandi (Soliberts Properties, N.V., P10779) and Ondarza (Soliberts Properties, Inc., M83864).[^8] + +### Customs seizure and civil suit, 1991 to 1992 + +[[Justin Hibbard]] wrote in the *San Francisco Chronicle Magazine* in 2003 that agents investigating a helicopter shipped from Texas to Industrias Cardoen found it belonged to "Cardoen's Miami company, Swissco," that export records showed Swissco and a company in Albany, Oregon, called Teledyne had shipped more than 130 tons of zirconium to Industrias Cardoen in five years, and that the export license applications said the material was for "mining operations." He wrote that customs agents seized Swissco's helicopter at the Dallas airport on March 27, 1991, and that on April 6, 1992 the Commerce Department and the [[U.S. Customs]] Service announced in Miami a civil suit against Swissco in federal district court, through which the government sought to seize 30 million dollars in real estate that Swissco had bought with the proceeds of Iraqi payments.[^9] + +Hibbard also wrote that in August 1986 Cardoen helped organize a fund-raiser for U.S. Senator [[Bob Graham]] at the Miami home of the Swissco executive Anthony Mijares, which raised about 50,000 dollars for Graham's 1986 campaign.[^9] + +### Federal convictions and export denial + +The Commerce order denying export privileges, dated September 11, 1995 and published September 21, 1995, states that on August 7, 1995 Swissco "was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida of violating the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended," among other crimes, and that "Swissco was convicted on one count of exporting zirconium from the United States to Chile in violation of the terms of a U.S. Department of Commerce export license." The order denied the company permission to apply for or use any export license for ten years, until August 7, 2005, and revoked every outstanding validated license in which it had an interest. It gives the company's address as 15485 Eagle Nest Lane, #210, Miami Lakes, Florida 33014.[^1] + +On June 12, 1996 the [[State Department]]'s [[Office of Defense Trade Controls]] published a statutory debarment notice under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Entry 3 lists "Swissco Management Group. Inc., 15485 Eagle Nest Lane, #210, Miami Lakes, FL 33014," for 18 U.S.C. 371 (conspiracy to violate 22 U.S.C. 2778), August 7, 1995, in "United States v. Teledyne Industries, et al.," criminal docket 93-241-CR-Highsmith, and debars the listed persons for three years following conviction.[^2] + +A Commerce order of the same date denied export privileges to [[Edward A. Johnson]], after his conviction on one count of causing the export of ordnance grade zirconium from the United States to Chile without the required license or written approval from the State Department.[^10] The solicitor general's brief in his appeal states that he was sentenced to 41 months' imprisonment and a 25,000 dollar fine.[^11] Hibbard wrote that Johnson was sentenced on August 7, 1995, that he "was the only person convicted in the case," and that Teledyne pleaded guilty in January 1995 and paid 13 million dollars in fines.[^9] [[Teledyne Wah Chang Albany]] pleaded guilty on January 26, 1995 to conspiring to violate and violating the Arms Export Control Act in the same case.[^12] + +### The 1993 indictment and the court record + +The grand jury returned a twenty-one count indictment on May 26, 1993. Count I charged conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. section 371 against Cardoen, Industrias Cardoen Limitada (INCAR), Swissco, Johnson and Teledyne. The defendants who had not appeared before the court were Carlos Cardoen, [[Franco Saffa]], [[Jorge Burr]], INCAR and Swissco. The court's order describes the charges as arising from the exportation of zirconium and fuze components to Chile, which were allegedly destined for the manufacture of cluster bombs later sold to [[Iraq]]. The order was first issued on December 28, 1994 and reissued in unclassified form on August 29, 1995.[^13] + +The [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] affirmed Johnson's conviction in 1998. Its opinion describes the zirconium as sold to Cardoen, an international arms merchant, and as used in cluster bombs that Cardoen was selling to Iraq.[^14] + +### James D. Theberge and the Senior Review Panel + +The Senate report on the nomination of [[Robert Gates]] states that Theberge was employed as a consultant to "SWISSCO Management Group, a subsidiary of Cardoen Industries of Chile," during much of his service on the CIA Senior Review Panel from January 1986 to January 1988. The report records that Theberge disclosed the consulting work and the Cardoen parentage in the personal history statement he submitted in December 1985.[^4] + +### Cardoen's Miami operations as reported by CIPER + +The Chilean investigative outlet [[CIPER]] reported in September 2022 that part of Carlos Cardoen's operations were concentrated in Miami, where in August 1984, with his collaborators, he registered a company named Swissco Management Group Inc. CIPER wrote that the company came under United States judicial scrutiny in the early 1990s in connection with a zirconium scheme, that it was convicted of two crimes, and that it was fined 1.3 million dollars.[^15] The Commerce order records one count of exporting zirconium and states no fine.[^1] + +### Augusto Giangrandi + +The Commerce Department's Bureau of Export Administration entered an order on September 15, 1994, published September 22, 1994, against Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, also known as Augusto Giangrandi, of Santiago, Chile. The order recites allegations that between February 14, 1983 and June 11, 1988 he conspired with Cardoen, and others, to export zirconium from the United States to Chile contrary to the terms of export licenses. Under a consent agreement, the order denied him export privileges for ten years, the last five suspended.[^16] The Florida registry lists an Augusto Giangrandi as president of Swissco Management Group, Inc. and Swissco Leasing, Inc.; records found do not establish whether he is the respondent of the 1994 order, whose address is in Santiago.[^5][^6] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration (Office of Exporter Services), "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Swissco Management Group, Inc.; Order Denying Permission To Apply for or Use Export Licenses," dated September 11, 1995, 60 Federal Register 48964-48965 (September 21, 1995), FR Doc. 95-23363, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-09-21/pdf/95-23363.pdf. +[^2]: Department of State, Office of Defense Trade Controls, Public Notice 2395, dated May 6, 1996, 61 Federal Register 29784-29785 (June 12, 1996), FR Doc. 96-14826, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1996-06-12/pdf/96-14826.pdf. Entry 3; entry 2 records the January 26, 1995 Teledyne Wah Chang Albany plea. +[^3]: *United States v. Cardoen*, 898 F. Supp. 1563 (S.D. Fla. 1995) (Highsmith, J.), No. 93-241-CR, https://static.case.law/f-supp/898/cases/1563-01.json. +[^4]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, *Nomination of Robert M. Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence*, S. Exec. Rept. 102-19, 102d Cong., 1st sess., October 24, 1991, section 5 (PDF pages 186 to 188), https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-filesations-10219.pdf. +[^5]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, detail by entity name, document number H19133, WESTFIELD HOLDINGS, INC. (name history: Swissco Investing, Inc.; Swissco Management Group, Inc.), https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/SWISSCO%20MANAGEMENT/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). Principal and mailing address changed July 1, 1985; registered agent address changed August 18, 1986; status INACTIVE, administrative dissolution October 11, 1991; annual reports 1988, 1989, 1990. +[^6]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, detail by entity name, document number M24568, SWISSCO LEASING, INC., https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/SWISSCO%20LEASING/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). +[^7]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, detail by entity name, document number A28561, SWISSCO CORPORATE CENTRE, LTD., https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/SWISSCO%20CORPORATE/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). +[^8]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, officer or registered agent name lists for "Giangrandi," "Ondarza Jorge," "Mijares Anthony" and "Kaplan Abbey," https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/OfficerRegisteredAgentName/Giangrandi/Page1 (accessed October 8, 2026). The lists show entity names and numbers only. +[^9]: Justin Hibbard, "The Chilean Connection," *San Francisco Chronicle Magazine*, March 2, 2003, https://www.sfgate.com/magazine/article/THE-CHILEAN-CONNECTION-Carlos-Cardoen-arms-2667085.php. Sole source for the helicopter seizure, the 1992 civil suit, the Graham fund-raiser and the account of Johnson as the only person convicted. +[^10]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Edward A. Johnson; Order Denying Permission to Apply for or Use Export Licenses," dated September 11, 1995, 60 Federal Register 48962 (September 21, 1995), FR Doc. 95-23362, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-09-21/pdf/95-23362.pdf. +[^11]: Office of the Solicitor General, brief for the United States in opposition, *Johnson v. United States*, https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/johnson-v-us-opposition. +[^12]: Department of State, Office of Defense Trade Controls, Public Notice 2206, "Rescission of Suspended Exports Regarding Teledyne Wah Chang Albany," 60 Federal Register 30151 (June 7, 1995), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-06-07/pdf/95-13834.pdf. +[^13]: *United States v. Cardoen*, 898 F. Supp. 1563 (S.D. Fla. 1995), reissued order of August 29, 1995 (original December 28, 1994), https://static.case.law/f-supp/898/cases/1563-01.json. +[^14]: *United States v. Edward A. Johnson*, No. 95-5021 (11th Cir. Apr. 28, 1998), https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/19955021.OPN.pdf. +[^15]: CIPER Chile, Alberto Arellano and Francisca Skoknic, "Los secretos de Carlos Cardoen en Panamá y la alerta por una de sus sociedades que fue vinculada a la venta de armas," September 14, 2022, https://www.ciperchile.cl/2022/09/14/los-secretos-de-carlos-cardoen-en-panama-y-la-alerta-por-una-de-sus-sociedades-que-fue-vinculada-a-la-venta-de-armas/. Paraphrased. Sole source for the Miami registration narrative and the two crimes and fine. +[^16]: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, "Action Affecting Export Privileges; Augusto Giacomo Giangrandi Valenzuela, Also Known As Augusto Giangrandi," entered September 15, 1994, published September 22, 1994, FR Doc. 94-23471, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1994/09/22/94-23471/action-affecting-export-privileges-augusto-giacomo-giangrandi-valenzuela-also-known-as-augusto. Respondent's street address omitted. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Wackenhut Corporation.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Wackenhut Corporation.md index ce7c3c4e..69598570 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Wackenhut Corporation.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Wackenhut Corporation.md @@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ relations: - type: owned with: "[[Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation]]" role: "wholly owned subsidiary at Reston, Virginia" - fn: 39 + fn: 40 --- Wackenhut Corporation is a security and investigative firm founded in 1954 by [[George R. Wackenhut]] and three other former [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] Special Agents. Initially named [[Special Agent Investigators]], it expanded to physical security and was renamed Wackenhut Corporation in 1958. Headquartered in [[Coral Gables, Florida|Coral Gables]], [[Florida]], Wackenhut grew to become one of the world's largest security and investigative firms, with operations across the United States and internationally. The [[San Francisco]] Chronicle described it as being "led by former officials of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, Defense Department and federal law enforcement."[^1][^2] @@ -38,67 +38,67 @@ Notable contracts include providing security for the [[Nevada Test Site]], the [ ### Leadership and Government Connections -The company's leadership has historically included executives and managers with extensive backgrounds in the FBI, CIA, [[NSA]], and other military and governmental security fields. Its board of directors has featured prominent former government officials such as [[Stansfield Turner]] (former CIA director), [[Clarence Kelley]] (former FBI director), [[Frank Carlucci]] (former CIA deputy director and Defense Secretary), [[James Rowley]] (former [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] director), [[Bobby Ray Inman]] (former acting chairman of President Bush's foreign intelligence advisory board and former CIA deputy director), and [[Joseph Carroll]] (former Director, [[Defense Intelligence Agency]]).[^1] +The company's leadership has historically included executives and managers with extensive backgrounds in the FBI, CIA, [[NSA]], and other military and governmental security fields. Its board of directors has featured prominent former government officials such as [[Stansfield Turner]] (former CIA director), [[Clarence Kelley]] (former FBI director), [[Frank Carlucci]] (former CIA deputy director and Defense Secretary), [[James Rowley]] (former [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] director), [[Bobby Ray Inman]] (former acting chairman of President Bush's foreign intelligence advisory board and former CIA deputy director), and [[Joseph Carroll]] (former Director, [[Defense Intelligence Agency]]).[^1] Jim Keith's 1996 book *The Octopus* lists former CIA deputy director Frank Carlucci and former CIA deputy director Bobby Ray Inman among the current and past members of the Wackenhut board.[^3] [[William J. Casey]], former CIA director under [[Ronald Reagan]], served as Wackenhut's outside legal counsel before his appointment.[^1] ### The CIA Security File -On March 14, 1963, [[Fred R. Youngblood]], chief of the nonofficial cover branch of the CIA's [[Central Cover Staff]], met George R. Wackenhut at the [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]] home of [[Wes Reynolds]], a former FBI agent who represented the company in Washington, "to explore its potential for cover support." His memorandum of March 26 records a firm of 1,100 employees with offices in eleven cities and [[Puerto Rico]]. Wackenhut "freely states that he trades on the reputation of the FBI by publicizing widely the 21 ex-FBI agents, including two former Assistant Directors of the FBI, in his management." He said he would be "willing to dispatch teams to set up personal security systems for foreign chiefs of state whom the Agency wants protected" and was "amenable to any reasonable application of his capabilities to Agency problems," including financing an overt operation set up at the agency's behest if it did not pay for itself. Youngblood found him "a clean-cut, energetic, ambitious young business man" who "is interested in profits, but it is my impression he is sincerely eager to do what he can to assist the government and feels that CIA offers one possible opportunity."[^3] +On March 14, 1963, [[Fred R. Youngblood]], chief of the nonofficial cover branch of the CIA's [[Central Cover Staff]], met George R. Wackenhut at the [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]] home of [[Wes Reynolds]], a former FBI agent who represented the company in Washington, "to explore its potential for cover support." His memorandum of March 26 records a firm of 1,100 employees with offices in eleven cities and [[Puerto Rico]]. Wackenhut "freely states that he trades on the reputation of the FBI by publicizing widely the 21 ex-FBI agents, including two former Assistant Directors of the FBI, in his management." He said he would be "willing to dispatch teams to set up personal security systems for foreign chiefs of state whom the Agency wants protected" and was "amenable to any reasonable application of his capabilities to Agency problems," including financing an overt operation set up at the agency's behest if it did not pay for itself. Youngblood found him "a clean-cut, energetic, ambitious young business man" who "is interested in profits, but it is my impression he is sincerely eager to do what he can to assist the government and feels that CIA offers one possible opportunity."[^4] -A memorandum for the record of July 28, 1975, summarizes the file. The agency opened files on Wackenhut and his company in May 1960 "for the purpose of obtaining cover support for Western Hemisphere Agency employees assigned to Florida." He "was investigated by this Agency with favorable results, and a Covert Security Approval for his use was granted on 21 November 1961. Subsequently, his company provided cover backstopping to Western Hemisphere employees stationed in the [[Miami]], Florida, area. In April of 1967 due to the notoriety that Mr. Wackenhut had received in connection with his activities in Florida, Mr. Wackenhut's Covert Security Approval was rescinded and this Agency severed our relations with him." That January Governor [[Claude Kirk]] had made Wackenhut the unpaid director of a privately financed "war on crime," staffed by the company's investigators.[^4][^5] +A memorandum for the record of July 28, 1975, summarizes the file. The agency opened files on Wackenhut and his company in May 1960 "for the purpose of obtaining cover support for Western Hemisphere Agency employees assigned to Florida." He "was investigated by this Agency with favorable results, and a Covert Security Approval for his use was granted on 21 November 1961. Subsequently, his company provided cover backstopping to Western Hemisphere employees stationed in the [[Miami]], Florida, area. In April of 1967 due to the notoriety that Mr. Wackenhut had received in connection with his activities in Florida, Mr. Wackenhut's Covert Security Approval was rescinded and this Agency severed our relations with him." That January Governor [[Claude Kirk]] had made Wackenhut the unpaid director of a privately financed "war on crime," staffed by the company's investigators.