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5
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Art Carduner.md
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@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ relations:
end: 1975
fn: 1
created: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Art Carduner (about 1919 to December 4, 2009) was a [[Philadelphia]] bookseller, book reviewer and exhibitor of foreign and art films who owned the [[Bandbox Theater]] in [[Germantown, Philadelphia|Germantown]] from 1966 to 1975. In February 1975, after the [[Arcadia Theatre (Philadelphia)|Arcadia]] cancelled a midnight showing of *[[Black Mass (1975 film)|Black Mass]]* by Ray Hoersch, later [[R.C. Horsch]], following what the *Inquirer* called reported pressure from the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Philadelphia Archdiocese]], Carduner gave the film a midnight screening at the Bandbox.[^1][^2]
@ -27,10 +27,11 @@ Carduner grew up in [[New York City]] and came to Philadelphia in 1941. Before t
### Hoersch
The Bandbox's connection with Hoersch predates *Black Mass*. When the city's [[Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections|Department of Licenses and Inspections]] closed Hoersch's [[Underground Cinema 16]] in late 1969, the Bandbox ran the Vietnam documentary *[[In the Year of the Pig]]*, which Cinema 16 had under contract.[^3] On February 28, 1975, the *Inquirer* reported that *Black Mass* "will be shown at the Germantown Bandbox Theater this Saturday at midnight," according to "the Bandbox's Art Carduner, who gave the film a new home," as a benefit for the Friends of the Bandbox, with Hoersch attending.[^2]
The Bandbox's connection with Hoersch predates *Black Mass*. When the city's [[Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections|Department of Licenses and Inspections]] closed Hoersch's [[Underground Cinema 16]] in late 1969, the Bandbox ran the Vietnam documentary *[[In the Year of the Pig]]*, which Cinema 16 had under contract.[^3] On February 28, 1975, the *Inquirer* reported that *Black Mass* "will be shown at the Germantown Bandbox Theater this Saturday at midnight," according to "the Bandbox's Art Carduner, who gave the film a new home," as a benefit for the Friends of the Bandbox, with Hoersch attending.[^2] The *Inquirer*'s news story of the same date reported that the center-city house called the report of its booking "a mistake."[^4]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Morrison, John F. "Art Carduner, a pioneer in exhibiting foreign films in Phila.," *The Philadelphia Inquirer,* December 9, 2009. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20091209_Art_Carduner__a_pioneer_in_exhibiting_foreign_films_in_Phila_.html
[^2]: [Society and nightlife column], *The Philadelphia Inquirer,* February 28, 1975, p. 21. https://www.newspapers.com/image/173366667/
[^3]: *The Distant Drummer,* no. 65, December 25, 1969, p. 8, Temple University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center. https://digital.library.temple.edu/digital/collection/p16002coll34/id/473
[^4]: "Protest Raised Here On 'Black Mass' Film," *The Philadelphia Inquirer,* February 28, 1975, p. 11. https://www.newspapers.com/image/173364962/

35
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Danny Casolaro.md
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@ -61,15 +61,21 @@ Casolaro had packed his notes, handwritten outlines, a 12-page Riconosciuto memo
The Martinsburg police report on the death was obtained by the Australian researcher Peter Osborne through a Freedom of Information Act request filed in 2004, according to a *CovertAction Magazine* article by Jeremy Kuzmarov of October 16, 2024, which also stated that [[Christian Hansen]] and [[Zachary Treitz]], the producers of the Netflix series *American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders*, had received a copy in 2014.[^5] The article reported that the report includes a witness sketch of a man seen entering and leaving Casolaro's room on the day he was found dead, and that the man "bears strong resemblance to Major Joseph Cuellar."[^5] A Justice Department review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine records a different witness account: a guest in an adjoining room saw someone matching Casolaro's general description enter room 517 with a key at about 9:00 p.m. on August 9, 1991, carrying a brown paper bag, and did not see the man's face; the same text states that no one was seen entering or leaving the room on the morning of August 10.[^6] [[Joseph Cuellar]] had made contact with Casolaro weeks earlier at a local bar. Cuellar talked of his exploits in the Army special forces, and Casolaro asked him repeatedly to arrange a meeting with [[Peter Videnieks]], the DOJ contracting official central to the PROMIS case, to question him about Riconosciuto's March 1991 affidavit. The Justice Department's 1994 review of the Bua report recorded that Videnieks' wife works for Senator [[Robert Byrd]], and that Cuellar said a former fiancée had worked with her in the Senator's Capitol Hill office. Cuellar called Videnieks, who refused.[^1][^7]
The 1994 Justice Department review of the Bua report addressed the allegation that Videnieks was involved in the death. The review found "no evidence whatsoever" of his involvement and recorded that Videnieks said he had been at a summer cottage in New York state from August 5 to August 11, 1991. His personnel records reflect leave in that period, and a credit card receipt shows a purchase at a bookstore in Oneonta, New York, on August 9. The review found no evidence linking Cuellar to the death, and recorded that Cuellar was in Washington, D.C., on August 10, 1991.[^8]
A March 14, 1994 letter from [[Charles R. Work]], counsel for Bill Hamilton and Nancy Hamilton of INSLAW, to [[John C. Dwyer]], written after a March 1, 1994 meeting attended by [[Steven E. Zipperstein]] and [[Scott A. Erskine]], states that Erskine had confirmed a statement that Martinsburg police took from a hotel maid. According to the letter, the maid saw a man leave Casolaro's room on the Saturday morning of the death, and the statement described him as a man in his 30s with "an excellent sun tan," wearing a tee-shirt, dark slacks and deck shoes. The letter asked whether this was the "dark-skinned man" whom press accounts described Casolaro waiting for in the hotel bar on the Thursday evening before his death.[^8]
A later passage of a Justice Department copy of the review records William Turner's account, relayed by the Hamiltons, that Casolaro planned to meet in Martinsburg with Peter Videnieks, Cuellar, an unidentified person from Senator Robert Byrd's office, an unidentified IRS employee and the attorney [[Robert Altman]]. The same passage records a report by a caller to the [[Unsolved Mysteries]] hotline of seeing [[Clark Clifford]] and Altman driving in Martinsburg on the day of Casolaro's death in a late-model Chevrolet Caprice, and states: "We have no reason to believe either of these claims."[^9]
[[Fox News]] reported in March 2024 that Martinsburg police granted a public records request by Hansen dated 2013, and that the police file contained statements from another woman in the hotel who said she saw a dark-haired man enter Casolaro's room on the evening of his death. Kuzmarov's October 2024 article gave 2014 as the year Hansen and Treitz received a copy of the report.[^10]
The 1994 Justice Department review of the Bua report addressed the allegation that Videnieks was involved in the death. The review found "no evidence whatsoever" of his involvement and recorded that Videnieks said he had been at a summer cottage in New York state from August 5 to August 11, 1991. His personnel records reflect leave in that period, and a credit card receipt shows a purchase at a bookstore in Oneonta, New York, on August 9. The review found no evidence linking Cuellar to the death, and recorded that Cuellar was in Washington, D.C., on August 10, 1991.[^11]