[^5][^6] -On April 24, 1968, a year after the severance, the chief of the [[JMWAVE]] station in Miami sent headquarters a telepouch dispatch, subject "Wackenhut Corporation," reporting that the *[[Miami Herald]]* business section of April 23 "carried an article reflecting that the Wackenhut Corp., a Coral Gables, Florida firm, had announced an agreement to purchase the Reliable Reporting Service, Inc., Rockville Center, New York, which provides pre-insurance and pre-employment reports for more than 400 clients in the insurance, financial and industrial fields." It went to the chief of the Western Hemisphere Division "as a matter of information."[^6] Routing slips of September and December 1969 added to the file the card of the manager of [[Wackenhut Protective Systems]] in [[Rockville, Maryland]]. In March 1971 the agency's security office approved a contact clearance for a Wackenhut employee. On April 20, 1971, the special agent in charge, [[Arthur C. Sheridan]], wrote to the Miami field office that "restrictions imposed on the use of Subject corporation in 1967 still apply and were recently reaffirmed in a cable dated 16 July 1970." The chief of a project with the cryptonym VENOM wanted contact with two Wackenhut men, [[Manuel J. Chavez]] and [[Junius Jaffe Mallin]]. "It is recognized that Subject firm could be an operational asset to [[Project VENOM]] in certain circumstances," Sheridan wrote, but "this office can accomplish its mission without the necessity of utilizing Subject corporation." Other records of the same Miami security office show VENOM collecting on the armed exile groups in the city: on [[Gerald Patrick Hemming|Gerry Hemming]] and [[Roy Hargraves]] in July 1970, when they were reported to be planning a missile attack on [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo]] to be blamed on [[Cuba]], and on [[Ricardo Morales Navarrete|Ricardo Morales]], whom the project had used briefly in 1964 and who in May 1971 was presenting himself at a Miami hotel as an agency operative "with mission to make an approach to local mafia."[^7] +On April 24, 1968, a year after the severance, the chief of the [[JMWAVE]] station in Miami sent headquarters a telepouch dispatch, subject "Wackenhut Corporation," reporting that the *[[Miami Herald]]* business section of April 23 "carried an article reflecting that the Wackenhut Corp., a Coral Gables, Florida firm, had announced an agreement to purchase the Reliable Reporting Service, Inc., Rockville Center, New York, which provides pre-insurance and pre-employment reports for more than 400 clients in the insurance, financial and industrial fields." It went to the chief of the Western Hemisphere Division "as a matter of information."[^7] Routing slips of September and December 1969 added to the file the card of the manager of [[Wackenhut Protective Systems]] in [[Rockville, Maryland]]. In March 1971 the agency's security office approved a contact clearance for a Wackenhut employee. On April 20, 1971, the special agent in charge, [[Arthur C. Sheridan]], wrote to the Miami field office that "restrictions imposed on the use of Subject corporation in 1967 still apply and were recently reaffirmed in a cable dated 16 July 1970." The chief of a project with the cryptonym VENOM wanted contact with two Wackenhut men, [[Manuel J. Chavez]] and [[Junius Jaffe Mallin]]. "It is recognized that Subject firm could be an operational asset to [[Project VENOM]] in certain circumstances," Sheridan wrote, but "this office can accomplish its mission without the necessity of utilizing Subject corporation." Other records of the same Miami security office show VENOM collecting on the armed exile groups in the city: on [[Gerald Patrick Hemming|Gerry Hemming]] and [[Roy Hargraves]] in July 1970, when they were reported to be planning a missile attack on [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo]] to be blamed on [[Cuba]], and on [[Ricardo Morales Navarrete|Ricardo Morales]], whom the project had used briefly in 1964 and who in May 1971 was presenting himself at a Miami hotel as an agency operative "with mission to make an approach to local mafia."[^8] -The same item went on April 30, 1968, from the Office of Security to its New York field office "for your information only."[^8] The National Archives' index of the agency's file on the company lists, among records not yet reproduced here, a memorandum of April 25, 1967, from the deputy director of security, [[Victor R. White]], to the [[CIA Counterintelligence Staff|counterintelligence staff]] on "DCI opposition to the use of private investigative firm"; a *[[Washington Star]]* clipping of November 8, 1971, circulated to the director of security, on the retired Air Force Lieutenant General [[Joseph F. Carroll]], the first director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the retired Vice Admiral [[William Raborn]], director of central intelligence from 1965 to 1966, joining the Wackenhut board; a note of February 4, 1974, on a telephone call from Raborn "trying to arrange an appointment with [[William Colby|Colby]] for himself and Mr. Mayo"; a three-page memorandum from Howard Osborn to the director of February 6, 1974, on the company that "contains a recommendation for approval"; and a note from the director of February 11, 1974, "concerning telephonic contact with Admiral Raborn of Wackenhut Corp."[^9] +The same item went on April 30, 1968, from the Office of Security to its New York field office "for your information only."[^9] The National Archives' index of the agency's file on the company lists, among records not yet reproduced here, a memorandum of April 25, 1967, from the deputy director of security, [[Victor R. White]], to the [[CIA Counterintelligence Staff|counterintelligence staff]] on "DCI opposition to the use of private investigative firm"; a *[[Washington Star]]* clipping of November 8, 1971, circulated to the director of security, on the retired Air Force Lieutenant General [[Joseph F. Carroll]], the first director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the retired Vice Admiral [[William Raborn]], director of central intelligence from 1965 to 1966, joining the Wackenhut board; a note of February 4, 1974, on a telephone call from Raborn "trying to arrange an appointment with [[William Colby|Colby]] for himself and Mr. Mayo"; a three-page memorandum from Howard Osborn to the director of February 6, 1974, on the company that "contains a recommendation for approval"; and a note from the director of February 11, 1974, "concerning telephonic contact with Admiral Raborn of Wackenhut Corp."[^10] -The 1975 memorandum ends: "In November of 1974 it was learned that Wackenhut Corporation was providing guard coverage to Global Marine Development, Incorporated (GMDI), [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], a firm that the Agency office of DDS&T was dealing with. This Agency made no attempt to persuade GMDI to terminate their contract with Wackenhut Corporation, and it is assumed that GMDI is still receiving guard coverage from them." Global Marine Development built and operated the [[Hughes Glomar Explorer]] for the [[Directorate of Science and Technology]], which used the ship in the summer of 1974 to raise part of a sunken Soviet submarine in [[Project Azorian]]. The [[Los Angeles Times]] disclosed the operation on February 7, 1975.[^4][^10] +The 1975 memorandum ends: "In November of 1974 it was learned that Wackenhut Corporation was providing guard coverage to Global Marine Development, Incorporated (GMDI), [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], a firm that the Agency office of DDS&T was dealing with. This Agency made no attempt to persuade GMDI to terminate their contract with Wackenhut Corporation, and it is assumed that GMDI is still receiving guard coverage from them." Global Marine Development built and operated the [[Hughes Glomar Explorer]] for the [[Directorate of Science and Technology]], which used the ship in the summer of 1974 to raise part of a sunken Soviet submarine in [[Project Azorian]]. The [[Los Angeles Times]] disclosed the operation on February 7, 1975.[^5][^11] ### The Domestic Contact Service File -A second agency file on the company, case 65805 of the [[Domestic Contact Service]], the overt office that debriefed businessmen and travellers, opens seven months after the Office of Security severed relations. On November 27, 1967, Gus C. Guerrero of the Miami field office met the vice president of Wackenhut Services, Inc., who "is cognizant of all contractual services in being with the company in foreign countries" and "will make arrangements for Guerrero to meet with Mr. Wackenhut and other members of the corporation whom he feels will be able to assist us." The company was "attempting to establish investigative and guard service agencies in several Latin American countries and are well established in [[Colombia]] at the present time." Information reports of January 2 and 10, 1968, on guerrilla operations, business, and government in Colombia and [[Ecuador]], each beginning "During a recent business trip," followed within weeks.[^11] +A second agency file on the company, case 65805 of the [[Domestic Contact Service]], the overt office that debriefed businessmen and travellers, opens seven months after the Office of Security severed relations. On November 27, 1967, Gus C. Guerrero of the Miami field office met the vice president of Wackenhut Services, Inc., who "is cognizant of all contractual services in being with the company in foreign countries" and "will make arrangements for Guerrero to meet with Mr. Wackenhut and other members of the corporation whom he feels will be able to assist us." The company was "attempting to establish investigative and guard service agencies in several Latin American countries and are well established in [[Colombia]] at the present time." Information reports of January 2 and 10, 1968, on guerrilla operations, business, and government in Colombia and [[Ecuador]], each beginning "During a recent business trip," followed within weeks.[^12] -Process sheets of 1970 and 1971, with [[Justin Gleichauf]] as field office chief and R. Heller of the international division as case officer, list the company as the contact for reports on [[Panama]] ("Attempt to Establish Intelligence Apparatus in US," "List of Suspects of Subversive Activities"), [[Brazil]] ("Background on Carlos Lacerda"), [[Guatemala]], Ecuador, a photograph of a probable Soviet Mi-10 helicopter at [[Medellín]], and, in the months around the election of [[Salvador Allende]], [[Chile]]: "Expectation of Allende Victory/Fear of Industrial Violence/Interest in Developing Industrial Security Measures" (July 28, 1970), "Alessandri Leading in Election Preference/Fear of Urban Terrorism" (September 2), "[[El Mercurio]] Fear of Urban Terrorism/Security Measures" (September 10), "LAN-Chile Officials Desire Background Checks on Employees to Determine Anti-Communist Sentiments" and "Key Positions in [[LAN Chile|LAN-Chile]] Airlines Given to Allende Regime Sympathizers" (December, both marked "Air Force report"), "Concern re Security of LAN-Chile Aircraft" (December 15), "Chile: The Threat of a New Cuba" (December 16), "Background Information on Reverend [[Roger Vekemans]], S.J., Alleged Left-Wing Priest Affiliated with the Christian Democratic Party," and "Boycott of Chilean Newsprint/Anti-Allende Propaganda" (December 7, 1971). In March 1970 Wackenhut guards hired to see a deported Panamanian through Miami airport onto a LAN-Chile flight copied the list of Miami contacts in his luggage for the Salvadoran consul and for the agency.[^12] +Process sheets of 1970 and 1971, with [[Justin Gleichauf]] as field office chief and R. Heller of the international division as case officer, list the company as the contact for reports on [[Panama]] ("Attempt to Establish Intelligence Apparatus in US," "List of Suspects of Subversive Activities"), [[Brazil]] ("Background on Carlos Lacerda"), [[Guatemala]], Ecuador, a photograph of a probable Soviet Mi-10 helicopter at [[Medellín]], and, in the months around the election of [[Salvador Allende]], [[Chile]]: "Expectation of Allende Victory/Fear of Industrial Violence/Interest in Developing Industrial Security Measures" (July 28, 1970), "Alessandri Leading in Election Preference/Fear of Urban Terrorism" (September 2), "[[El Mercurio]] Fear of Urban Terrorism/Security Measures" (September 10), "LAN-Chile Officials Desire Background Checks on Employees to Determine Anti-Communist Sentiments" and "Key Positions in [[LAN Chile|LAN-Chile]] Airlines Given to Allende Regime Sympathizers" (December, both marked "Air Force report"), "Concern re Security of LAN-Chile Aircraft" (December 15), "Chile: The Threat of a New Cuba" (December 16), "Background Information on Reverend [[Roger Vekemans]], S.J., Alleged Left-Wing Priest Affiliated with the Christian Democratic Party," and "Boycott of Chilean Newsprint/Anti-Allende Propaganda" (December 7, 1971). In March 1970 Wackenhut guards hired to see a deported Panamanian through Miami airport onto a LAN-Chile flight copied the list of Miami contacts in his luggage for the Salvadoran consul and for the agency.[^13] -On September 21, 1970, George Wackenhut "invited me to a demonstration of a new device his company has developed," Gleichauf reported: a transmitter "less than the size of a half pack of cigarettes" made by the subsidiary Electro-Finders, Inc., which "can be used to track vehicles as well as persons," carried "in a heel" or at the waist, recently tested by the [[Los Angeles Police Department]]. The [[Technical Services Division]] asked for a demonstration in November, and a cable under case 55539 reported that two men, Riley and Rohrer (the second name uncertain in the scan), would "be picked up by [redacted] of the Wackenhut Corporation and taken to the demonstration." Two technicians visited Coral Gables and the company was invited to demonstrate in Washington at agency expense; in May 1972 Gleichauf, by then chief of the [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] office, forwarded a brochure from "an old friend" at the company, "the system is now available on the market," recalling one of the visiting technicians as Paul Reilly.[^13] +On September 21, 1970, George Wackenhut "invited me to a demonstration of a new device his company has developed," Gleichauf reported: a transmitter "less than the size of a half pack of cigarettes" made by the subsidiary Electro-Finders, Inc., which "can be used to track vehicles as well as persons," carried "in a heel" or at the waist, recently tested by the [[Los Angeles Police Department]]. The [[Technical Services Division]] asked for a demonstration in November, and a cable under case 55539 reported that two men, Riley and Rohrer (the second name uncertain in the scan), would "be picked up by [redacted] of the Wackenhut Corporation and taken to the demonstration." Two technicians visited Coral Gables and the company was invited to demonstrate in Washington at agency expense; in May 1972 Gleichauf, by then chief of the [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] office, forwarded a brochure from "an old friend" at the company, "the system is now available on the market," recalling one of the visiting technicians as Paul Reilly.[^14] -On October 1, 1973, "a former Agency staffer now employed by the Wackenhut Corporation" passed the Miami office a tip from the Dade County Organized Crime Bureau, "with the understanding that Wackenhut would in turn convey it to the Agency": a man had been arrested "apparently in the course of installing a mike or wire," had "immediately claimed that he was on a mission for the CIA and apparently successfully avoided charges and publicity," and was "the top wire man for local State's Attorney [[Richard Gerstein]]," who "is known for his efforts to bring local conspiracy charges against the Watergate group, a plan which we believe [[Archibald Cox]] successfully blocked," and "we believe has also acted on behalf of Dade County Sheriff E. Wilson Purdy." The officer noted "for the record, we maintain some slight contact with a few Wackenhut employees, several of whom are former Agency staffers," and reported it "in the belief that [[Angus Thuermer]] and perhaps others might wish to be forewarned." In December the office recorded that a Wackenhut man had become a senior Latin American security executive of a company whose name reads as [[ITT]], "in view of the considerable interest expressed from time to time in any Agency involvement" with it. In January 1974 the company "offered this information gratuitously" on a "Cuban Terrorist Program Designed to Affect US-Bahamian Relations": "for security reasons, they have made this look like a report to a client, thus 'addressee' and 'firm' refer to CIA." A copy went to the "WH Station."[^14] +On October 1, 1973, "a former Agency staffer now employed by the Wackenhut Corporation" passed the Miami office a tip from the Dade County Organized Crime Bureau, "with the understanding that Wackenhut would in turn convey it to the Agency": a man had been arrested "apparently in the course of installing a mike or wire," had "immediately claimed that he was on a mission for the CIA and apparently successfully avoided charges and publicity," and was "the top wire man for local State's Attorney [[Richard Gerstein]]," who "is known for his efforts to bring local conspiracy charges against the Watergate group, a plan which we believe [[Archibald Cox]] successfully blocked," and "we believe has also acted on behalf of Dade County Sheriff E. Wilson Purdy." The officer noted "for the record, we maintain some slight contact with a few Wackenhut employees, several of whom are former Agency staffers," and reported it "in the belief that [[Angus Thuermer]] and perhaps others might wish to be forewarned." In December the office recorded that a Wackenhut man had become a senior Latin American security executive of a company whose name reads as [[ITT]], "in view of the considerable interest expressed from time to time in any Agency involvement" with it. In January 1974 the company "offered this information gratuitously" on a "Cuban Terrorist Program Designed to Affect US-Bahamian Relations": "for security reasons, they have made this look like a report to a client, thus 'addressee' and 'firm' refer to CIA." A copy went to the "WH Station."