### Congressional and Official Findings
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, stated that "the physical evidence in Casolaro's hotel room strongly supports the conclusion of the local authorities that the death was a suicide," found no DOJ influence on the local investigation, and stated that "there was ample reason to believe Casolaro had a motive to commit suicide," noting that he had been unemployed for months, was dependent on family for support, faced a balloon mortgage, and had been told by a prospective publisher shortly before his death that it would not advance him money on his proposed book about the "Octopus."[^9]
The Bua Report, completed in March 1993, stated that "the physical evidence in Casolaro's hotel room strongly supports the conclusion of the local authorities that the death was a suicide," found no DOJ influence on the local investigation, and stated that "there was ample reason to believe Casolaro had a motive to commit suicide," noting that he had been unemployed for months, was dependent on family for support, faced a balloon mortgage, and had been told by a prospective publisher shortly before his death that it would not advance him money on his proposed book about the "Octopus."[^12]
The Bua report listed the tests it relied on: handwriting analysis confirming that Casolaro wrote the note found in the room; fingerprint analysis finding his prints and none other except a single print on an ash tray; hair and fiber analysis; an analysis of the bloodstains by Dr. Lee of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory consistent with suicide; and an autopsy finding hemorrhage from the wrist wounds as the cause of death and no evidence that he was unconscious or debilitated when cut. It addressed criticisms that the room was not sealed, that notification of next of kin was delayed while the body was embalmed, and that Martinsburg authorities discounted suspicions about his "sources," stating that "no credible evidence suggested that any of Casolaro's 'sources' played any role in his death." The report also records that Michael Riconosciuto, in a lawsuit against Bua, alleged that one of the FBI agents assigned to the investigation had murdered Casolaro; the district court dismissed the suit as patently frivolous (*Riconosciuto v. Bua*, No. 92 C 6217, N.D. Ill.).[^10]
The Bua report listed the tests it relied on: handwriting analysis confirming that Casolaro wrote the note found in the room; fingerprint analysis finding his prints and none other except a single print on an ash tray; hair and fiber analysis; an analysis of the bloodstains by Dr. Lee of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory consistent with suicide; and an autopsy finding hemorrhage from the wrist wounds as the cause of death and no evidence that he was unconscious or debilitated when cut. It addressed criticisms that the room was not sealed, that notification of next of kin was delayed while the body was embalmed, and that Martinsburg authorities discounted suspicions about his "sources," stating that "no credible evidence suggested that any of Casolaro's 'sources' played any role in his death." The report also records that Michael Riconosciuto, in a lawsuit against Bua, alleged that one of the FBI agents assigned to the investigation had murdered Casolaro; the district court dismissed the suit as patently frivolous (*Riconosciuto v. Bua*, No. 92 C 6217, N.D. Ill.).[^13]
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]
@ -81,9 +87,9 @@ 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.[^11] In the order of the photographs the folder runs PM-04, PM-02, PM-03, PM-05, PM-01.[^11] 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.[^11] 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.[^12]
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.[^14] In the order of the photographs the folder runs PM-04, PM-02, PM-03, PM-05, PM-01.[^14] 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.[^14] 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.[^15]
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.[^13] Brian called the allegations "nonsense," according to the report.[^13] The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] dates the affidavit February 17, 1991.[^14]
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.[^16] Brian called the allegations "nonsense," according to the report.[^16] The report of Special Counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] dates the affidavit February 17, 1991.[^17]
### Bibliography
@ -96,12 +102,15 @@ The INSLAW folder of the research files includes a *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* rep
[^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 the United States Department of Justice on the Review of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua's Report on the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.*, September 27, 1994, p. 9 (Summary item 4) and pp. 107-168 (Section V), at 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.
[^5]: Kuzmarov, Jeremy. "Witness Sketch of Man Seen Entering and Leaving Journalist's Room on the Day He Was Found Dead Resembles Former CIA Agent." *CovertAction Magazine*, October 16, 2024. https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/10/16/witness-sketch-of-man-seen-entering-and-leaving-journalists-room-on-the-day-he-was-found-dead-resembles-former-cia-agent/
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release pp. 69-70 (printed pp. 53-54), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release pp. 70-71 (printed pp. 54-55), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, pp. 161-162. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, pp. 159-160, 162. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993, pp. 246-250 ("B. The Death of Joseph Daniel Casolaro").
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993, pp. 246-250 and p. 69. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^11]: Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," Internet Archive items casolaro-notebooks (PromotionalMaterial.pdf) and PromotionalMaterial, https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks.
[^12]: 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?").
[^13]: *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.
[^14]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (March 1993), pp. 73-74.
[^8]: Letter from Charles R. Work, McDermott, Will & Emery, counsel for William and Nancy Hamilton, to John C. Dwyer, Assistant Associate Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 1994. https://archive.org/details/MaidWitnessCasolaroDeath
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Casolaro review passage on William Turner's account and the hotline report, DOCID 70098622, release p. 108. https://archive.org/details/DOJReportOnDanielJCasolaro
[^10]: Coulter, Christina. "'Octopus Murders' conspiracy puts spotlight on journalist's mysterious 'suicide'." *Fox News*, March 16, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/us/octopus-murders-conspiracy-puts-spotlight-journalists-mysterious-suicide.print
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, pp. 159-160, 162. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993, pp. 246-250 ("B. The Death of Joseph Daniel Casolaro").
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993, pp. 246-250 and p. 69. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^14]: Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Promotional Material," Internet Archive items casolaro-notebooks (PromotionalMaterial.pdf) and PromotionalMaterial, https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks.
[^15]: 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?").
[^16]: *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.
[^17]: Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General regarding the allegations of INSLAW, Inc. (March 1993), pp. 73-74.

155
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Dick Cheney.md
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@ -3,14 +3,22 @@ category: "Political Figure"
aliases:
- "Richard Cheney"
- "Richard B. Cheney"
- "Richard Bruce Cheney"
- "Dick Cheney"
tags:
- Person
- WhiteHouse
- RockefellerCommission
- IranContra
- Halliburton
- KelloggBrownRoot
- ContinuityOfGovernment
- Plame
- Surveillance
- Detainees
summary: "Ford's chief of staff who edited the Rockefeller Commission report in 1975, co-author of the Iran-Contra minority report, Secretary of Defense, Halliburton chief executive and Vice President from 2001 to 2009."
born: 1941-01-30
died: 2025-11-03
location: "Casper, Wyoming"
relations:
- type: employed_by
@ -19,6 +27,18 @@ relations:
start: 1974
end: 1977
fn: 1
- type: reported_to
with: "[[Donald Rumsfeld]]"
role: "deputy to Rumsfeld while Rumsfeld was White House chief of staff"
start: 1975
end: 1975
fn: 2
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Rockefeller Commission 1975]]"
role: "White House editor of the commission's draft report"
start: 1975-06
end: 1975-06
fn: 3
- type: head_of
with: "[[Department of Defense]]"
role: "Secretary of Defense"
@ -28,38 +48,143 @@ relations:
- type: head_of
with: "[[Halliburton]]"
role: "chief executive"
start: 1995-10
end: 2000
fn: 5
fn: 15
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Iran-Contra Affair]]"
role: "House Republican on the investigating committees; signed the minority views"
start: 1987-11
end: 1987-11
fn: 9
- type: investigated
with: "[[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]]"
reverse: true
role: "2008 report on prewar public statements by Bush and Cheney"
start: 2008-06-05
fn: 32
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Cheney v. United States District Court]]"
role: "petitioner, Vice President"
start: 2004-06-24
fn: 27
- type: spouse_of
with: "[[Lynne Cheney]]"
fn: 36
created: 2026-09-22
updated: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Richard Bruce Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 30, 1941, and grew up in Casper, Wyoming. He was a congressional fellow in 1968, worked at the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Cost of Living Council, was deputy assistant to President [[Gerald R. Ford]] in 1974 and 1975 and his chief of staff from 1975 to 1977, represented Wyoming in the House from 1979 until March 17, 1989, was Secretary of Defense from 1989 to 1993, and was Vice President under [[George W. Bush]] from 2001 to 2009.[^1]
Richard Bruce Cheney was born in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]] on January 30, 1941, and grew up in [[Casper, Wyoming]]. He was a congressional fellow in 1968, worked at the [[Office of Economic Opportunity]] and the [[Cost of Living Council]], and was a vice president of the investment firm [[Bradley, Woods & Co.]] from 1973 to 1974. He was deputy assistant to President [[Gerald R. Ford]] in 1974 and 1975 and his chief of staff from 1975 to 1977. He represented Wyoming in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from January 3, 1979, until March 17, 1989, was [[Secretary of Defense]] from 1989 to 1993, was chief executive of [[Halliburton]] from 1995 to 2000, and was Vice President under [[George W. Bush]] from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009.[^1]
### The Rockefeller Commission Report
In June 1975, as deputy to the chief of staff, [[Donald Rumsfeld]], Cheney led the editing of the draft report of the [[Rockefeller Commission 1975|Rockefeller Commission]] on [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] activities in the [[United States]]. His handwritten comments survive. The section "Alleged Plans to Assassinate Certain Foreign Leaders," 86 pages long, was removed and replaced with a note that the commission had lacked time to finish the subject; language calling CIA activities "unlawful" was softened to "improper," except for the drug experiments, which were labeled "illegal"; and a recommendation that CIA employees be able to report improper activities was narrowed to orders "outside of established channels."[^2]
In June 1975, as deputy to the chief of staff, [[Donald Rumsfeld]], Cheney led the editing of the draft report of the [[Rockefeller Commission 1975|Rockefeller Commission]] on [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] activities in the [[United States]]. His handwritten comments survive. The [[National Security Archive]], which published the White House and commission files on February 29, 2016, reported "numerous edits to the report by then-deputy White House Chief of Staff Richard Cheney," and said that Cheney "led the way in 'editing' the Rockefeller report."[^2] The section "Alleged Plans to Assassinate Certain Foreign Leaders," 86 pages long, was removed and replaced with a note that the commission had lacked time to finish the subject; language calling CIA activities "unlawful" was softened to "improper," except for the drug experiments, which were labeled "illegal"; and a recommendation that CIA employees be able to report improper activities was narrowed to orders "outside of established channels."[^3] The archive's account of the same edit says it replaced the commission's language on unlawful activity with language about actions that merely exceeded the agencies' statutory authority, and that the Cheney-inspired edit added recommendations the panel had not voted.[^2] In the working copy of the report in the Ford Library file (Document 15), the chapter on mail openings keeps the conclusion that the CIA's domestic mail opening programs "were unlawful," strikes through a sentence stating that the mail-cover aspects of the projects "were not unlawful," and strikes "This was improper under the National Security Act," with handwriting added beneath it. The chapter on Operation CHAOS keeps "Some domestic activities of Operation CHAOS unlawfully exceeded the CIA's statutory authority" and strikes the sentence "These activities were improper."[^3]
### Iran-Contra
The archive reported that Cheney and White House Counsel [[Philip Buchen]], citing concerns raised by [[Henry Kissinger]], intervened to induce the commission's staff director, [[David W. Belin]], to cancel a press conference on the assassination findings.[^2] The June 5, 1975 commission section on CIA plots against foreign leaders, which covered plots against [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Rafael Trujillo]], was not released with the final report.[^3] Strategy papers for the report prepared in Cheney's office in June 1975 argued that giving the [[Church Committee]] the minutes and records of covert action groups "would be an unprecedented act."[^3]
As a House Republican on the Iran-Contra investigating committees, Cheney signed the minority report of November 1987, drafted principally by the committee staffer Michael Malbin. The report quoted Federalist No. 70, "energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government," and stated that the Constitution protects the President's ability "to persuade U.S. citizens to engage voluntarily in otherwise legal activity to serve what they consider to be the national interest. That includes trying to persuade other countries to contribute their own funds for causes both countries support. To whatever extent the [[Boland Amendment|Boland Amendments]] tried to prohibit such activity, they were clearly unconstitutional."[^3]
### The Holystone Memoranda, May 1975
On December 10, 1986, Cheney questioned [[Robert McFarlane]] before the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]] about the Boland Amendment. McFarlane testified that in the summer of 1985 he "went to considerable length to determine whether" [[Oliver North]] had violated it, and that a document search "turned up two or three inches of paper, that reported on contacts that did occur between Colonel North and myself, indeed the President and Contra leaders." The committees wrote that in this testimony McFarlane withheld his concerns about the documents and asserted that they proved North had fully complied with the Boland Amendment.[^4]