[^15] -By March 1974 Gleichauf, "the former Chief of the Miami and Dallas Field Offices," was himself employed at the Coral Gables headquarters and passing on what a co-worker had heard in [[Algeria]] about the identification of "CIA agents." On June 25, 1975, the chief of the service's [[Denver]] office, James M. Sommerville, answered a headquarters inquiry, prompted by a German newspaper article and repeated by a local FBI agent, about a private organization in Denver "staffed with ex-government types and performing such things as telephone taps for wealthy private citizens." His staff recalled that "shortly after the CIA expose first appeared in the New York Times, we received in the mail a brochure from The Wackenhut Corporation, 262 Havana, Denver, Colorado," describing "a private investigative service with capabilities beyond that of the average private investigator in that they are staffed with men and women formerly employed by the FBI, Secret Service and DIA," and "we also believe that under the list of services they offered was some type of electronic surveillance." They had thrown it away, and passed the recollection to the FBI "stressing that this was indeed a long shot."[^15] +By March 1974 Gleichauf, "the former Chief of the Miami and Dallas Field Offices," was himself employed at the Coral Gables headquarters and passing on what a co-worker had heard in [[Algeria]] about the identification of "CIA agents." On June 25, 1975, the chief of the service's [[Denver]] office, James M. Sommerville, answered a headquarters inquiry, prompted by a German newspaper article and repeated by a local FBI agent, about a private organization in Denver "staffed with ex-government types and performing such things as telephone taps for wealthy private citizens." His staff recalled that "shortly after the CIA expose first appeared in the New York Times, we received in the mail a brochure from The Wackenhut Corporation, 262 Havana, Denver, Colorado," describing "a private investigative service with capabilities beyond that of the average private investigator in that they are staffed with men and women formerly employed by the FBI, Secret Service and DIA," and "we also believe that under the list of services they offered was some type of electronic surveillance." They had thrown it away, and passed the recollection to the FBI "stressing that this was indeed a long shot."[^16] -On June 22, 1976, headquarters opened a new case under the same number, "LA Division Request for Contact of Wackenhut Corporation Officer." The officer was [[Bruce Berckmans]], the company's director of international operations, "a former staff agent under the LPGLOBE program" who "was asked to resign from the Agency in 1970." Through [[Tom Clines]] of the Latin America Division he "has requested contact with an Agency representative as he has information which may be of interest to the Agency," believed to concern "political developments in [[Jamaica]]"; the division "has no operational interest in Berckmans nor his company," and the Office of General Counsel had concurred. At the Wackenhut offices on June 24 Berckmans produced a letter of grievances over his forced resignation for the inspector general and said he was considering a suit; on June 28 he telephoned to say "he has decided not to sue the Agency," and on July 2 offered himself as "a normal DCD contact." The Miami office closed case 65805 on June 30, 1977: "action completed."[^16] +On June 22, 1976, headquarters opened a new case under the same number, "LA Division Request for Contact of Wackenhut Corporation Officer." The officer was [[Bruce Berckmans]], the company's director of international operations, "a former staff agent under the LPGLOBE program" who "was asked to resign from the Agency in 1970." Through [[Tom Clines]] of the Latin America Division he "has requested contact with an Agency representative as he has information which may be of interest to the Agency," believed to concern "political developments in [[Jamaica]]"; the division "has no operational interest in Berckmans nor his company," and the Office of General Counsel had concurred. At the Wackenhut offices on June 24 Berckmans produced a letter of grievances over his forced resignation for the inspector general and said he was considering a suit; on June 28 he telephoned to say "he has decided not to sue the Agency," and on July 2 offered himself as "a normal DCD contact." The Miami office closed case 65805 on June 30, 1977: "action completed."[^17] ### Federal Contracts, the Board, and the Files -The law firm of Senator [[George Smathers]] of Florida found the way around the 1893 federal statute that barred employees of private detective agencies from government work by creating a Wackenhut subsidiary that supplied only guards. The first large federal contracts, at [[Cape Canaveral]] and the Nevada Test Site, followed. The early board included Captain [[Eddie Rickenbacker]], General [[Mark W. Clark|Mark Clark]], and the [[John Birch Society]] leader [[Ralph E. Davis]]. After the [[Fair Credit Reporting Act]] took effect in 1971 the company cut its files from about 2.5 million names to about 250,000, and in 1975 it gave them to the [[Church League of America]] of [[Wheaton, Illinois]], to which [[George Wackenhut]] was a major contributor, keeping the right to consult them. The files are now in the [[Tamiment Library]] at [[New York University]].[^17][^18] +The law firm of Senator [[George Smathers]] of Florida found the way around the 1893 federal statute that barred employees of private detective agencies from government work by creating a Wackenhut subsidiary that supplied only guards. The first large federal contracts, at [[Cape Canaveral]] and the Nevada Test Site, followed. The early board included Captain [[Eddie Rickenbacker]], General [[Mark W. Clark|Mark Clark]], and the [[John Birch Society]] leader [[Ralph E. Davis]]. After the [[Fair Credit Reporting Act]] took effect in 1971 the company cut its files from about 2.5 million names to about 250,000, and in 1975 it gave them to the [[Church League of America]] of [[Wheaton, Illinois]], to which [[George Wackenhut]] was a major contributor, keeping the right to consult them. The files are now in the [[Tamiment Library]] at [[New York University]].[^18][^19] -The retired FBI agent [[William Hinshaw]] told Connolly: "It is known throughout the industry that if you want a dirty job done, call Wackenhut." [[Philip Agee]] said: "I don't have the slightest doubt that the CIA and Wackenhut overlap." Asked whether his company was an arm of the CIA, George Wackenhut answered, "No!" At the end of the interview he said to the reporter: "You've done an awful lot of research. How would you like to run all our [[New York City|New York]] operations?" Connolly reported that in June 1991 the head of the company's special investigations division, [[Wayne Black]], traveled to [[Caracas]] on an [[Abu Dhabi]] passport for a client, [[Blanca Ibanez]], to discredit the security chief of President [[Carlos Andres Perez]].[^17] +The retired FBI agent [[William Hinshaw]] told Connolly: "It is known throughout the industry that if you want a dirty job done, call Wackenhut." [[Philip Agee]] said: "I don't have the slightest doubt that the CIA and Wackenhut overlap." Asked whether his company was an arm of the CIA, George Wackenhut answered, "No!" At the end of the interview he said to the reporter: "You've done an awful lot of research. How would you like to run all our [[New York City|New York]] operations?" Connolly reported that in June 1991 the head of the company's special investigations division, [[Wayne Black]], traveled to [[Caracas]] on an [[Abu Dhabi]] passport for a client, [[Blanca Ibanez]], to discredit the security chief of President [[Carlos Andres Perez]].[^18] ### Horsch -The [[Philadelphia]] filmmaker [[R.C. Horsch]] said in a recorded interview that after leaving high school in 1961 he worked freelance for Wackenhut, "a security firm staffed by FBI agents," until about 1965. "I bugged telephones and committed burglaries for them," he said. "The burglaries were mostly to install electronics or bug telephones or just things like burglarizing a potential client to demonstrate that their security was not up to par." He said one regular client, introduced as "Mr. Smith," was [[Howard Hunt|E. Howard Hunt]] of the CIA, and described jobs at the [[Fairchild Hiller]] plant in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]], in [[Trenton, New Jersey]], and in Philadelphia. Horsch was convicted in later years of forgery, counterfeiting, and passport fraud.[^19] The CIA memorandum of March 26, 1963, lists Philadelphia among the company's offices.[^3] When the Secret Service arrested Horsch, then Raymond Hoersch, for counterfeiting in December 1974, authorities described him as unemployed and quoted him as saying that he "hadn't worked for 11 years."[^20] In May 1962 [[Charles B. Flack Jr.]], a former FBI agent, merged his investigative firm into Wackenhut and became district manager of its Philadelphia office at 2 Penn Center Plaza, with responsibility, as he wrote to the FBI, "for the operation in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey area." From April 24, 1962, to January 5, 1965, FBI headquarters barred its offices from any contact with the company, on the ground that it had used misleading advertisements and traded on the former FBI affiliation of its staff, and that its officials had "reportedly engaged in personal misconduct and questionable business activities." The company's prospectus of March 1966 listed among its ten largest customers of 1965 the "Republic Aviation Division of Fairchild Hiller Corporation," whose plant was at [[Farmingdale, New York|Farmingdale]] on [[Long Island]], and described a service guiding industrial concerns through [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] security regulations; it stated that the company "does not engage in business espionage."[^21] On May 18, 1967, George Wackenhut told the Senate subcommittee of [[Edward V. Long]] under oath: "as a private investigating concern the Wackenhut Corp. has never in its entire history tapped a telephone wire. I am under oath, sir. So help me God, we never tapped a telephone wire." Asked about miniature transmitters, he said: "We have used them. We used the radio transmitters until the ban against them last year by the [[Federal Communications Commission]]." He also denied under oath that a 1957 report of his on corruption in [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]] drew on wiretaps; in a letter to the subcommittee of June 5, 1967, he wrote that "there were a few references to information in the Miami Beach report which had been obtained by others from the tapping of a telephone line."[^22] No document located names a Hoersch or Horsch in connection with the company. +The [[Philadelphia]] filmmaker [[R.C. Horsch]] said in a recorded interview that after leaving high school in 1961 he worked freelance for Wackenhut, "a security firm staffed by FBI agents," until about 1965. "I bugged telephones and committed burglaries for them," he said. "The burglaries were mostly to install electronics or bug telephones or just things like burglarizing a potential client to demonstrate that their security was not up to par." He said one regular client, introduced as "Mr. Smith," was [[Howard Hunt|E. Howard Hunt]] of the CIA, and described jobs at the [[Fairchild Hiller]] plant in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]], in [[Trenton, New Jersey]], and in Philadelphia. Horsch was convicted in later years of forgery, counterfeiting, and passport fraud.[^20] The CIA memorandum of March 26, 1963, lists Philadelphia among the company's offices.[^4] When the Secret Service arrested Horsch, then Raymond Hoersch, for counterfeiting in December 1974, authorities described him as unemployed and quoted him as saying that he "hadn't worked for 11 years."[^21] In May 1962 [[Charles B. Flack Jr.]], a former FBI agent, merged his investigative firm into Wackenhut and became district manager of its Philadelphia office at 2 Penn Center Plaza, with responsibility, as he wrote to the FBI, "for the operation in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey area." From April 24, 1962, to January 5, 1965, FBI headquarters barred its offices from any contact with the company, on the ground that it had used misleading advertisements and traded on the former FBI affiliation of its staff, and that its officials had "reportedly engaged in personal misconduct and questionable business activities." The company's prospectus of March 1966 listed among its ten largest customers of 1965 the "Republic Aviation Division of Fairchild Hiller Corporation," whose plant was at [[Farmingdale, New York|Farmingdale]] on [[Long Island]], and described a service guiding industrial concerns through [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] security regulations; it stated that the company "does not engage in business espionage."[^22] On May 18, 1967, George Wackenhut told the Senate subcommittee of [[Edward V. Long]] under oath: "as a private investigating concern the Wackenhut Corp. has never in its entire history tapped a telephone wire. I am under oath, sir. So help me God, we never tapped a telephone wire." Asked about miniature transmitters, he said: "We have used them. We used the radio transmitters until the ban against them last year by the [[Federal Communications Commission]]." He also denied under oath that a 1957 report of his on corruption in [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]] drew on wiretaps; in a letter to the subcommittee of June 5, 1967, he wrote that "there were a few references to information in the Miami Beach report which had been obtained by others from the tapping of a telephone line."[^23] No document located names a Hoersch or Horsch in connection with the company. ### Schaefer -[[Gerard John Schaefer]], the Martin County deputy convicted of two murders in 1973, worked as a security guard in Florida in 1970, between his dismissal from two teaching posts and his entry into the Wilton Manors police, for Wackenhut by one account and Florida Power & Light by another.[^23] +[[Gerard John Schaefer]], the Martin County deputy convicted of two murders in 1973, worked as a security guard in Florida in 1970, between his dismissal from two teaching posts and his entry into the Wilton Manors police, for Wackenhut by one account and Florida Power & Light by another.[^24] ### Florida, 1967 -On January 13, 1967, FBI headquarters instructed its Florida offices to give Kirk's investigators nothing: "The Bureau does not recognize the Wackenhut Corporation as a properly constituted law enforcement agency." The order was repeated by telephone on April 3, after Kirk had seen the attorney general. [[Hank Messick]], the Miami Herald crime reporter whose articles had led to the indictment of two county sheriffs in 1966, and to whom the bureau had itself been passing leads, joined Wackenhut that December and left after six weeks. "I quit the Wackenhut Corp. because I have reluctantly concluded a cruel hoax is being perpetrated upon the people of Florida," he said. He objected that the company kept as a private client Sir [[Stafford Sands]], the former Bahamian minister with gambling interests, while it was supposed to be pursuing [[Meyer Lansky]]. Wackenhut replied: "I do not find it necessary to dignify Mr. Messick's remarks with a reply." In September 1967 the Miami office reported the reaction of an informant inside the [[Bonanno crime family|Bonanno family]] to press reports that a "contract" had been let on the Dade County state attorney, Richard Gerstein, a tip that "had been 'leaked' to the press by GERSTEIN'S office, which had received the tip from a Wackenhut Detective Agency source." The informant "stated that this was the biggest laugh to hit Miami in some time, in that GERSTEIN was, and still is, 'their' number one connection in the Miami area." He said: "Them guys, including Wackenhut, and all the locals haven't yet come close to us. The only people who have the proper line on us are those in the FBI."[^24] A former Wackenhut detective, [[Norman Casper]], later worked as an informant for the [[Internal Revenue Service]] against the [[Castle Bank and Trust|Castle Bank]] in the [[Bahamas]].[^25] +On January 13, 1967, FBI headquarters instructed its Florida offices to give Kirk's investigators nothing: "The Bureau does not recognize the Wackenhut Corporation as a properly constituted law enforcement agency." The order was repeated by telephone on April 3, after Kirk had seen the attorney general. [[Hank Messick]], the Miami Herald crime reporter whose articles had led to the indictment of two county sheriffs in 1966, and to whom the bureau had itself been passing leads, joined Wackenhut that December and left after six weeks. "I quit the Wackenhut Corp. because I have reluctantly concluded a cruel hoax is being perpetrated upon the people of Florida," he said. He objected that the company kept as a private client Sir [[Stafford Sands]], the former Bahamian minister with gambling interests, while it was supposed to be pursuing [[Meyer Lansky]]. Wackenhut replied: "I do not find it necessary to dignify Mr. Messick's remarks with a reply." In September 1967 the Miami office reported the reaction of an informant inside the [[Bonanno crime family|Bonanno family]] to press reports that a "contract" had been let on the Dade County state attorney, Richard Gerstein, a tip that "had been 'leaked' to the press by GERSTEIN'S office, which had received the tip from a Wackenhut Detective Agency source." The informant "stated that this was the biggest laugh to hit Miami in some time, in that GERSTEIN was, and still is, 'their' number one connection in the Miami area." He said: "Them guys, including Wackenhut, and all the locals haven't yet come close to us. The only people who have the proper line on us are those in the FBI."[^25] A former Wackenhut detective, [[Norman Casper]], later worked as an informant for the [[Internal Revenue Service]] against the [[Castle Bank and Trust|Castle Bank]] in the [[Bahamas]].[^26] -In the course of Governor Kirk's campaign Wackenhut told the legislature that "overlord of the whole state's criminal syndicates" was [[Santos Trafficante, Jr.