On May 25, 1975, the [[New York Times]] published an article by [[Seymour Hersh]] on an American undersea intercept operation. Memoranda from the Cheney files show the White House response over the following week.[^4] On May 30, Donald Rumsfeld, then in [[Brussels]], cabled Cheney asking to be told when the secretary of defense had made his recommendation to the [[National Security Council]] on whether the operation should continue. Rumsfeld wrote that the FBI investigation of the disclosure should begin soon, unless starting it would adversely affect the operation, in which case he directed that it not be initiated.[^4]
The same day, [[Robert McFarlane]] of the National Security Council staff sent Cheney a memorandum marked "Holystone" giving the Defense Department position. The Navy's tentative view was that planning for continuation should go forward, and the memorandum states that "to the extent that an investigation could generate publicity leading to a Soviet reaction, an investigation is considered a bad idea." It adds that [[James R. Schlesinger]] had concurred in the Navy's position.[^5] Cheney's memorandum to Rumsfeld the same day, summarizing the McFarlane report, recommends: "Based on the above, I recommend that no investigation be launched for the time being."[^6]
A May 31, 1975 memorandum in the Cheney files records that [[Edward Levi]] had instructed the criminal division and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] to prepare a proposal for an investigation. It states that "we should not have an FBI investigation if there is no intention to prosecute," and that "we believe the Hersh story of May 25 is based on papers filed with the court in the [[Victor Marchetti|Marchetti]] case."[^7] An undated memorandum from [[Rex E. Lee]] and [[John C. Keeney]] set out the steps needed for a possible prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 793 and 798 and for a contempt citation tied to the Marchetti protective order, and named an interview with Hersh as the initial step.[^8]
### Iran-Contra Minority Views
As a House Republican on the [[Iran-Contra Affair]] investigating committees, Cheney signed the minority views in the committees' report of November 1987 (H. Rept. 100-433, S. Rept. 100-216). The minority views were drafted principally by the committee staffer [[Michael J. Malbin]], whom the staff list names as minority editor and writer.[^9] They quoted [[Federalist No. 70]] on the executive: "energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government."[^9] They argued that the Constitution protects the President's ability "to persuade U.S. citizens to engage voluntarily in otherwise legal activity to serve what they consider to be the national interest. That includes trying to persuade other countries to contribute their own funds for causes both countries support. To whatever extent the [[Boland Amendment|Boland Amendments]] tried to prohibit such activity, they were clearly unconstitutional."[^9]
On December 10, 1986, Cheney questioned Robert McFarlane before the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]] about the Boland Amendment. McFarlane testified that in the summer of 1985 he "went to considerable length to determine whether" [[Oliver North]] had violated it, and that a document search "turned up two or three inches of paper, that reported on contacts that did occur between Colonel North and myself, indeed the President and Contra leaders." The majority report wrote that in this testimony McFarlane withheld his concerns about the documents and asserted that they proved North had fully complied with the Boland Amendment.[^10]
### Secretary of Defense, 1989 to 1993
Cheney recalled in the [[Miller Center]] oral history of the [[George H. W. Bush]] presidency that "Panama was a great training experience for us as an administration. We had the opportunity to have an objective, have to use force, coordinate with the Congress, deal with the public, all of those things that come with using the force. It was really the first time we'd done it as an administration, and we learned from that." The invasion of [[Panama]] in December 1989 removed [[Manuel Noriega]]. [[Colin Powell]], then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the same project: "Nobody even remembers the Panama war. You don't ever hear of it. But I viewed it as the template of how we should do things."[^11]
In 1990 Cheney announced additional base closures and realignments. Public Law 101-510 provided for the [[Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission]] to meet in 1991, 1993 and 1995, and the commission's 1993 report discusses the 165 bases in the Secretary's list, which was submitted to the commission on March 12, 1993, after Cheney had left office.[^12]
In February 1992 the Pentagon produced a draft [[Defense Planning Guidance]] for fiscal years 1994 to 1999, dated February 18, 1992. The New York Times published excerpts in March 1992. The National Security Archive's 2008 release of declassified drafts records that the draft aimed to "prevent the reemergence of a new rival," and that [[I. Lewis Libby]] sent Cheney cover memoranda on March 20 and March 26, 1992 with revised drafts. Colin Powell and [[Paul Wolfowitz]] approved the guidance in May 1992.[^13] PBS reported that the White House ordered Cheney to rewrite the document after the leak.[^14] The archive records that Cheney issued a revised version in January 1993 as the "Regional Defense Strategy."[^13]
### Halliburton
Cheney was chief executive of [[Halliburton]] in the late 1990s. [[Ray Hunt]] of [[Hunt Oil Company|Hunt Oil]] joined its board in 1998 and went at once onto its compensation committee, which that year gave Cheney a bonus of 1.1 million dollars and restricted stock worth 1.5 million on a salary of 1.18 million.[^5] As Vice President, he said on August 26, 2002, that the case of the Iraqi defector [[Hussein Kamel]] "should serve as a reminder to all that we often learned more as the result of defections than we learned from the inspection regime itself"; Kamel had told UN inspectors in August 1995 that Iraq's chemical, biological and missile stocks had been destroyed.[^6]
Cheney was chief executive of Halliburton from October 1995 to 2000. The company's FY1998 annual report, filed as an amendment, lists him as chief executive officer "since October 1995."[^15] The House biographical directory gives "chairman and chief executive office of the Halliburton Company 1993-2000" and, in the same entry, "senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute 1993-1995."[^1] [[Ray Hunt]] of [[Hunt Oil Company|Hunt Oil]] joined its board in 1998 (the 10-K/A lists a power of attorney he signed in October 1998 as a director) and went at once onto its compensation committee, which that year gave Cheney a bonus of 1.1 million dollars and restricted stock worth 1.5 million on a salary of 1.18 million.[^16] Halliburton, which acquired [[Dresser Industries]] in 1998, reported in the same filing that since 1976 approximately 190,000 claims had been filed against current and former Dresser divisions and subsidiaries alleging injury from inhaled asbestos fibers.[^15]
On August 3, 2004, the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] announced enforcement actions against Halliburton, its former chief financial officer, Gary V. Morris, and its former controller, Robert C. Muchmore Jr., over the company's failure to disclose a 1998 change to its accounting practice. The commission said Halliburton's public statements about its 1998 and 1999 income were materially misleading. Halliburton agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to a $7.5 million penalty. The release stated that "the company's former Chief Executive Officer, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, provided sworn testimony and cooperated willingly and fully in the investigation."[^17]
Halliburton's former subsidiary [[Kellogg, Brown & Root]] (KBR) pleaded guilty in February 2009 in federal court in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] to a five-count criminal information and agreed to pay $402 million in criminal fines. Halliburton and KBR jointly agreed to pay $177 million in forfeited profits to the SEC in a concurrent civil action, for a combined $579 million. The bribes were paid to officials of the [[Nigeria|Nigerian]] government from 1995 until 2004 to win contracts to build liquefied natural gas facilities on [[Bonny Island]], valued at more than $6 billion.[^18] The payments began in 1995, the year Cheney became chief executive, and continued until 2004.
The Army's [[Logistics Civil Augmentation Program]] (LOGCAP) had been created in 1985; in 1992 its concept was changed to a single, centrally managed worldwide planning and services contract, and on August 3, 1992, during Cheney's tenure as Secretary of Defense, Brown and Root Services Corporation of Houston was awarded the contract competitively, a cost-plus-award-fee contract for one year with four option years. The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] has administered it since 1992. Four companies competed, and a Commerce Business Daily notice drew 37 requests for the solicitation.[^19]
On December 11, 2003, the [[Defense Contract Audit Agency]] issued a draft audit concluding that KBR had overcharged by up to $61 million for fuel imported into Iraq from Kuwait between May and September 2003 under the Restore Iraqi Oil contract; on January 15, 2004, the agency asked the Pentagon's inspector general to consider a formal investigation after finding "suspected irregularities."[^20] [[Bunnatine Greenhouse]], the Army Corps of Engineers' senior procurement executive, told the Senate Democratic Policy Committee on June 27, 2005 that "the abuse related to contracts awarded to KBR represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career." She testified that the Office of the Secretary of Defense controlled the award of the Restore Iraqi Oil contract, that she had written on the justification and approval document a caution against extending the noncompetitive effort beyond one year, that the commander of the Corps waived KBR's requirement to provide cost and pricing data about a week after the December 2003 audit without her approval, and that on October 6, 2004 she was notified that she would be removed from the Senior Executive Service and from her contracting post.[^21]
### Continuity of Government
In 2008 [[Jane Mayer]] wrote in [[The Dark Side (Mayer book)|The Dark Side]] that during the 1980s Cheney, then a Republican congressman from Wyoming, took part in one of the classified continuity-of-government programs of the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration. "Every year, usually during congressional recesses, Cheney would disappear in the dead of the night." Along with "some four or five dozen federal officials," Cheney "would pretend for several weeks to be chief of staff to a designated substitute 'president,' bivouacked in some remote location in the United States."[^22]
Mayer wrote that a secret executive order signed by Reagan established "a means of re-creating the executive branch without informing Congress," and that Cheney "was evidently unperturbed by this oversight." She wrote that "Mann and others have suggested that these doomsday drills were a dress rehearsal for Cheney's calm, commanding performance on 9/11," citing [[James Mann]]'s account of the neoconservatives in [[The Vulcans]]. Her excerpt describes an eyewitness diary that recorded Cheney's conduct in the [[Presidential Emergency Operations Center]] on September 11, 2001.[^22] [[Andrew Cockburn]] wrote in his 2007 book on Donald Rumsfeld that Rumsfeld "loved these games" and that "[t]here were others who were frequent players in the exercises, notably Dick Cheney," quoting a former Pentagon official: "Cheney and the others often had other priorities. Rumsfeld always came."[^23]
### Vice President, 2001 to 2009
On September 16, 2001, Cheney appeared on [[Meet the Press]] with [[Tim Russert]], broadcast from [[Camp David]]. The official White House transcript records: "We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will. We've got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world. A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we're going to be successful."[^24]
The [[9/11 Commission]] records that the Secret Service ordered Cheney to the shelter beneath the White House after American Airlines Flight 77 turned south at 9:34 a.m., and that he entered the tunnel to the shelter at 9:37.[^25] The commission concluded that Cheney "arrived in the room shortly before 10:00, perhaps at 9:58." Cheney told the commission that he called the President to discuss the rules of engagement for a combat air patrol over Washington, and that the President "signed off" on the concept that pilots could shoot down a plane that would not divert. The report states that the President "emphasized to us that he had authorized the shootdown of hijacked aircraft."[^25] When a military aide reported an aircraft 80 miles out, between 10:10 and 10:15, the commission reports that the Vice President "authorized fighter aircraft to engage the inbound plane." Scooter Libby described the reaction as quick and decisive, "in about the time it takes a batter to decide to swing." White House deputy chief of staff [[Joshua Bolten]] suggested that Cheney confirm the order with the President, and the report logs the call at 10:18.[^25]
On January 29, 2001, President Bush established the National Energy Policy Development Group with Cheney as chairman. The [[Government Accountability Office]] (then the General Accounting Office) demanded its records on July 18, 2001, reported to Congress on August 17, 2001 that the Vice President had persisted in refusing, and on February 22, 2002 sued for them, the first time it had used its statutory authority to sue an executive branch entity.[^26] [[Judicial Watch]] and the [[Sierra Club]] also sued under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the case reached the Supreme Court as [[Cheney v. United States District Court]]. The group had issued its final report five months after its creation. On June 24, 2004, Justice [[Anthony Kennedy]] delivered the opinion of the Court, which vacated the decision of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]] and remanded the case, reported at 334 F.3d 1096.[^27]
On August 26, 2002, in a speech to the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]] convention in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], Cheney said that during the spring of 1995 inspectors were on the verge of declaring Iraq's chemical weapons and missile programs accounted for, "[t]hen Saddam's son-in-law suddenly defected and began sharing information," and that "[t]hat should serve as a reminder to all that we often learned more as the result of defections than we learned from the inspection regime itself."[^28] The son-in-law was [[Hussein Kamel]]. The record of his debriefing by [[Rolf Ekeus]] of [[UNSCOM]] and the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] on August 22, 1995 has Kamel saying: "All weapons - biological, chemical, missile, nuclear were destroyed."[^29]
I. Lewis Libby, Cheney's chief of staff, was indicted on October 28, 2005, in the CIA leak investigation of the disclosure of the identity of [[Valerie Plame]], a CIA officer. At the press conference announcing the indictment, special counsel [[Patrick Fitzgerald]] said: "We make no allegation that the Vice President committed any criminal act."[^30] Libby was sentenced on June 22, 2007 to 30 months' imprisonment, two years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. On July 2, 2007, President Bush commuted the prison term to expire immediately and left the supervised release and the rest of the sentence in effect.[^31]
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's report of June 5, 2008, on prewar public statements, found that "statements by the President and the Vice President indicating that [[Saddam Hussein]] was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups for attacks against the United States were contradicted by available intelligence information." It also found that statements "by President Bush and Vice President Cheney regarding the postwar situation in Iraq . . . did not reflect the concerns and uncertainties expressed in the intelligence products."[^32]
The [[Senate Armed Services Committee]]'s inquiry into the treatment of detainees, dated November 20, 2008, records that the [[Office of Legal Counsel]]'s opinions of August 1, 2002 were issued "after consultation with senior Administration attorneys, including then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and then-Counsel to the Vice President David Addington."[^33]
The Inspectors General of the Justice, Defense, Central Intelligence Agency, [[NSA|National Security Agency]] and Office of the Director of National Intelligence reviewed the President's Surveillance Program under Title III of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Their unclassified report of July 10, 2009 states that "[c]ertain senior officials either declined or did not respond to our requests to be interviewed for this review, including Counsel to the Vice President David Addington."[^34]
### Allegations
[[Cathy O'Brien]], who describes herself as a survivor of [[Project Monarch]] mind control, named Cheney among officials she said abused her, in *Trance Formation of America* (1995, with Mark Phillips). Her claims about named officials are uncorroborated.[^7]
[[Cathy O'Brien]], who describes herself as a survivor of [[Project Monarch]] mind control, named Cheney among officials she said abused her, in *Trance Formation of America* (1995, with Mark Phillips). Her claims about named officials are uncorroborated.[^35]
### Death
Cheney died on Monday, November 3, 2025, at the age of 84, according to a statement from his family.[^36] The family wrote that "his beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed," and that "the former vice president died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease."[^37] George W. Bush called his death "a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends."[^36]
### Footnotes
[^1]: U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art and Archives, "CHENEY, Richard Bruce." https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/10884
[^2]: Prados, John, and Arturo Jimenez-Bacardi, eds. "Gerald Ford White House Altered Rockefeller Commission Report in 1975; Removed Section on CIA Assassination Plots." National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 543, February 29, 2016, document 15. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence/2016-02-29/gerald-ford-white-house-altered-rockefeller-commission-report
[^3]: *Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair,* H. Rept. 100-433, S. Rept. 100-216, November 1987, minority report, minority views, ch. 1, p. 451, and ch. 2, p. 460. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/18221
[^4]: Iran-Contra report, majority views, ch. 6, p. 132 and nn. 193-194 (McFarlane before the House Intelligence Committee, Dec. 10, 1986). https://archive.org/download/Iran-ContraReport/Report%20of%20the%20Congressional%20Committees%20Investigating%20the%20Iran-Contra%20Affair.pdf
[^5]: Halliburton Company, Schedule 14A proxy statement, 2004, Securities and Exchange Commission.