|Santo Trafficante]], "longtime [[Trafficante crime family|Tampa Mafia]] boss, now living in Miami." The clippings are in the FBI's Miami file on the company. Trafficante's casino manager in [[Havana]], [[Lewis McWillie]], had been visited there in 1959 by his friend [[Jack Ruby]], and a CIA memorandum in the [[Warren Commission]]'s files reported that Trafficante, while held by [[Fidel Castro]]'s government that year, was "frequently visited" by "an American gangster" named "Ruby." McWillie told the House committee in 1978 that he had twice visited the detention camp and seen Trafficante there, and was not clear whether Ruby had gone with him. The FBI's four files on the company contain no reference to Ruby, to McWillie, or to a Wackenhut office in [[Texas]] before 1968.[^25][^26][^27] +In the course of Governor Kirk's campaign Wackenhut told the legislature that "overlord of the whole state's criminal syndicates" was [[Santos Trafficante, Jr.|Santo Trafficante]], "longtime [[Trafficante crime family|Tampa Mafia]] boss, now living in Miami." The clippings are in the FBI's Miami file on the company. Trafficante's casino manager in [[Havana]], [[Lewis McWillie]], had been visited there in 1959 by his friend [[Jack Ruby]], and a CIA memorandum in the [[Warren Commission]]'s files reported that Trafficante, while held by [[Fidel Castro]]'s government that year, was "frequently visited" by "an American gangster" named "Ruby." McWillie told the House committee in 1978 that he had twice visited the detention camp and seen Trafficante there, and was not clear whether Ruby had gone with him. The FBI's four files on the company contain no reference to Ruby, to McWillie, or to a Wackenhut office in [[Texas]] before 1968.[^26][^27][^28] ### The Assassinations Committee -The security file reached the public through the [[House Select Committee on Assassinations]]. On January 6, 1978, the committee's chief counsel, [[G. Robert Blakey]], sent the CIA a request for 38 files. Item 18 was E. Howard Hunt. Item 19 was "[[Jim Garrison]] aka Wackenhut Corp.," item 28 "Garrison 1967 investigation," and item 36 "Southern Research Corp." The [[National Photographic Interpretation Center]] answered on January 30 that it had "no documented information or files on the [[Southern Research Company|Southern Research Corporation]], presently known as the Wackenhut Corporation." The [[CIA Office of Logistics|Office of Logistics]] found under item 36 contract actions with Wackenhut for 1970 to 1975 in the management information system of the Directorate of Science and Technology. [[Bruce Solie]] of the [[CIA Office of Security|Office of Security]] certified on July 18, 1978, that committee staff had reviewed the Wackenhut file "in conjunction with the HSCA's investigation into the deaths of President [[John F. Kennedy]] and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." His memorandum adds: "Under procedures established with the HSCA, certain items of information were not reviewed by HSCA staff members. These items were placed in envelopes, sealed, appropriately identified, and put back into the security file prior to HSCA review." Material the staff did see was marked "with a green circular dot."[^28] +The security file reached the public through the [[House Select Committee on Assassinations]]. On January 6, 1978, the committee's chief counsel, [[G. Robert Blakey]], sent the CIA a request for 38 files. Item 18 was E. Howard Hunt. Item 19 was "[[Jim Garrison]] aka Wackenhut Corp.," item 28 "Garrison 1967 investigation," and item 36 "Southern Research Corp." The [[National Photographic Interpretation Center]] answered on January 30 that it had "no documented information or files on the [[Southern Research Company|Southern Research Corporation]], presently known as the Wackenhut Corporation." The [[CIA Office of Logistics|Office of Logistics]] found under item 36 contract actions with Wackenhut for 1970 to 1975 in the management information system of the Directorate of Science and Technology. [[Bruce Solie]] of the [[CIA Office of Security|Office of Security]] certified on July 18, 1978, that committee staff had reviewed the Wackenhut file "in conjunction with the HSCA's investigation into the deaths of President [[John F. Kennedy]] and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." His memorandum adds: "Under procedures established with the HSCA, certain items of information were not reviewed by HSCA staff members. These items were placed in envelopes, sealed, appropriately identified, and put back into the security file prior to HSCA review." Material the staff did see was marked "with a green circular dot."[^29] -The pairing of the names goes back to [[New Orleans]]. The lawyers who defended [[Clay Shaw]] against District Attorney Garrison's conspiracy charge, [[Edward Wegmann]] and his brother William, engaged two firms of former federal agents, Wackenhut and [[Holloway Associates]] of Texas. Edward Wegmann's files, given to the [[Assassination Records Review Board]] by his daughter in 1995, show Wackenhut men reporting to the defense with the WDSU television reporter [[Rick Townley]] on April 19, 1967, and interviewing the Cuban exile [[Carlos Bringuier]] on May 9. The researcher who first went through the files wrote that Wackenhut "was the same company that did the reports for [[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern Airlines]] in the dismissal proceedings against [[David Ferrie]]. The firm was then called Southern Research." The company's own histories do not mention the name, and the phrase "presently known as" first appears in Blakey's letter. [[Louisiana]]'s corporate register shows a Southern Research Company, Inc., chartered in [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]] on December 2, 1958, which absorbed a polygraph firm, [[Truth Verification of Louisiana]], in 1973 and is still in business, with sister companies in [[Baton Rouge]] and [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]]. Its New Orleans company, Southern Research Company of New Orleans, Inc., was chartered on September 5, 1963. It filed notice of dissolution on October 5, 1967, and was dissolved on December 13. The Wackenhut Corporation had qualified to do business in Louisiana on May 3, 1965. Shaw was arrested on March 1, 1967. The CIA rescinded George Wackenhut's security approval the following month.[^29] +The pairing of the names goes back to [[New Orleans]]. The lawyers who defended [[Clay Shaw]] against District Attorney Garrison's conspiracy charge, [[Edward Wegmann]] and his brother William, engaged two firms of former federal agents, Wackenhut and [[Holloway Associates]] of Texas. Edward Wegmann's files, given to the [[Assassination Records Review Board]] by his daughter in 1995, show Wackenhut men reporting to the defense with the WDSU television reporter [[Rick Townley]] on April 19, 1967, and interviewing the Cuban exile [[Carlos Bringuier]] on May 9. The researcher who first went through the files wrote that Wackenhut "was the same company that did the reports for [[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern Airlines]] in the dismissal proceedings against [[David Ferrie]]. The firm was then called Southern Research." The company's own histories do not mention the name, and the phrase "presently known as" first appears in Blakey's letter. [[Louisiana]]'s corporate register shows a Southern Research Company, Inc., chartered in [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]] on December 2, 1958, which absorbed a polygraph firm, [[Truth Verification of Louisiana]], in 1973 and is still in business, with sister companies in [[Baton Rouge]] and [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]]. Its New Orleans company, Southern Research Company of New Orleans, Inc., was chartered on September 5, 1963. It filed notice of dissolution on October 5, 1967, and was dissolved on December 13. The Wackenhut Corporation had qualified to do business in Louisiana on May 3, 1965. Shaw was arrested on March 1, 1967. The CIA rescinded George Wackenhut's security approval the following month.[^30] -The New Orleans office of Southern Research was run by [[Joseph Oster]], a former city police detective who had worked for [[Guy Banister]]. A credit report of July 1960 in a CIA security file describes him as vice president of "Southern Research, Inc., whose home office is in Shreveport," a firm of ten or twelve employees, and as having come to it from "[[Guy Banister Associates|Guy B------ Associates]], Inc." Oster told a lawyer for the Assassination Records Review Board in January 1996 that he had left Banister "because Banister was getting more involved in controversial political causes, to the detriment of attracting paying clients," that he had investigated Ferrie for Eastern Air Lines in 1962 and 1963, and that he had gone with the district attorney's men to Ferrie's house on the night of the assassination. He left the firm in the middle 1960s. The president of the Shreveport company, [[Thomas Ostendorff]], gave the board its file on Ferrie, number 11-N-224. Wegmann's records, the board wrote, "indicate that the Shaw defense team had retained Southern Research Company as of mid-1967," a witness before the [[Orleans Parish]] grand jury was asked in January 1969 whether he had been "interviewed by Southern Research or any investigating firm that is doing Shaw's investigation," and a file on [[Gordon Novel]] records that Southern Research interviewed his lawyer, [[Steven Plotkin]], on April 7, 1967. "Mr. Oster stated that neither he nor Southern Research had worked for the Clay Shaw defense team." The board's lawyer noted "the conflicting accounts we have found."[^30] +The New Orleans office of Southern Research was run by [[Joseph Oster]], a former city police detective who had worked for [[Guy Banister]]. A credit report of July 1960 in a CIA security file describes him as vice president of "Southern Research, Inc., whose home office is in Shreveport," a firm of ten or twelve employees, and as having come to it from "[[Guy Banister Associates|Guy B------ Associates]], Inc." Oster told a lawyer for the Assassination Records Review Board in January 1996 that he had left Banister "because Banister was getting more involved in controversial political causes, to the detriment of attracting paying clients," that he had investigated Ferrie for Eastern Air Lines in 1962 and 1963, and that he had gone with the district attorney's men to Ferrie's house on the night of the assassination. He left the firm in the middle 1960s. The president of the Shreveport company, [[Thomas Ostendorff]], gave the board its file on Ferrie, number 11-N-224. Wegmann's records, the board wrote, "indicate that the Shaw defense team had retained Southern Research Company as of mid-1967," a witness before the [[Orleans Parish]] grand jury was asked in January 1969 whether he had been "interviewed by Southern Research or any investigating firm that is doing Shaw's investigation," and a file on [[Gordon Novel]] records that Southern Research interviewed his lawyer, [[Steven Plotkin]], on April 7, 1967. "Mr. Oster stated that neither he nor Southern Research had worked for the Clay Shaw defense team." The board's lawyer noted "the conflicting accounts we have found."[^31] -On April 14, 1967, the FBI's [[FBI Domestic Intelligence Division|Domestic Intelligence Division]] recorded that [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Ramsey Clark]] had told reporters the bureau had investigated Shaw and cleared him. "This is not true and we so informed the Attorney General." The New Orleans office, it went on, had told "[[Charles R. Carson (Wackenhut)|Charles R. Carson]], a Wackenhut Corporation investigator, and [[Dean Andrews]]" only that it had no comment, and the bureau "has no intention of telling these or any other individuals that the Attorney General's statement is incorrect." A witness told the review board at a public hearing that the former FBI employee [[William Walter]] had said to Garrison in 1973 "that the FBI through Wackenhut, the [[Metropolitan Crime Commission]] and [[Aaron Kohn]], had wire tapped his office." On May 3, 1967, [[George Walker (Wackenhut)|George Walker]] of the company's Coral Gables headquarters gave the FBI in Miami a letter from a man who said that before the assassination a Cuban in his boarding house, known as "Cash," had remarked that to kill Kennedy one had only to excite a Cuban with a high-powered rifle.[^31] +On April 14, 1967, the FBI's [[FBI Domestic Intelligence Division|Domestic Intelligence Division]] recorded that [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Ramsey Clark]] had told reporters the bureau had investigated Shaw and cleared him. "This is not true and we so informed the Attorney General." The New Orleans office, it went on, had told "[[Charles R. Carson (Wackenhut)|Charles R. Carson]], a Wackenhut Corporation investigator, and [[Dean Andrews]]" only that it had no comment, and the bureau "has no intention of telling these or any other individuals that the Attorney General's statement is incorrect." A witness told the review board at a public hearing that the former FBI employee [[William Walter]] had said to Garrison in 1973 "that the FBI through Wackenhut, the [[Metropolitan Crime Commission]] and [[Aaron Kohn]], had wire tapped his office." On May 3, 1967, [[George Walker (Wackenhut)|George Walker]] of the company's Coral Gables headquarters gave the FBI in Miami a letter from a man who said that before the assassination a Cuban in his boarding house, known as "Cash," had remarked that to kill Kennedy one had only to excite a Cuban with a high-powered rifle.[^32] -In November 1967 [[William Harvey]], the former head of the CIA's [[Task Force W]], who was planning a law practice, asked the FBI's liaison officer, [[Sam Papich]], about "reputable private investigators that might be willing to use Harvey's services to establish contacts and investigative coverage on the Continent." The CIA's director of security, [[Howard Osborn]], recorded the answer: "Mr. Papich suggested Wackenhut Corporation or the [[Fidelifax|Fidelifax Company]] as having a good reputation in the trade." The same memorandum reports two telephone calls in October from [[Johnny Roselli|John Roselli]] asking Harvey to act as his lawyer.[^32] +In November 1967 [[William Harvey]], the former head of the CIA's [[Task Force W]], who was planning a law practice, asked the FBI's liaison officer, [[Sam Papich]], about "reputable private investigators that might be willing to use Harvey's services to establish contacts and investigative coverage on the Continent." The CIA's director of security, [[Howard Osborn]], recorded the answer: "Mr. Papich suggested Wackenhut Corporation or the [[Fidelifax|Fidelifax Company]] as having a good reputation in the trade." The same memorandum reports two telephone calls in October from [[Johnny Roselli|John Roselli]] asking Harvey to act as his lawyer.[^33] ### Controversies and Allegations @@ -120,17 +120,17 @@ Wackenhut was very active in [[El Salvador]] during the Contra war, providing em A particularly controversial aspect of Wackenhut's operations was its joint venture with the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon Indian tribe]] in Indio, California. Formalized on April 1, 1981, this partnership aimed to leverage the sovereign nation status of the Indian reservation to bypass federal jurisdiction and congressional prohibitions on arms exports. The venture, known as "[[Cabazon Arms]]," sought to establish a production facility for high-tech armaments and explosives for export to third-world countries, including the [[Contras]] in Nicaragua and nations in the [[Middle East]]. The firm was using the Cabazon reservation's tax-exempt status and its freedom from federal oversight to gain a competitive advantage in soliciting federal weapons projects.[^1][^2] -[[Dr. John Nichols]], the Cabazon tribal administrator and a former CIA agent who claimed experience going back to the Chilean destabilization program in the 1970s, secured a [[Department of Defense]] secret facility clearance for the reservation. He then proposed to Wackenhut the manufacture of various weapons systems, including 120mm combustible cartridge cases, 9mm machine pistols, laser-sighted assault weapons, sniper rifles, and portable rocket systems. The venture also explored the development of biological weapons. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] stated in a March 21, 1991 affidavit that he was Director of Research for this joint venture; the Bua report found no evidence that he was employed by Wackenhut or the joint venture.[^33][^34] He described meetings with figures like [[Robert Frye]] (president of Wackenhut Services, Inc.), John P. Nichols, and [[Peter Zokosky]], and [[Dr. Harry Fair]] of the U.S. Army's Railgun Project at Picatinny Arsenal, where Riconosciuto's scientific expertise was noted.[^1] +[[Dr. John Nichols]], the Cabazon tribal administrator and a former CIA agent who claimed experience going back to the Chilean destabilization program in the 1970s, secured a [[Department of Defense]] secret facility clearance for the reservation. He then proposed to Wackenhut the manufacture of various weapons systems, including 120mm combustible cartridge cases, 9mm machine pistols, laser-sighted assault weapons, sniper rifles, and portable rocket systems. The venture also explored the development of biological weapons. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] stated in a March 21, 1991 affidavit that he was Director of Research for this joint venture; the Bua report found no evidence that he was employed by Wackenhut or the joint venture.[^34][^35] He described meetings with figures like [[Robert Frye]] (president of Wackenhut Services, Inc.), John P. Nichols, and [[Peter Zokosky]], and [[Dr. Harry Fair]] of the U.S. Army's Railgun Project at Picatinny Arsenal, where Riconosciuto's scientific expertise was noted.[^1] -Spy reported in 1992 that Bruce Berckmans, assigned to the CIA station in Mexico City, left the agency in January 1975 "(putatively)" to become a Wackenhut international-operations vice president and left Wackenhut in 1981. According to Spy, Berckmans joined other senior Wackenhut executives in 1981 to form the company's Special Projects Division, which linked up with Nichols at the Cabazon reservation.