[^6]: Rangwala, Glen. "The interview with Hussein Kamel," February 2003, quoting the UNSCOM and IAEA note of the meeting of August 22, 1995; Barry, John. *Newsweek,* March 3, 2003.
[^7]: O'Brien, Cathy, and Mark Phillips. *Trance Formation of America.* 1995.
[^2]: Prados, John, and Arturo Jimenez-Bacardi, eds. "Gerald Ford White House Altered Rockefeller Commission Report in 1975; Removed Section on CIA Assassination Plots." National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 543, February 29, 2016, narrative and introduction. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence/2016-02-29/gerald-ford-white-house-altered-rockefeller-commission-report
[^3]: Same briefing book, Document 15 (Richard Cheney, handwritten comments on draft Rockefeller Commission report, c. June 1975; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Richard Cheney Files, Box 8, "Intelligence - Rockefeller Commission Report - Working Copy"), Document 18 (briefing book, c. June 4, 1975, Richard Cheney Files, Box 8, strategy for the Church Committee requests) and Document 19 (the Commission section "Summary of Facts: Investigation of CIA Involvement in Plans to Assassinate Foreign Leaders," June 5, 1975, Box 7). Same URL as note 2. Document 15 is the working copy of Part I of the report, "Intelligence - Rockefeller Commission Report - Working Copy," digitized from Box 8 of the Cheney Files, with the cover memorandum of June 4, 1975 from Rumsfeld, Buchen, Marsh and Hills to Henry Kissinger; the mail-opening conclusion is on page 34 of the digitized file and the Operation CHAOS conclusion on page 39. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2719476/Document-15.pdf
[^4]: Cable, Rumsfeld, Brussels, to Cheney, May 30, 1975, Richard B. Cheney Files, Box 6, folder "Intelligence - New York Times Articles by Seymour Hersh (2)," Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/7288231.pdf
[^5]: Memorandum, Bud McFarlane to Dick Cheney, "Holystone," May 30, 1975, Cheney Files, Box 6, same file as note 4.
[^6]: Memorandum, Cheney to Rumsfeld, May 30, 1975, Cheney Files, Box 6, same file as note 4.
[^7]: Memorandum, May 31, 1975, Cheney Files, Box 6, same file as note 4, pp. 1-3.
[^8]: Memorandum, Rex E. Lee and John C. Keeney to the Attorney General, "Recent Disclosure of Classified Information in New York Times Article," undated, Cheney Files, Box 6, same file as note 4, pp. 1-9.
[^9]: *Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair,* H. Rept. 100-433, S. Rept. 100-216, November 1987, minority views, ch. 1, p. 451, and ch. 2, p. 460; staff list, Minority Staff Editor/Writer Michael J. Malbin. https://archive.org/download/Iran-ContraReport/Report%20of%20the%20Congressional%20Committees%20Investigating%20the%20Iran-Contra%20Affair.pdf
[^10]: Iran-Contra report, majority views, ch. 6, p. 132 and n. 193 (McFarlane before the House Intelligence Committee, Dec. 10, 1986). Same URL as note 9.
[^11]: Miller Center, "Statecraft: The Bush 41 Team," "Proving ground: How the December 1989 invasion of Panama shaped the Bush 41 foreign policy team," quoting Richard Cheney and Colin Powell in the Miller Center's George H. W. Bush Oral History Project. https://millercenter.org/statecraftmovie/proving-ground
[^12]: Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, Report to the President, July 1, 1993, ch. 3, p. 3-1 (1990 announcement; commission schedule under PL 101-510) and the discussion of the Secretary's March 12, 1993 submission. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D-PURL-LPS111641/pdf/GOVPUB-D-PURL-LPS111641.pdf
[^13]: National Security Archive, "Declassified Studies from Cheney Pentagon Show Push for U.S. Military Predominance and a Strategy to 'Prevent the Reemergence of a New Rival,'" February 26, 2008, Electronic Briefing Book on the Defense Planning Guidance, including Document 12 (April 16, 1992 draft), the March 20 and March 26, 1992 memoranda to Cheney, and the January 1993 "Regional Defense Strategy." https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/node/2607
[^14]: PBS, FRONTLINE, "Iraq," 1992 theme page (excerpts of the 1992 Defense Planning Guidance and its leak). https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/iraq/themes/1992.html
[^15]: Halliburton Company, Form 10-K/A for fiscal 1998, executive officer table (Richard B. Cheney, "Chief Executive Officer, since October 1995") and Dresser asbestos litigation discussion ("Since 1976, approximately 190,000 claims have been filed"). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000045012/000093066100000032/0000930661-00-000032.txt
[^16]: Halliburton Company, Schedule 14A proxy statement, 2004, Securities and Exchange Commission.