[^35] Spy also reported that [[Eden Pastora]], seen at a night-vision test at a firing range near the reservation with Nichols and a Wackenhut executive, identified that executive, Robert Frye, as "the man from the CIA," and that Pastora later said in a conversation that he did not know Frye.[^35] +Spy reported in 1992 that Bruce Berckmans, assigned to the CIA station in Mexico City, left the agency in January 1975 "(putatively)" to become a Wackenhut international-operations vice president and left Wackenhut in 1981. According to Spy, Berckmans joined other senior Wackenhut executives in 1981 to form the company's Special Projects Division, which linked up with Nichols at the Cabazon reservation.[^36] Spy also reported that [[Eden Pastora]], seen at a night-vision test at a firing range near the reservation with Nichols and a Wackenhut executive, identified that executive, Robert Frye, as "the man from the CIA," and that Pastora later said in a conversation that he did not know Frye.[^36] -The 1993 report of Judge [[Nicholas J. Bua]] for the Department of Justice states that Frye, then president of Wackenhut Services, Inc., responded for Wackenhut when the Cabazon Security Corporation solicited capability statements in early 1981, that the April 1981 joint venture agreement was signed by Frye and by Tribal Chairman Arthur Welmas, and that the joint venture had no employees. It states that the only individual employed by Wackenhut was Frye and that the investigators found "no evidence to support Riconosciuto's claim that he and Earl Brian were employed by Wackenhut or by the joint venture."[^33] The report also states that the firms Michael Riconosciuto named in a call to the Hamiltons, Wackenhut Research, Inc., and Wackenhut Security, Inc., "do not exist."[^33] Riconosciuto's March 21, 1991 affidavit, which the report summarizes, states that he was director of research for the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture and that he modified PROMIS software for Wackenhut in 1983 and 1984.[^34] +The 1993 report of Judge [[Nicholas J. Bua]] for the Department of Justice states that Frye, then president of Wackenhut Services, Inc., responded for Wackenhut when the Cabazon Security Corporation solicited capability statements in early 1981, that the April 1981 joint venture agreement was signed by Frye and by Tribal Chairman Arthur Welmas, and that the joint venture had no employees. It states that the only individual employed by Wackenhut was Frye and that the investigators found "no evidence to support Riconosciuto's claim that he and Earl Brian were employed by Wackenhut or by the joint venture."[^34] The report also states that the firms Michael Riconosciuto named in a call to the Hamiltons, Wackenhut Research, Inc., and Wackenhut Security, Inc., "do not exist."[^34] Riconosciuto's March 21, 1991 affidavit, which the report summarizes, states that he was director of research for the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture and that he modified PROMIS software for Wackenhut in 1983 and 1984.[^35] ### PROMIS Software Modification Within the Cabazon Joint Venture, Michael Riconosciuto claimed to have modified the proprietary [[PROMIS]] computer software. This modification, allegedly spearheaded by [[Earl Brian]] and made available through [[Peter Videnieks]] of the [[Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]], was intended to facilitate the worldwide implementation of PROMIS in law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Riconosciuto's affidavit detailed his work on the software, including specific modifications for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] in [[Canada]]. This alleged pirating and modification of the PROMIS software became a central component of the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]].[^1] -It was here that the "trap door" was built into the U.S. version of PROMIS, based on [[Israel|Israeli]] information. This operation was conducted by a small CIA group, headed by [[Robert Gates]], who sought to keep it secret from the NSA due to interagency competition.[^36] +It was here that the "trap door" was built into the U.S. version of PROMIS, based on [[Israel|Israeli]] information. This operation was conducted by a small CIA group, headed by [[Robert Gates]], who sought to keep it secret from the NSA due to interagency competition.[^37] ### Danny Casolaro Investigation @@ -142,19 +142,19 @@ Beyond the Cabazon venture, Wackenhut was also implicated in other international ### Epstein -On July 13, 2009, [[Story Cowles]] wrote to [[Jeffrey Epstein]]: "Would you like to meet the wackenhut security candidates at your house, FSF or Jacks office. Friday is best for them." Epstein replied: "jacks off."[^37] A 24-page set of security officer reports on forms headed "G4S Wackenhut" covers the post at "358 El Brillo," Epstein's house in [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]]; one report, for the night shift of November 16, 2009, marks the officer as armed and records hourly perimeter checks, an office door found ajar and a gym door open, and the officer monitoring the main entrance.[^38] +On July 13, 2009, [[Story Cowles]] wrote to [[Jeffrey Epstein]]: "Would you like to meet the wackenhut security candidates at your house, FSF or Jacks office. Friday is best for them." Epstein replied: "jacks off."[^38] A 24-page set of security officer reports on forms headed "G4S Wackenhut" covers the post at "358 El Brillo," Epstein's house in [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]]; one report, for the night shift of November 16, 2009, marks the officer as armed and records hourly perimeter checks, an office door found ajar and a gym door open, and the officer monitoring the main entrance.[^39] ### Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation -[[Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation]] (WATCO) was a wholly owned subsidiary at Reston, Virginia, which the corporation's annual reports for 1985 and 1986 describe as a unique technical consulting firm offering advanced security and engineering services to government and industry, including sensor design, signal processing, systems integration, robotics and mobile intrusion detection systems, special weapons systems security and technology transfer. It contained the NUSAC division (nuclear material control and accounting, quality assurance), a Security Programs division and a Systems division.[^39] The 1985 report states that the Security Programs division was selected to formulate the conceptual design of the security system for the nuclear device assembly facility to be built at the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site; the 1986 report adds selection for the security system conceptual analysis and design engineering of the new National Training Center of the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute, and completion of a turnkey integrated perimeter and access control system for the federal government at an overseas location.[^39] +[[Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation]] (WATCO) was a wholly owned subsidiary at Reston, Virginia, which the corporation's annual reports for 1985 and 1986 describe as a unique technical consulting firm offering advanced security and engineering services to government and industry, including sensor design, signal processing, systems integration, robotics and mobile intrusion detection systems, special weapons systems security and technology transfer. It contained the NUSAC division (nuclear material control and accounting, quality assurance), a Security Programs division and a Systems division.[^40] The 1985 report states that the Security Programs division was selected to formulate the conceptual design of the security system for the nuclear device assembly facility to be built at the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site; the 1986 report adds selection for the security system conceptual analysis and design engineering of the new National Training Center of the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute, and completion of a turnkey integrated perimeter and access control system for the federal government at an overseas location.[^40] -The Florida corporation behind it, document 599071, was filed on December 29, 1978, the day after the corporation announced that it had bought the assets of NUSAC, Inc., a nuclear safeguards consultancy founded in 1968 as the Nuclear Surveillance and Auditing Corporation and headed by [[Ralph F. Lumb]]. It was renamed Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation on May 8, 1984, Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center, Inc. on January 9, 1990, and dissolved administratively on August 26, 1994.[^40][^41] In spring 1984 the Journal of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management reported that [[Ralph E. Caudle]], formerly director of the Department of Energy's Office of Safeguards and Security, had been named WATCO's president and that the Systems Division, Advanced Technologies Division, Security Programs Division and NUSAC had been merged into it.[^42] +The Florida corporation behind it, document 599071, was filed on December 29, 1978, the day after the corporation announced that it had bought the assets of NUSAC, Inc., a nuclear safeguards consultancy founded in 1968 as the Nuclear Surveillance and Auditing Corporation and headed by [[Ralph F. Lumb]]. It was renamed Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation on May 8, 1984, Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center, Inc. on January 9, 1990, and dissolved administratively on August 26, 1994.[^41][^42] In spring 1984 the Journal of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management reported that [[Ralph E. Caudle]], formerly director of the Department of Energy's Office of Safeguards and Security, had been named WATCO's president and that the Systems Division, Advanced Technologies Division, Security Programs Division and NUSAC had been merged into it.[^43] -The Wackenhut annual report covering 1984 states that the Department of Energy chose Wackenhut that year to establish and operate a Safeguards and Security Central Training Academy at Albuquerque under a three-year, $5 million contract that Wackenhut Services, Inc., won against 92 companies, and that Wackenhut had guarded the Nevada Test Site since 1965.[^43] An annual report for 1989 lists Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center, Inc., at Fairfax, Virginia, with Joseph A. Navarro as president and with a Defense Systems Analysis Group serving the Army's Belvoir Research, Development and Engineering Center and the Army Survivability Management Office.[^44] A Defense Technical Information Center record lists the Fairfax company as the performing organization for a 1989 "Guide to Camouflage for Developers."[^45] The Fourth Circuit described the Center in 1992 as a subsidiary of Wackenhut International, Inc.[^46] The corporation's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 1, 1995, states that the Wackenhut Monitoring Systems and Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center divisions were sold or discontinued in 1993, with combined operating losses of about $2 million that year.[^47] +The Wackenhut annual report covering 1984 states that the Department of Energy chose Wackenhut that year to establish and operate a Safeguards and Security Central Training Academy at Albuquerque under a three-year, $5 million contract that Wackenhut Services, Inc., won against 92 companies, and that Wackenhut had guarded the Nevada Test Site since 1965.[^44] An annual report for 1989 lists Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center, Inc., at Fairfax, Virginia, with Joseph A. Navarro as president and with a Defense Systems Analysis Group serving the Army's Belvoir Research, Development and Engineering Center and the Army Survivability Management Office.[^45] A Defense Technical Information Center record lists the Fairfax company as the performing organization for a 1989 "Guide to Camouflage for Developers."[^46] The Fourth Circuit described the Center in 1992 as a subsidiary of Wackenhut International, Inc.[^47] The corporation's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 1, 1995, states that the Wackenhut Monitoring Systems and Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center divisions were sold or discontinued in 1993, with combined operating losses of about $2 million that year.[^48] -A Wackenhut newsletter describes WATCO as specializing in applied research and development in nuclear safeguards and security policy, programs and systems, places it beside Stellar Systems, Inc., of Santa Clara, California, and states that its Security Programs Division worked with the Wackenhut Training Institute. WATCO developed a Touchscreen Station, a security station replacing multiple keystroke entries with single touch commands for alarms, access control, closed-circuit television and other sensors, and the newsletter notes that three WATCO officers, each a former Army officer with law enforcement or security experience, earned Certified Protection Professional status in the same year.[^48] A Wackenhut nuclear services brochure in the same papers also lists a Wackenhut Anti-Terrorism and Crisis Management Division.[^49] +A Wackenhut newsletter describes WATCO as specializing in applied research and development in nuclear safeguards and security policy, programs and systems, places it beside Stellar Systems, Inc., of Santa Clara, California, and states that its Security Programs Division worked with the Wackenhut Training Institute. WATCO developed a Touchscreen Station, a security station replacing multiple keystroke entries with single touch commands for alarms, access control, closed-circuit television and other sensors, and the newsletter notes that three WATCO officers, each a former Army officer with law enforcement or security experience, earned Certified Protection Professional status in the same year.[^49] A Wackenhut nuclear services brochure in the same papers also lists a Wackenhut Anti-Terrorism and Crisis Management Division.[^50] -From September 1987 WATCO's vice president for national security studies and programs was [[James B. Motley]], a retired Army colonel who in 1984 and 1985 had been director of terrorist research and low-intensity conflict studies at the [[National Institute for Public Policy]]. A June 20, 1990 resume packet of [[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]], the Washington firm of the former FBI counterterrorism supervisor [[Carter Cornick]] and the Letelier prosecutor [[Eugene Propper]], lists him as an associate of that firm and states that at WATCO he directs operational analyses and assessments of national security issues.[^50] +From September 1987 WATCO's vice president for national security studies and programs was [[James B. Motley]], a retired Army colonel who in 1984 and 1985 had been director of terrorist research and low-intensity conflict studies at the [[National Institute for Public Policy]]. A June 20, 1990 resume packet of [[Counter Terrorism Consultants, Inc.]], the Washington firm of the former FBI counterterrorism supervisor [[Carter Cornick]] and the Letelier prosecutor [[Eugene Propper]], lists him as an associate of that firm and states that at WATCO he directs operational analyses and assessments of national security issues.[^51] ### End of Wackenhut @@ -164,51 +164,52 @@ The Wackenhut/Cabazon Joint Venture was terminated on October 1, 1984, following [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. [^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty." -[^3]: Youngblood, Fred R. "The Wackenhut Corporation," CIA memorandum for the record, CS-2793, March 26, 1963. JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10130-10472. -[^4]: Central Intelligence Agency, "Wackenhut Corporation, SF# 493 364," memorandum for the record, July 28, 1975. JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10130-10454, released in full March 18, 2025. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2025/0318/104-10130-10454.pdf -[^5]: "Florida: I, Claudius," *Time,* 1967. -[^6]: Chief of Station, JMWAVE, telepouch dispatch UFGT-21770 to Chief, WOBONE, April 24, 1968, JFK record 104-10130-10474. -[^7]: Central Intelligence Agency, transmittal and routing slips, September 5 and December 10, 1969, records 104-10130-10470 and 104-10130-10471; request for contact security approval, February to March 1971, record 104-10130-10468; Sheridan, Arthur C., memorandum to SAC, Miami Field Office, "Wackenhut Corporation #493364," April 20, 1971, record 104-10130-10469. JFK Assassination Records Collection. On VENOM: CIA memoranda of July 23, 1970 (104-10120-10117), March 19, 1971 (104-10117-10341), and May 5, 1971 (104-10122-10166), as summarized in the Mary Ferrell Foundation cryptonym database, entry "VENOM." -[^8]: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Security, cable to SAC New York field office, "Wackenhut Corp.," April 30, 1968, JFK record 104-10130-10473. -[^9]: National Archives, JFK Assassination Records Collection, record identification forms 104-10130-10459 (April 25, 1967), 104-10130-10466 (November 8, 1971), 104-10130-10463 (February 4, 1974), 104-10130-10461 (February 6, 1974), and 104-10130-10460 (February 11, 1974), agency file 80T01357A. -[^10]: Burr, William, ed. "Project Azorian: The CIA's Declassified History of the Glomar Explorer," National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 305, 2010. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb305/index.htm -[^11]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 30, 59-64, 65-66, memorandum MIM-294-67, "Initial Contact," December 13, 1967, and information reports of January 10, 1968. -[^12]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 10-13, 37-58, process sheets of March 1970 to December 1971. -[^13]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 24-29, memoranda MIM-160-70 (September 21, 1970), MIM-178-70 (October 29, 1970), the TSD request of October 29, 1970, cables of November 4, 1970, and memorandum DAL-108-72 (May 1, 1972). -[^14]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 19, 21-23, 36, cable DCD/Miami 12422, October 2, 1973; memorandum MFI-125-73, December 3, 1973; process sheet of January 1974. -[^15]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 15, 32; Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Collection Division, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corp.," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10017, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10017.pdf, pp. 4, 6-7. -[^16]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 14, 17, 18; Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Collection Division, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corp.," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10017, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10017.pdf, pp. 2, 3, 11, 13, 17-18. -[^17]: Connolly, John. "Inside the Shadow CIA," *Spy,* September 1992, pp. 46-54. -[^18]: Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University, finding aid to the Church League of America Collection of the Research Files of Counterattack, the Wackenhut Corporation, and Karl Baarslag, TAM 148. https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/tamwag/tam_148/ -[^19]: West, Ashley. "Unknowing Ray Horsch, Episode 1: Youth," *The Rialto Report,* Podcast 171, September 13, 2026, audio at 18:34 to 22:49. https://www.therialtoreport.com/2026/09/13/ray-horsch-2/ -[^20]: "[...] bogus $180,000 in Bucks raid," *The Morning Call* (Allentown), December 11, 1974, p. 5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/275702319/ -[^21]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Wackenhut Corporation," headquarters file, section 1: SAC Newark to Director, May 4, 1962, enclosing Charles B. Flack Jr. to SA James Oakley, May 1, 1962; Miami report quoting a local newspaper of May 2, 1962; J. B. Adams to Mr. Callahan, 1966, on the company's public offering; and the Preliminary Prospectus of March 25, 1966. https://archive.org/stream/WackenhutCorporation/Wackenhut%20Corp.-HQ-1_djvu.txt -[^22]: United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure, *Right of Privacy Act of 1967: Hearings*, 90th Congress, 1st session, part 2 (1967), testimony of George R. Wackenhut and his letter to the subcommittee of June 5, 1967. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-90shrg77600p2/pdf/CHRG-90shrg77600p2.pdf -[^23]: Lane, Brian. "Gerard Schaefer," *Real-Life Crimes,* Eaglemoss, 1992-93, p. 162, as cited in later accounts; the Crime Library profile gives "Florida Light and Power." No account describes his duties or names who hired him. See [[Gerard John Schaefer]]. -[^24]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami office to Director, September 15, 1967, file 92-6054, pp. 3-4, JFK record 124-10293-10312. -[^25]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, airtel to SAC Jacksonville, January 13, 1967, and memorandum recording the instruction of April 3, 1967, headquarters file on the Wackenhut Corporation; "Wackenhut Aide Quits; 'Cruel Hoax,'" *The Tampa Tribune,* February 17, 1967, and *St. Petersburg Times* clipping, Tampa file. https://archive.org/details/WackenhutCorporation ; Hougan, Jim. *Spooks*. William Morrow, 1978; House Select Committee on Assassinations, *Report,* vol. 9, pp. 802-805, and testimony of Lewis McWillie, vol. 5. -[^26]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami file 80-1229, "The Wackenhut Corporation," with clipping "Wackenhut Is 'Shocked' At Crime's Extent In State," Times-Miami Herald Service, 1967. https://archive.org/details/WackenhutCorporation -[^27]: Hougan, Jim. *Spooks: The Haunting of America: The Private Use of Secret Agents*. William Morrow, 1978, pp. 345-346, citing Warren Commission Document 206 and Commission Exhibit 1697. -[^28]: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Security, "HSCA Chrono for 1977-1978 of Reports and Requests," CIA Reading Room document 00548292; Office of Legislative Counsel, HSCA request OLC 78-0070/1, January 12, 1978, with National Photographic Interpretation Center memorandum of January 30, 1978, document 00491180; McDonald, James H., Director of Logistics, memorandum on item 36, JFK record 104-10135-10200; Solie, Bruce L. "Wackenhut Corp.," memorandum for the record, July 18, 1978, JFK record 104-10130-10450. -[^29]: DiEugenio, James. "The Wegmann Files," *Probe,* vol. 4, no. 4, May-June 1997, pp. 8-9, in the Harold Weisberg Collection, Hood College; Central Intelligence Agency, "Names Traces on OLC Requests," February 6, 1978, CIA Reading Room document 00419231, listing item 36 as "Southern Research Corp (Wachenhut Corp)." Louisiana Secretary of State, business filings, charters 24407110D (Southern Research Company, Inc.), 26310590D (Southern Research Company of New Orleans, Inc.), and 27005970F (The Wackenhut Corporation), consulted September 21, 2026. -[^30]: Golrick, Philip D. Memorandum to David G. Marwell, "Phone Conversation with Joseph Oster," January 19, 1996, and letters and subpoena to Southern Research Company, Assassination Records Review Board electronic files of Philip G. Golrick (OSTER.WPD, SOURES.WPD); Central Intelligence Agency, report of investigation, September 13, 1960, JFK record 104-10109-10379, p. 14; Orleans Parish Grand Jury, testimony of Arthur Bidderson, January 9, 1969; Assassination Records Review Board, file inventory (082395.WPD). All consulted at the Mary Ferrell Foundation archive. -[^31]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Domestic Intelligence Division, informative note, April 14, 1967, JFK record 124-10369-10048; Assassination Records Review Board, public hearing transcript, testimony of James DiEugenio, p. 89; FBI Miami, memorandum of May 10, 1967, headquarters file 62-109060, section 129, p. 166. -[^32]: Osborn, Howard J. Memorandum for the record, November 8, 1967, JFK record 104-10133-10076. -[^33]: United States Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua on the INSLAW matter (1993), section on the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture, printed pp. 55 to 58 and footnotes 32 and 35. Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf -[^34]: Report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua on the INSLAW matter (1993), printed pp. 42 to 43 (March 21, 1991 affidavit, paragraph 44 as quoted). -[^35]: John Connolly, "Inside the Shadow CIA," *Spy,* September 1992, pp. 46-54. Sole source for the Special Projects Division passage and the Pastora identification and retraction. https://www.prop1.org/legal/prisons/92wack.htm -[^36]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992. -[^37]: Epstein, Jeffrey, reply to Story Cowles, "Re: Wackenhut," email, July 13, 2009, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01829732. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01829732.pdf -[^38]: G4S Wackenhut, Security Officer Reports, client facility "358 El Brillo," November 2009, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01157725. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01157725.pdf -[^39]: The Wackenhut Corporation, annual reports for 1985 and 1986, sections on Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-CompanyReportsannualQuarterly," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. -[^40]: Nuclear Materials Management (Journal of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management), vol. 8, no. 1 (Spring 1979), "Wackenhut Corporation Purchases NUSAC, Inc."; vol. 4, no. 1 (Spring 1975), "NUSAC" (company established 1968 as the Nuclear Surveillance and Auditing Corporation). https://resources.inmm.org/system/files/jnmm/vol_08/V-8_1.pdf and https://resources.inmm.org/system/files/jnmm/vol_04/V-4_1.pdf -[^41]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, "Detail by Entity Name" and "Name History," document 599071. https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/WACKENHUT%20ADVANCED/Page1 -[^42]: Nuclear Materials Management, vol. 13, no. 1 (Spring 1984), "Ralph E. Caudle Heads Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation." https://resources.inmm.org/system/files/jnmm/vol_13/V-13_1.pdf -[^43]: The Wackenhut Corporation, annual report covering 1984, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-CompanyReportsannualQuarterly," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks (passages on the Safeguards and Security Central Training Academy and the Nevada Test Site). -[^44]: The Wackenhut Corporation, annual report placed as 1989, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-CompanyReportsannualQuarterly," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks (the last pages carry 1989 results and a first-quarter 1990 interim report), pages on the Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center and the list of major subsidiaries. -[^45]: Defense Technical Information Center, accession ADA216700, citation record. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA216700 -[^46]: Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center, Inc. v. Sygnetron Protection Systems, Inc., 979 F.2d 980 (4th Cir. 1992). https://static.case.law/f2d/979/cases/0980-01.json -[^47]: The Wackenhut Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 1, 1995, filed March 23, 1995. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/104030/0000912057-95-001626.txt -[^48]: Wackenhut newsletter (titled *Pipeline* in the scan), undated issue, passages on The Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation, WATCO's Touchscreen Station and "New CPP's at WATCO," Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Newsletters," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. -[^49]: Wackenhut Corporation, nuclear services brochure, undated, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut - Newsletters," https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files. -[^50]: CounterTerrorism Consultants, L.P., "Proudly Presents The Resumes of its Associates," fax copy dated June 20, 1990, pages 141 P10 and 141 P11, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. +[^3]: Jim Keith, *The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro* (Feral House, 1996), index entries "Carlucci, Frank" and "Inman, Bobby Ray." https://archive.org/details/jim-keith-the-octopus-secret-government-and-the-death-of-danny-casolaro_2 +[^4]: Youngblood, Fred R. "The Wackenhut Corporation," CIA memorandum for the record, CS-2793, March 26, 1963. JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10130-10472. +[^5]: Central Intelligence Agency, "Wackenhut Corporation, SF# 493 364," memorandum for the record, July 28, 1975. JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10130-10454, released in full March 18, 2025. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2025/0318/104-10130-10454.pdf +[^6]: "Florida: I, Claudius," *Time,* 1967. +[^7]: Chief of Station, JMWAVE, telepouch dispatch UFGT-21770 to Chief, WOBONE, April 24, 1968, JFK record 104-10130-10474. +[^8]: Central Intelligence Agency, transmittal and routing slips, September 5 and December 10, 1969, records 104-10130-10470 and 104-10130-10471; request for contact security approval, February to March 1971, record 104-10130-10468; Sheridan, Arthur C., memorandum to SAC, Miami Field Office, "Wackenhut Corporation #493364," April 20, 1971, record 104-10130-10469. JFK Assassination Records Collection. On VENOM: CIA memoranda of July 23, 1970 (104-10120-10117), March 19, 1971 (104-10117-10341), and May 5, 1971 (104-10122-10166), as summarized in the Mary Ferrell Foundation cryptonym database, entry "VENOM." +[^9]: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Security, cable to SAC New York field office, "Wackenhut Corp.," April 30, 1968, JFK record 104-10130-10473. +[^10]: National Archives, JFK Assassination Records Collection, record identification forms 104-10130-10459 (April 25, 1967), 104-10130-10466 (November 8, 1971), 104-10130-10463 (February 4, 1974), 104-10130-10461 (February 6, 1974), and 104-10130-10460 (February 11, 1974), agency file 80T01357A. +[^11]: Burr, William, ed. "Project Azorian: The CIA's Declassified History of the Glomar Explorer," National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 305, 2010. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb305/index.htm +[^12]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 30, 59-64, 65-66, memorandum MIM-294-67, "Initial Contact," December 13, 1967, and information reports of January 10, 1968. +[^13]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 10-13, 37-58, process sheets of March 1970 to December 1971. +[^14]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 24-29, memoranda MIM-160-70 (September 21, 1970), MIM-178-70 (October 29, 1970), the TSD request of October 29, 1970, cables of November 4, 1970, and memorandum DAL-108-72 (May 1, 1972). +[^15]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 19, 21-23, 36, cable DCD/Miami 12422, October 2, 1973; memorandum MFI-125-73, December 3, 1973; process sheet of January 1974. +[^16]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 15, 32; Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Collection Division, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corp.," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10017, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10017.pdf, pp. 4, 6-7. +[^17]: Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Contact Service, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corporation," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10016, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10016.pdf, pp. 14, 17, 18; Central Intelligence Agency, Domestic Collection Division, case file 65805, "Wackenhut Corp.," JFK Assassination Records Collection, record 104-10291-10017, released 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10291-10017.pdf, pp. 2, 3, 11, 13, 17-18. +[^18]: Connolly, John. "Inside the Shadow CIA," *Spy,* September 1992, pp. 46-54. +[^19]: Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University, finding aid to the Church League of America Collection of the Research Files of Counterattack, the Wackenhut Corporation, and Karl Baarslag, TAM 148. https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/tamwag/tam_148/ +[^20]: West, Ashley. "Unknowing Ray Horsch, Episode 1: Youth," *The Rialto Report,* Podcast 171, September 13, 2026, audio at 18:34 to 22:49. https://www.therialtoreport.com/2026/09/13/ray-horsch-2/ +[^21]: "[...] bogus $180,000 in Bucks raid," *The Morning Call* (Allentown), December 11, 1974, p. 5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/275702319/ +[^22]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Wackenhut Corporation," headquarters file, section 1: SAC Newark to Director, May 4, 1962, enclosing Charles B. Flack Jr. to SA James Oakley, May 1, 1962; Miami report quoting a local newspaper of May 2, 1962; J. B. Adams to Mr. Callahan, 1966, on the company's public offering; and the Preliminary Prospectus of March 25, 1966. https://archive.org/stream/WackenhutCorporation/Wackenhut%20Corp.-HQ-1_djvu.txt +[^23]: United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure, *Right of Privacy Act of 1967: Hearings*, 90th Congress, 1st session, part 2 (1967), testimony of George R. Wackenhut and his letter to the subcommittee of June 5, 1967. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-90shrg77600p2/pdf/CHRG-90shrg77600p2.pdf +[^24]: Lane, Brian. "Gerard Schaefer," *Real-Life Crimes,* Eaglemoss, 1992-93, p. 162, as cited in later accounts; the Crime Library profile gives "Florida Light and Power." No account describes his duties or names who hired him. See [[Gerard John Schaefer]]. +[^25]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami office to Director, September 15, 1967, file 92-6054, pp. 3-4, JFK record 124-10293-10312. +[^26]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, airtel to SAC Jacksonville, January 13, 1967, and memorandum recording the instruction of April 3, 1967, headquarters file on the Wackenhut Corporation; "Wackenhut Aide Quits; 'Cruel Hoax,'" *The Tampa Tribune,* February 17, 1967, and *St. Petersburg Times* clipping, Tampa file. https://archive.org/details/WackenhutCorporation ; Hougan, Jim. *Spooks*. William Morrow, 1978; House Select Committee on Assassinations, *Report,* vol. 9, pp. 802-805, and testimony of Lewis McWillie, vol. 5. +[^27]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami file 80-1229, "The Wackenhut Corporation," with clipping "Wackenhut Is 'Shocked' At Crime's Extent In State," Times-Miami Herald Service, 1967. https://archive.org/details/WackenhutCorporation +[^28]: Hougan, Jim. *Spooks: The Haunting of America: The Private Use of Secret Agents*. William Morrow, 1978, pp. 345-346, citing Warren Commission Document 206 and Commission Exhibit 1697. +[^29]: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Security, "HSCA Chrono for 1977-1978 of Reports and Requests," CIA Reading Room document 00548292; Office of Legislative Counsel, HSCA request OLC 78-0070/1, January 12, 1978, with National Photographic Interpretation Center memorandum of January 30, 1978, document 00491180; McDonald, James H., Director of Logistics, memorandum on item 36, JFK record 104-10135-10200; Solie, Bruce L. "Wackenhut Corp.," memorandum for the record, July 18, 1978, JFK record 104-10130-10450. +[^30]: DiEugenio, James. "The Wegmann Files," *Probe,* vol. 4, no. 4, May-June 1997, pp. 8-9, in the Harold Weisberg Collection, Hood College; Central Intelligence Agency, "Names Traces on OLC Requests," February 6, 1978, CIA Reading Room document 00419231, listing item 36 as "Southern Research Corp (Wachenhut Corp)." Louisiana Secretary of State, business filings, charters 24407110D (Southern Research Company, Inc.), 26310590D (Southern Research Company of New Orleans, Inc.), and 27005970F (The Wackenhut Corporation), consulted September 21, 2026. +[^31]: Golrick, Philip D. Memorandum to David G. Marwell, "Phone Conversation with Joseph Oster," January 19, 1996, and letters and subpoena to Southern Research Company, Assassination Records Review Board electronic files of Philip G. Golrick (OSTER.WPD, SOURES.WPD); Central Intelligence Agency, report of investigation, September 13, 1960, JFK record 104-10109-10379, p. 14; Orleans Parish Grand Jury, testimony of Arthur Bidderson, January 9, 1969; Assassination Records Review Board, file inventory (082395.WPD). All consulted at the Mary Ferrell Foundation archive. +[^32]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Domestic Intelligence Division, informative note, April 14, 1967, JFK record 124-10369-10048; Assassination Records Review Board, public hearing transcript, testimony of James DiEugenio, p. 89; FBI Miami, memorandum of May 10, 1967, headquarters file 62-109060, section 129, p. 166. +[^33]: Osborn, Howard J. Memorandum for the record, November 8, 1967, JFK record 104-10133-10076. +[^34]: United States Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua on the INSLAW matter (1993), section on the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture, printed pp. 55 to 58 and footnotes 32 and 35. Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf +[^35]: Report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua on the INSLAW matter (1993), printed pp. 42 to 43 (March 21, 1991 affidavit, paragraph 44 as quoted). +[^36]: John Connolly, "Inside the Shadow CIA," *Spy,* September 1992, pp. 46-54. Sole source for the Special Projects Division passage and the Pastora identification and retraction. https://www.prop1.org/legal/prisons/92wack.htm +[^37]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992. +[^38]: Epstein, Jeffrey, reply to Story Cowles, "Re: Wackenhut," email, July 13, 2009, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01829732. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01829732.pdf +[^39]: G4S Wackenhut, Security Officer Reports, client facility "358 El Brillo," November 2009, U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01157725. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01157725.pdf +[^40]: The Wackenhut Corporation, annual reports for 1985 and 1986, sections on Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-CompanyReportsannualQuarterly," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. +[^41]: Nuclear Materials Management (Journal of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management), vol. 8, no. 1 (Spring 1979), "Wackenhut Corporation Purchases NUSAC, Inc."; vol. 4, no. 1 (Spring 1975), "NUSAC" (company established 1968 as the Nuclear Surveillance and Auditing Corporation). https://resources.inmm.org/system/files/jnmm/vol_08/V-8_1.pdf and https://resources.inmm.org/system/files/jnmm/vol_04/V-4_1.pdf +[^42]: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, "Detail by Entity Name" and "Name History," document 599071. https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResults/EntityName/WACKENHUT%20ADVANCED/Page1 +[^43]: Nuclear Materials Management, vol. 13, no. 1 (Spring 1984), "Ralph E. Caudle Heads Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation." https://resources.inmm.org/system/files/jnmm/vol_13/V-13_1.pdf +[^44]: The Wackenhut Corporation, annual report covering 1984, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-CompanyReportsannualQuarterly," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks (passages on the Safeguards and Security Central Training Academy and the Nevada Test Site). +[^45]: The Wackenhut Corporation, annual report placed as 1989, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-CompanyReportsannualQuarterly," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks (the last pages carry 1989 results and a first-quarter 1990 interim report), pages on the Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center and the list of major subsidiaries. +[^46]: Defense Technical Information Center, accession ADA216700, citation record. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA216700 +[^47]: Wackenhut Applied Technologies Center, Inc. v. Sygnetron Protection Systems, Inc., 979 F.2d 980 (4th Cir. 1992). https://static.case.law/f2d/979/cases/0980-01.json +[^48]: The Wackenhut Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 1, 1995, filed March 23, 1995. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/104030/0000912057-95-001626.txt +[^49]: Wackenhut newsletter (titled *Pipeline* in the scan), undated issue, passages on The Wackenhut Advanced Technologies Corporation, WATCO's Touchscreen Station and "New CPP's at WATCO," Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Newsletters," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. +[^50]: Wackenhut Corporation, nuclear services brochure, undated, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut - Newsletters," https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files. +[^51]: CounterTerrorism Consultants, L.P., "Proudly Presents The Resumes of its Associates," fax copy dated June 20, 1990, pages 141 P10 and 141 P11, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. diff --git a/40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/USS Liberty Incident.md b/40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/USS Liberty Incident.md index 57368b76..4a5689a4 100644 --- a/40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/USS Liberty Incident.md +++ b/40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/USS Liberty Incident.md @@ -65,13 +65,19 @@ A longer declaration signed by Boston and dated January 8, 2004, at Coronado, Ca The NSA's oral history interviews with personnel aboard the ship, conducted in 1980 and posted with the agency's USS Liberty release, contain divergent recollections. Terry McFarland, asked about the helicopter, answered "It was an Israeli helicopter," and said that he learned from others on the bridge, sometime after the helicopter left, that the attackers were Israeli.[^20] James O'Connor, asked whether the helicopter was well marked as Israeli, answered "Yes, I think it was." He also recounted a story, which he said he could not confirm, that "supposedly only a couple of us on the ship knew that there was an Israeli submarine out there."[^21] Richard Harvey, asked whether there was a feeling at the time that the attack might have been deliberate, answered "There was speculation but, I don't know that anybody had really any substance to base it on." The interviewer, Henry Millington, said in the same exchange that among the documentation collected was a report the Israelis turned over to the State Department in which, in his words, they "frankly admit that their reconnaissance forces did know, before the attack, that that was a U.S. ship," and that "the word never got down to the operating forces." Harvey replied that he had heard the claim, and that the speculation he had heard rested on the view that Israeli intelligence was too good not to know what the ship was.[^22] +### Former NSA officials on deliberate intent, 2003 + +Oliver Kirby, the NSA's deputy director for operations and production, said that within weeks of the attack he read signals intelligence transcripts and staff reports of Israeli pilots' conversations recorded during it, and that the intercepts made it "absolutely certain" that the pilots knew the ship was American.[^23] Retired Air Force major general John Morrison, the agency's second-in-command, said he had been informed of Kirby's findings at the time and endorsed them.[^23] + +On March 5, 2003, [[Bobby Ray Inman]], NSA director from 1977 to 1981, said he "flatly rejected" the "Cristol/Israeli thesis" of an accidental attack. "It is just exceedingly difficult to believe that [the Liberty] was not correctly identified," Inman said, and he based the view on talks with NSA seniors who had direct knowledge at the time.[^23] William Odom, a former NSA director, said on March 3, 2003 that the deliberateness of the attack "just wasn't a disputed issue" within the agency.[^23] + ### Moorer commission The Independent Commission of Inquiry chaired by Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, whose findings were introduced into the Congressional Record by [[John Conyers]], issued findings in October 2003. Its fourth finding is that "there is compelling evidence that Israel's attack was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew." Its sixth finding is that the White House "deliberately prevented the U.S. Navy from coming to the defense of the Liberty by recalling Sixth Fleet military rescue support while the ship was under attack." The commission's published biographies describe Moorer as chairman of the Liberty Alliance, an organization dedicated to obtaining an investigation of the attack.[^16] ### Israeli inquiry and apologies -On June 14, Commodore [[Shlomo Erell]], commander of the Israeli Navy, presented apologies to the American naval attaché and said the incident was a "great mistake."[^23] On June 17 an aide to the Israeli chief of staff, [[Yitzhak Rabin]], gave the American naval attaché the synopsis of the findings of the Israeli court of inquiry, read from a Hebrew document. The synopsis stated that "the attack on USS Liberty was not in malice; there was no criminal negligence and the attack was made by innocent mistake," attributed the attack to a chain of three mistakes, and stated that "the officers who knew of the identification of Liberty early the same morning did not connect Liberty with the unidentified ships said to be shelling El-Arish." It also stated, in the words of the inquiry officer, that "a grave additional mistake not less decisive than the three above mistakes made by IDF was made by the Liberty itself." The aide mentioned that the Israeli government had received a statement from the United States saying that the Liberty had been identified six hours before the attack rather than one hour as stated in an earlier American communication. The attaché's own evaluation, in the same telegram, called the Israeli standing order to attack any ship moving at more than 20 knots "incomprehensible" and described two of the Israeli justifications as mutually contradictory.[^24] A CIA memorandum of June 21 reported the preliminary findings of the Israeli court as "not in malice" and "innocent mistake."[^9] +On June 14, Commodore [[Shlomo Erell]], commander of the Israeli Navy, presented apologies to the American naval attaché and said the incident was a "great mistake."[^24] On June 17 an aide to the Israeli chief of staff, [[Yitzhak Rabin]], gave the American naval attaché the synopsis of the findings of the Israeli court of inquiry, read from a Hebrew document. The synopsis stated that "the attack on USS Liberty was not in malice; there was no criminal negligence and the attack was made by innocent mistake," attributed the attack to a chain of three mistakes, and stated that "the officers who knew of the identification of Liberty early the same morning did not connect Liberty with the unidentified ships said to be shelling El-Arish." It also stated, in the words of the inquiry officer, that "a grave additional mistake not less decisive than the three above mistakes made by IDF was made by the Liberty itself." The aide mentioned that the Israeli government had received a statement from the United States saying that the Liberty had been identified six hours before the attack rather than one hour as stated in an earlier American communication. The attaché's own evaluation, in the same telegram, called the Israeli standing order to attack any ship moving at more than 20 knots "incomprehensible" and described two of the Israeli justifications as mutually contradictory.[^25] A CIA memorandum of June 21 reported the preliminary findings of the Israeli court as "not in malice" and "innocent mistake."[^9] ### Settlement, 1980 @@ -101,5 +107,6 @@ On December 18, 1980, the United States and Israel announced the settlement of A [^20]: National Security Agency, Oral History Interview with Terry L. McFarland, June 23, 1980 (OH-1980-26). https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/18/2002804900/-1/-1/0/INTERVIEW_T_MCFARLAND.PDF. Copy of the NSA USS Liberty gallery, captured by the Wayback Machine, at https://web.archive.org/web/20210928195052/https://www.nsa.gov/Helpful-Links/NSA-FOIA/Declassification-Transparency-Initiatives/Historical-Releases/USS-Liberty/ [^21]: National Security Agency, Oral History Interview NSA-OH-21-80 with CDR James G. O'Connor, May 22, 1980. https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/18/2002804901/-1/-1/0/INTERVIEW_J_OCONNER.PDF. Sole source for the submarine story, which O'Connor recounts as a story passed among the crew. [^22]: National Security Agency, Oral History Interview with Richard Harvey, July 16, 1980 (OH-1980-29). https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/18/2002804909/-1/-1/0/INTERVIEW_R_HARVEY.PDF. The Millington statement appears in the interviewer's question in the same transcript. -[^23]: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, vol. XIX, Document 289, Telegram from the Defense Attache Office, Tel Aviv, June 15, 1967, reporting Erell's June 14 presentation of apologies. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v19/d289 -[^24]: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, vol. XIX, Document 307, Telegram from the Defense Attache Office in Israel to the White House, June 18, 1967, "Israeli Court of Inquiry in USS Liberty incident." https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v19/d307 +[^23]: David C. Walsh, "Former NSA Officials Agree," *Proceedings*, June 2003, Vol. 129/6/1,204. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2003/june/former-nsa-officials-agree +[^24]: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, vol. XIX, Document 289, Telegram from the Defense Attache Office, Tel Aviv, June 15, 1967, reporting Erell's June 14 presentation of apologies. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v19/d289 +[^25]: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, vol. XIX, Document 307, Telegram from the Defense Attache Office in Israel to the White House, June 18, 1967, "Israeli Court of Inquiry in USS Liberty incident." https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v19/d307 diff --git a/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/Epstein Files.md b/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/Epstein Files.md index e7f605ca..bbaeee50 100644 --- a/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/Epstein Files.md +++ b/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/Epstein Files.md @@ -84,6 +84,10 @@ On September 1, 2026, Massie and Khanna began collecting signatures on a dischar Data Set 9 of the library contains EFTA01204007, an undated photograph of the business card of [[Stephen Deckoff]], managing principal of [[Black Diamond Capital Management]], whose entity bought [[Little St. James]] and [[Great St. James]] from the estate in 2023. The document numbered immediately before it, EFTA01204006, is a screenshot of an aviation application with a 5:40 PM AST radar timestamp and the route "TIST KEWR," St. Thomas to Newark.[^28] Two May 16, 2014 email chains, EFTA02383246 and EFTA02583238, record [[Richard Kahn]] asking the pilot [[Larry Visoski]] to "poke around tonight about Black Diamond Trading," Visoski replying at 5:40 PM with the type and tail number of the Black Diamond Learjet, N114BD, then writing "Here you go Rich ask and ye shall receive," and Kahn asking Epstein whether Visoski should "meet the aircraft and poke around with them tonight."[^29] +### St. Thomas FBO flight notices + +A message dated October 1, 2012 from Francisco D'Agostino to [[Todd Meister]] gives the arrival of a flight at the St. Thomas fixed-base operator of [[Alliance Aviation]] at 12:15 PM and the tail number N3FD. Meister forwarded it to Jeffrey Epstein and to Lesley Groff; Groff then wrote to Epstein that Meister was going to the island the next day with a Venezuelan friend and that Larry Visoski would collect them by helicopter. The Library's search for "N3FD" returns 29 documents in Data Sets 9 and 10.[^30][^31] FAA records show the mark N3FD on a Wittman W-8 (registration cancelled in 1994) and an Extra EA300/200 (cancelled March 15, 2005, exported to Germany), and as reserved since July 21, 2022; no aircraft was registered under it in October 2012.[^32] The FBO is the [[St. Thomas Jet Center]]. + ### Footnotes [^1]: U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, unsigned memorandum on the review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein, July 7, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline @@ -115,3 +119,6 @@ Data Set 9 of the library contains EFTA01204007, an undated photograph of the bu [^27]: Erin Kelly, "Massie seeks signatures to force vote on second Epstein files bill," Spectrum News 1, September 1, 2026. https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2026/09/01/massie-discharge-petition-epstein [^28]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01204007 (photograph of a business card) and EFTA01204006 (screenshot of an aviation application), DataSet 9, undated. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204007.pdf and https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01204006.pdf [^29]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02383246, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Jeffrey Epstein," May 16, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02383246.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02583238, DataSet 11, email chain headed "Re: Barn," May 16, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02583238.pdf +[^30]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00644307, DataSet 9, email from Todd Meister to Jeffrey Epstein, "Fwd: Flight," October 1, 2012. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00644307.pdf ; EFTA00403869, DataSet 9, Meister to Lesley Groff. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403869.pdf ; EFTA00403872, DataSet 9, Groff to Epstein. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf +[^31]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, in-page search for "N3FD" (29 results), including DataSet 10 copies EFTA01889076, EFTA02034231, EFTA02157575, EFTA02157629 and EFTA02158009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein +[^32]: Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, DEREG.txt and RESERVED.txt entries for 3FD, retrieved October 8, 2026. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=3FD diff --git a/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Hungary.md b/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Hungary.md index 04d2556c..f5fcda23 100644 --- a/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Hungary.md +++ b/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Hungary.md @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ --- created: 2026-05-15 -updated: 2026-05-17 +updated: 2026-10-08 title: Hungary aliases: - Hungarian People's Republic @@ -33,7 +33,13 @@ Hungary's communist government, weakened by economic difficulties and Kadar's re Hungary became a [[NATO]] member in 1999 and a [[European Union]] member in 2004. Under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in power since 2010, Hungary developed an authoritarian-nationalist government that has repeatedly clashed with European Union institutions over democratic standards.