[^17]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Press Release 2004-104, "SEC Charges Halliburton and Two Former Officers for Failure to Disclose a 1998 Change in Accounting Practice," August 3, 2004. https://www.sec.gov/news/press/2004-104.htm
[^18]: PBS, FRONTLINE/World, "KBR Hit With Record Bribery Fine," February 2009, reporting the Justice Department announcement of February 11, 2009 and the plea, fine and forfeiture figures. https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/2009/02/kbr-hit-with-record-bribery-fine.html
[^19]: U.S. General Accounting Office, *Contingency Operations: Opportunities to Improve the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program,* GAO/NSIAD-97-63, February 11, 1997. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-63/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-63.htm
[^20]: Strohm, Chris. "Pentagon auditors request Halliburton probe." *Government Executive,* January 15, 2004. https://govexec.com/defense/2004/01/pentagon-auditors-request-halliburton-probe/15746; Associated Press, "Halliburton: $61M Overcharge?" CBS News, December 12, 2003. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/halliburton-61m-overcharge/
[^21]: Greenhouse, Bunnatine H. Statement, Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing, "An Oversight Hearing on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in U.S. Government Contracting in Iraq," June 27, 2005. http://dpc.senate.gov/hearings/hearing22/greenhouse.pdf (Wayback capture of July 8, 2008).
[^22]: Mayer, Jane. *The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals* (New York: Doubleday, 2008), excerpt published by NPR and WFAE, July 15, 2008, passages on the continuity-of-government exercise and the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. https://www.wfae.org/2008-07-15/excerpt-the-dark-side.
[^23]: Cockburn, Andrew. *Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy* (New York: Scribner, 2007), excerpt published as "When Rummy Tried to Nuke Russia," Salon, February 26, 2007. https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/35849
[^24]: Office of the Vice President, transcript, "The Vice President appears on Meet the Press with Tim Russert," September 16, 2001, George W. Bush White House archive. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/vicepresident/news-speeches/speeches/vp20010916.html
[^25]: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, *The 9/11 Commission Report* (2004), ch. 1, "We Have Some Planes," pp. 39-42, notes 209-221. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-911REPORT/pdf/GPO-911REPORT.pdf
[^26]: Congressional Research Service, *Walker v. Cheney: Statutory and Constitutional Issues Arising From the General Accounting Office's Suit Against the Vice President,* RL31397, May 1, 2002. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL31397.html
[^27]: *Cheney v. United States District Court for the District of Columbia,* 542 U.S. 367 (2004), No. 03-475, opinion of Justice Kennedy, decided June 24, 2004, on writ of certiorari to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, 334 F.3d 1096, vacated and remanded. https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-475.ZC.html
[^28]: Office of the Press Secretary, "Vice President Speaks at VFW 103rd National Convention," remarks of the Vice President, August 26, 2002, White House archive (Wayback capture of August 27, 2002). http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/08/20020826.html
[^29]: UNSCOM/IAEA, "Interview with Hussein Kamal on 22 August 1995," p. 13, marked "UNSCOM/IAEA Sensitive." https://www.casi.org.uk/info/unscom950822.pdf; Rangwala, Glen. "The interview with Hussein Kamel," February 2003; Barry, John. *Newsweek,* March 3, 2003.
[^30]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Special Counsel, remarks of Patrick J. Fitzgerald, press conference on the indictment of I. Lewis Libby, October 28, 2005 (Exhibit E to the Government's filing of March 17, 2006). https://www.justice.gov/archive/osc/documents/2006_03_17_exhibits_e_g.pdf
[^31]: The White House, "Grant of Executive Clemency for Lewis Libby," Proclamation, July 2, 2007, reciting the judgment in *United States v. Libby,* Crim. No. 05-394 (RBW), imposed June 22, 2007. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070702-4.html
[^32]: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, press release, "Senate Intelligence Committee Unveils Final Phase II Reports on Prewar Iraq Intelligence," June 5, 2008, summarizing the committee's report on whether public statements regarding Iraq were substantiated by intelligence. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/2008/06/05/press-senate-intelligence-committee-unveils-final-phase-ii-reports-prewar-iraq-intelligence/
[^33]: U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, *Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody,* Committee Print, November 20, 2008, PDF pp. 17 and 29. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Detainee-Report-Final_April-22-2009.pdf
[^34]: Offices of the Inspectors General of the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, *Unclassified Report on the President's Surveillance Program,* July 10, 2009, preface (review required under Title III of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008). Also at: https://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/reports/2009/psp-oigs_090710-01.htm
[^35]: O'Brien, Cathy, and Mark Phillips. *Trance Formation of America.* 1995.
[^36]: WLOS, "Former Vice President Dick Cheney dies at 84," Tennessee Newspaper Network (TNND) report of the family statement and the statement by President George W. Bush, November 4, 2025. https://wlos.com/news/nation-world/former-vice-president-dick-cheney-dies-at-84-leaves-behind-a-legacy-of-public-service-george-w-bush-wyoming-chief-of-staff-republican-conservative
[^37]: Green River Star, "Former VP Dick Cheney dies at 84," November 6, 2025 (family statement; death "on Monday, November 3"). https://www.greenriverstar.com/story/2025/11/06/news/former-vp-dick-cheney-dies-at-84/13300.html

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10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui.md
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@ -1,56 +1,155 @@
---
aliases:
- Ghanim Fan's al-Mazrui
- Ghanim Faris Al Mazrui
- Ghanim al-Mazrui
- Ghanim al Mazrui
- H.E.G.F. Mazrui
category: "Business & Finance"
tags:
- Person
- BCCI
- CIA
- AbuDhabi
summary: "Secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and head of Sheikh Zayed's Private Department who sat on BCCI's board from 1981 and became its chairman."
- CIA
- PrivateDepartment
summary: "Secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and chairman of Sheikh Zayed's Private Department who sat on BCCI's board from 1981 and later became its chairman."