[^2] +### Embassy registrations in Washington, 1993 to 2002 + +The Hungarian embassy in Washington registered two law firms as its agents under the [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]]. [[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]] (registration 4772) filed on March 1, 1993 for the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary, with Ambassador [[Pál Tar]] as the official dealing with the registrant, under a retainer agreement for December 1992 through December 1993 at $8,334 a month; its services were assistance with administrative and legislative strategies, with securing economic aid from the United States, and with raising Hungary's visibility in United States funding and foreign policy deliberations. The firm's statement for April to September 1994 reports a payment of $49,999.98 from the embassy on May 27, 1994 and lists its work on Budapest Expo '96, including fifteen contacts with the office of Representative [[Tom Lantos]]. A registrant's amendment gives August 5, 1994 as the date the embassy ceased to be a principal.[^3] [[Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC]] (registration 3694) filed on September 25, 2000 for the Embassy of Hungary, with Ambassador [[Géza Jeszenszky]] as the contact, under a one-year engagement at $10,000 a month for foreign operations legislation; its statement for June to December 2000 lists contacts on foreign military sales assistance to Hungary with congressional staff and the National Security Council, and on elections in Yugoslavia and minority rights with the [[Helsinki Commission]] staff and the State Department. The firm terminated the registration in May 2002.[^4] [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]] signed the Exhibit B of each registration and is the individual named in the short forms.[^3][^4] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Gati, Charles. *Failed Illusions: Moscow, Washington, Budapest, and the 1956 Hungarian Revolt.* Stanford University Press, 2006. Lendvai, Paul. *One Day That Shook the Communist World: The 1956 Hungarian Uprising and Its Legacy.* Princeton University Press, 2008. -[^2]: Kornai, Janos. *From Socialism to Capitalism: Eight Essays.* Central European University Press, 2008. \ No newline at end of file +[^2]: Kornai, Janos. *From Socialism to Capitalism: Eight Essays.* Central European University Press, 2008. +[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 4772, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker: Exhibit A and Exhibit B with Retainer Agreement, March 1, 1993 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Exhibit-AB-19930301-D1Y3N102.pdf); Supplemental Statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Supplemental-Statement-19940930-DHFIFJ02.pdf); Amendment received May 1, 1995 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Amendment-19950501-DHFJ1K02.pdf). +[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 3694, Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC: Exhibits A and B with engagement letter of September 14, 2000 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3694-Exhibit-AB-20000925-GTYJTV01.pdf); Supplemental Statement for June 25 to December 24, 2000 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3694-Supplemental-Statement-20001224-GKCAF601.pdf); Amendment of May 20, 2002 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3694-Amendment-20020520-GWISEQ03.pdf). diff --git a/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 Promotional Material.md b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 Promotional Material.md index 91ec4811..177c726d 100644 --- a/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 Promotional Material.md +++ b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 Promotional Material.md @@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ The Brunswick sheet reads "RAW / Rifleman's Assault Weapon / for / Urban Warfare In another folder of the same papers, a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* clipping of February 19, 1991 reports an affidavit by [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] stating that [[Carlos Cardoen]] told him in January 1989 that he had brokered a sale of [[PROMIS]] by [[Earl Brian]] to an Iraqi military intelligence representative, consummated in Santiago. Brian called the allegations "nonsense."[^4] -On May 26, 1993 a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Cardoen, his company and Swissco over zirconium and fuze components exported to Chile for cluster bombs sold to Iraq.[^5] On January 31, 1995 [[Howard Teicher]], who had served on the National Security Council staff from 1982 to 1987, signed a declaration in the case stating that "the CIA authorized, approved and assisted Cardoen in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs." The declaration was sealed.[^6] +On May 26, 1993 a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Cardoen, his company and Swissco over zirconium and fuze components exported to Chile for cluster bombs sold to Iraq.[^5] On January 31, 1995 [[Howard Teicher]], who had served on the National Security Council staff from 1982 to 1987, signed a declaration in the case stating that "the CIA authorized, approved and assisted Cardoen in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs." The declaration was sealed.[^6] Robert Parry reported that the government sealed it as a state secret while attacking Teicher's credibility, and that Teicher was kept from testifying; Consortium News reported that a federal grand jury heard testimony on a complaint over the defense's filing of an affidavit in the case.[^6][^8] + +On November 8, 1996 the United States served a corrective declaration that Teicher had signed on October 3. In it he wrote that lawyers for Teledyne had drafted the January text, that he had not reviewed his National Security Council files since 1987, and that his statements in paragraphs 15 through 18 were his best memory and belief rather than "categorical statements of fact." He wrote that he was "not aware of any specific evidence that the United States government or any government official or agency took steps to help Cardoen obtain any U.S.-origin components for use in cluster bombs." The corrective declaration does not address paragraph 14 of the January text, which describes the supply of Cardoen's cluster bombs to Iraq as an "extension" of United States policy.[^7][^6] [^1]: Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," items BD|AI|PM-01 to PM-05, https://archive.org/download/casolaro-notebooks/PromotionalMaterial.pdf. [^2]: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, *Nomination of Robert M. Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence*, S. Exec. Rept. 102-19, October 24, 1991, section 5, https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-filesations-10219.pdf (PDF pages 186 to 188). @@ -38,3 +40,5 @@ On May 26, 1993 a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Cardoen, his company and [^4]: *St. Louis Post-Dispatch*, February 19, 1991, "Stolen Software Scattered: Affidavits Allege Sales To Iraqis And Israelis," clipping in the INSLAW folder of the Casolaro papers, https://archive.org/download/casolaro-notebooks/InslawIi_djvu.txt. [^5]: *United States v. Cardoen*, 898 F. Supp. 1563 (S.D. Fla. 1995), No. 93-241-CR, https://static.case.law/f-supp/898/cases/1563-01.json. [^6]: Declaration of Howard Teicher, January 31, 1995, *United States v. Cardoen*, No. 93-241-CR (S.D. Fla.), paragraphs 14 to 18, as transcribed at http://spikethenews.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-teicher-affidavit.html; Robert Parry, "Iraqgate: Confession and Cover-up," *Extra!*, 1995, https://scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0212/S00074.htm. +[^7]: Corrective declaration of Howard R. Teicher, October 3, 1996, *United States v. Cardoen*, No. 93-241-CR-Highsmith (S.D. Fla.), https://archive.org/details/utf-893cr-241-de-679. +[^8]: Consortium News, "Iraqgate Cover-Up Goes After Defense Lawyers," https://consortiumnews.com/archive/story1.html. diff --git a/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Jet Center.md b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Jet Center.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..ccd0fd0e --- /dev/null +++ b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Jet Center.md @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +--- +title: "The Jet Center" +date: 2026-10-08 +status: published +summary: "Epstein's staff tracked arrivals at St. Thomas's private-aviation terminal: a 2012 landing under a tail number no aircraft held, and a 2014 Black Diamond Learjet whose owners were said to be bidding for the terminal." +entities: + - "[[St. Thomas Jet Center]]" + - "[[Alliance Aviation]]" + - "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]" + - "[[Larry Visoski]]" + - "[[Lesley Groff]]" + - "[[Todd Meister]]" + - "[[Richard Kahn]]" + - "[[Stephen Deckoff]]" + - "[[Black Diamond Capital Management]]" + - "[[Signature Flight Support]]" +tags: + - Epstein + - StThomas + - Aviation +--- +# The Jet Center + +St. Thomas Jet Center is the fixed-base operator for private aircraft at [[Cyril E. King Airport]] on [[St. Thomas]], and runs the lower-cost operator [[Alliance Aviation]] at the same field. [[Michael Hancock]] and [[Susan Hancock]] bought it from the Boehlke family in 2002.[^1] + +On October 1, 2012 a message to [[Todd Meister]] read: "We will land at 12:15PM in St. Thomas FBO: Alliance Aviation. Tail # N3FD." Meister forwarded the message to [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and to [[Lesley Groff]], who wrote to Epstein, copying the pilot [[Larry Visoski]], that Meister would be "going to the island tomorrow with his Venezuelan friend and that Larry is to pick them up in the helicopter upon arrival."[^2] The Justice Department's Epstein Library returns 29 documents for "N3FD."[^3] The FAA's records list two earlier aircraft under the mark, a Wittman W-8 cancelled in 1994 and an Extra 300 exported to Germany in 2005; no aircraft was registered as N3FD in October 2012, and the mark has been held in reserve since July 2022.[^4] + +On May 16, 2014 Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]] asked Visoski to "poke around tonight about Black Diamond Trading," a company he had heard was trying to buy the Jet Center. At 5:40 PM Visoski sent Kahn "LearJet 60," "N114BD" and "Is Blackdiamond," and wrote that "They arrived this evening at 7 PM in the Learjet, can you ask if you want me to introduce myself?" Kahn asked Epstein whether Larry should "meet the aircraft and poke around with them tonight." The reply from the account "jeffrey E." reads "yes why not?"[^5] The Epstein Library also holds a photograph of the business card of [[Stephen Deckoff]], founder of [[Black Diamond Capital Management]], numbered next to a screenshot of an aviation application showing a St. Thomas to Newark route at 5:40 PM.[^6] The FAA lists the Learjet 60, serial 166, as registered to Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC from 2004.[^7] + +In November 2018 [[Signature Flight Support]] agreed to buy St. Thomas Jet Center with Alliance Aviation, taking 49 percent at signing and the rest within 14 months.[^1] On April 19, 2024 the FAA registered an EC135 helicopter, N615BD, to Stephen H. Deckoff as an individual in St. Thomas.[^8] + +[^1]: Curt Epstein, "Signature Acquires Virgin Islands Bases," *Aviation International News*, November 1, 2018, https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-11-01/signature-acquires-virgin-islands-bases; Lori Abbotts, "St. Thomas Jet Center forms joint venture with Signature Flight Support," *Virgin Islands Daily News*, November 5, 2018. +[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00644307 and EFTA00403869 (Meister, "Fwd: Flight," October 1, 2012) and EFTA00403872 (Groff to Epstein, "Todd Meister," October 1, 2012), DataSet 9, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00403872.pdf. +[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, search for "N3FD," 29 results, https://www.justice.gov/epstein. +[^4]: Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, DEREG.txt and RESERVED.txt entries for 3FD, and N-Number Inquiry Results for N3FD, retrieved October 8, 2026, https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=3FD. +[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02383246 and EFTA02583238, DataSet 11, May 16, 2014, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02583238.pdf. +[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01204007 and EFTA01204006, DataSet 9, undated. +[^7]: Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, DEREG.txt entry for N112BD (Learjet 60, serial 166) and registry listing for N114BD, certificate December 9, 2004, Black Diamond Aviation Group LLC, https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip. +[^8]: Federal Aviation Administration, N-Number Inquiry Results for N615BD, retrieved October 8, 2026, https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=615BD. diff --git a/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Transmittal.md b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Transmittal.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a380d0ad --- /dev/null +++ b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-08 The Transmittal.md @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +--- +title: "The Transmittal" +date: 2026-10-08 +status: published +summary: "The 1985 opinion said to have cleared a contra arms shipment rests on one 1992 newspaper account; the Iran-Contra record holds only a cover note from Studley's lawyer, who later shared firms with Barcella." +entities: + - "[[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]]" + - "[[Frank Koszorus Jr.]]" + - "[[Barbara Studley]]" + - "[[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]]" + - "[[John Singlaub]]" + - "[[Paul L. Perito]]" + - "[[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]]" + - "[[House October Surprise Task Force]]" + - "[[Hungary]]" +tags: + - IranContra + - OctoberSurprise + - GeoMiliTech + - FARA +--- +# The Transmittal + +In March 1992 the House task force on the October Surprise hired [[E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr.]] as its chief counsel; its report of January 1993 found "no credible evidence" of an October Surprise deal.[^6] On May 29, 1992 the *Hartford Courant* reported that in the summer of 1985, while an assistant United States attorney, Barcella had given a legal opinion clearing a private $5 million shipment of Soviet-bloc arms to the Nicaraguan contras, arranged by [[John Singlaub]] and [[Barbara Studley]] of [[GeoMiliTech Consultants Corp.]] The Courant quoted Studley's 1991 deposition: asked who in the Justice Department approved the shipment, she answered, "Larry Barcella signed it." Barcella told the paper that "somebody in the government came to me," that he checked with the State Department's Office of Munitions Control and the Justice Department's internal security office, and that he "orally passed that back to the person that had made the request of me." The United States attorney, [[Joseph diGenova]], first said, "Larry would never have done that," and a week later said, "Larry was sought out by a lot of people in intelligence."[^1] + +The congressional Iran-Contra record holds one letter from Studley's lawyer. On April 28, 1987 [[Frank Koszorus Jr.]], on the letterhead of Finley, Kumble in Washington, wrote to the House committee's assistant counsel [[Kenneth Ballen]]: "During your telephone conference with Paul L. Perito this afternoon, you requested a copy of the memorandum from Barbara F. Studley's file regarding Oliver North. Please find enclosed a copy of that memorandum." The letter says nothing of a shipment or an opinion.[^2] In 1992 Koszorus told the Courant he was "not at all certain that she was ever issued a written opinion."[^1] + +The Courant reported that Barcella had gone into private practice in June 1986 "initially at the same firm where Koszorus, Studley's lawyer, worked," without naming it.[^1] Thirty-one partners of Finley, Kumble's Washington office formed [[Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc]] in January 1988. Koszorus was described as a partner there in April 1989, and Barcella was described as a partner there when he left in July 1991, the month a Paul Perito, a name partner, moved to [[Paul Hastings|Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker]].[^3][^4] Whether that Paul Perito is the Paul L. Perito of the 1987 letter is not established in the records found. + +On March 1, 1993 Paul, Hastings registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act for the Embassy of the Republic of [[Hungary]], at $8,334 a month, with Koszorus signing as attorney. The firm's supplemental statement, sworn by Koszorus, lists Barcella as having become a partner on July 18, 1994.[^5] + +[^1]: Lyn Bixby, "Head of Iran Hostage Probe Linked to Arms Deal," *Hartford Courant*, May 29, 1992, https://www.courant.com/1992/05/29/head-of-iran-hostage-probe-linked-to-arms-deal/. +[^2]: Letter from Frank Koszorus Jr., Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, to Kenneth Ballen, April 28, 1987, Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, Appendix B, vol. 12, p. 1040, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152840_0234. +[^3]: *In re Washington, Perito & Dubuc*, 154 B.R. 853 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 1993), https://static.case.law/br/154/cases/0853-01.json; Sharon Walsh and Saundra Torry, "Washington, Perito Law Firm Losing Additional Attorneys," *The Washington Post*, July 20, 1991. +[^4]: *Fraternity-Testvériség*, April 1989 (Koszorus a partner of Laxalt, Washington, Perito & Dubuc); *Chicago Tribune*, July 23, 1991 (Barcella "partner at Washington, Perito & Dubuc"). +[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act, registration 4772, Exhibits A and B, March 1, 1993, https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Exhibit-AB-19930301-D1Y3N102.pdf, and Supplemental Statement for the six months ending September 30, 1994, https://efile.fara.gov/docs/4772-Supplemental-Statement-19940930-DHFIFJ02.pdf. +[^6]: Joint Report of the Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980, H. Rept. 102-1102, January 3, 1993.