relations:
- type: head_of
with: "[[Abu Dhabi Investment Authority]]"
role: "secretary general"
start: 1976
fn: 1
- type: head_of
with: "[[Private Department of Sheikh Zayed]]"
role: "chairman or acting chairman"
start: 1982
fn: 1
- type: head_of
with: "[[Shareholders Working Group]]"
role: "chairman"
start: 1991
fn: 1
- type: director_of
with: "[[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]]"
role: "director from 1981, later chairman"
role: "Abu Dhabi Investment Authority representative on the board from 1981; later chairman"
start: 1981
end: 1991
fn: 6
fn: 1
- type: director_of
with: "[[Hong Kong Deposit and Guaranty Bank]]"
role: "director"
start: 1981
end: 1983
fn: 7
- type: director_of
with: "[[Tetra Finance]]"
role: "director"
start: 1981
end: 1983
fn: 7
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan]]"
role: "financial adviser; chairman of the Private Department"
role: "financial adviser and manager; chairman of the Private Department"
start: 1982
fn: 6
fn: 1
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui (given in some sources as Ghanim Fan's al-Mazrui) was the head of [[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan|Sheikh Zayed]]'s Private Department and a [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] board member.[^1] He was also the director general of His Highness's Private Department and a longtime director of BCCI, effectively running [[Abu Dhabi]] alongside Sheikh Zayed.[^2]
### Role in BCCI Operations
Al-Mazrui's involvement with BCCI was significant, particularly in the bank's relationship with the Abu Dhabi government. He was a key figure in the discussions surrounding the restructuring of BCCI, especially after the bank faced financial difficulties.[^3]
He was also connected to [[William J. Casey]], the former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] Director, through the [[Bank of Oman]], which was a major affiliate of BCCI and channeled funds for the [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] freedom fighters.[^4]
Al-Mazrui's involvement in the BCCI scandal was a matter of public knowledge, and his actions were closely scrutinized during the investigations into the bank's illicit activities.[^5]
Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui was secretary general of the [[Abu Dhabi Investment Authority]] (ADIA) from 1976 and chairman or acting chairman of the Private Department of [[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan|Sheikh Zayed]] from 1982. He sat on the board of [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] from 1981 as ADIA's representative and later became its chairman.[^1][^2] Beaty wrote that Sami Masri told him Mazrui was the director general of the Private Department, director of ADIA and a longtime BCCI director who "effectively ran [[Abu Dhabi]]" and was, next to Sheikh Zayed, "probably the most influential person in the United Arab Emirates."[^3] The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|1992 Senate subcommittee report on BCCI]] gives his name as Ghanim Faris Al Mazrui, and [[Price Waterhouse]]'s reports rendered it as "H.E.G.F. Mazrui."
### Offices
The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] gives his name as Ghanim Faris Al Mazrui, rendered in [[Price Waterhouse]]'s reports as "H.E.G.F. Mazrui." It records that he had served Sheikh Zayed as financial adviser and manager "for more than fifteen years": as secretary general of the [[Abu Dhabi Investment Authority]] (ADIA) from 1976, as chairman or acting chairman of Sheikh Zayed's Private Department from 1982, and from July 1991 as chairman of a "Shareholders Working Group," described by Abu Dhabi as "an informal committee appointed to oversee and coordinate the Majority Shareholders' response to the closure of BCCI." From 1981 he sat on BCCI's board as ADIA's representative, ADIA then holding 10 percent of BCCI's shares, and he ultimately became its chairman. He replaced Abdullah Darweish as head of the ruling family's investments after Darweish's arrest on December 8, 1981. At the same time he joined the boards of two [[Hong Kong]] institutions, the Hong Kong Deposit and Guaranty Bank and Tetra Finance, together with Yassin Hassan, [[Kamal Adham]]'s original contact for the [[Financial General Bankshares]] takeover; both collapsed about two years later with losses to depositors of several hundred million dollars.[^6]
The Senate report says that Mazrui had "served Sheikh Zayed as a financial advisor and manager" for more than fifteen years as of late 1992.[^1] It lists his posts as secretary general of ADIA "from 1976 to the present," as "chairman or acting chairman" of the Private Department "from 1982 to the present," and, from July 1991, as chairman of a "[[Shareholders Working Group|Shareholders Working Group]]," which Abu Dhabi described as "an informal committee appointed to oversee and coordinate the Majority Shareholders' response to the closure of BCCI."[^1] The report describes the Private Department as the body that "handles the principal personal investments of the ruler of Abu Dhabi."[^1]
### What He Knew
### Darweish and the Private Department
Abu Dhabi's witness, Ahmed Al Sayegh, told Senator [[John Kerry]] that al-Mazrui "first learned of BCCI's problems, and its involvement in false or deceitful accounting practices, in April, 1990, from Price Waterhouse, along with other members of BCCI's board of directors." Price Waterhouse's report under section 41 of the [[Banking Act 1987]] stated:[^6]
[[Abdullah Darweish]] chaired the Private Department from 1977 to December 1981 and served as liaison to [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] and BCCI. On December 8, 1981, Darweish was arrested and charged with defrauding the ruling family. The report says his role as chief financial adviser was replaced by Mazrui "as head of a committee," and that the investment funds moved "to the control of [[Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan|Sheikh Khalifa]]'s long-time aide, Al Mazrui, who replaced Darweish, and to BCCI."[^4] In the same period Sheikh Zayed directed ADIA to acquire a 10 percent stake in BCCI from [[ICIC]], BCCI's Cayman affiliate, which had bought back the shares of the departing [[Bank of America]], and placed the chairman of his private department on BCCI's board.[^4]
> The extent to which the major shareholders and in particular their board representative H.E.G.F. Mazrui was aware of the matters discussed in this report cannot be established. We are, however, informed that H.E.G.F. Mazrui and the government were briefed fully on all the problems in April, 1990, notwithstanding that they allowed the 1989 accounts to be finalised in discussions with ourselves and the Regulators without disclosing this information.
In 1982 Mazrui, as the "present chairman of the Department of Private Affairs of Sheikh Zayed," testified in civil litigation that Abedi "could even be viewed as an official of the Abu Dhabi government," because of his position on the committee overseeing the ruling family's wealth.[^5]
The auditors added that until October 1990 he had contended that loans later "proven to be totally fictitious" were recoverable. Price Waterhouse told the [[Bank of England]] that his own accounts at [[ICIC]] showed that he had received funds in 1986 and earlier from no-risk transactions in BCCI shares guaranteed against loss, which he confirmed in April 1990, and that he had confirmed a fictitious BCCI loan to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, [[Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan|Sheikh Khalifa]]; he told the auditors that "his signature must have been forged," a contention they rejected. The Senate report concluded that "Al Mazrui has neither been fired, nor resigned," and remained in charge of Abu Dhabi's working group on BCCI.[^6]
A Federal Reserve enforcement release of July 29, 1991 reproduced BCCI's ownership tables for 1989, which list the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority among the shareholders. A note to the tables states that ADIA sold 1,273 shares acquired in the July 1989 rights offering to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan on July 18, 1989.[^6]
### Board seats and the Hong Kong banks
From 1981 Mazrui sat on BCCI's board in his capacity as secretary general of ADIA, which held 10 percent of the bank's shares.[^1] In the same year he joined the boards of two [[Hong Kong]] institutions, the [[Hong Kong Deposit and Guaranty Bank]] and [[Tetra Finance]], alongside [[Yassin Hassan]], who had been [[Kamal Adham]]'s original contact for the [[Financial General Bankshares]] takeover. Both banks collapsed about two years later, with losses to depositors of several hundred million dollars.[^7]
The report's appendix lists the Hong Kong banks among matters requiring inquiry. It cites "several important BCCI figures, including Ghanim Al Mazrui, and a close associate of then [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] director [[William J. Casey|William Casey]]," and asks "whether the two Hong Kong institutions were used for domestic or foreign intelligence operations."[^8]
### Price Waterhouse and April 1990
Abu Dhabi's designated witness, [[Ahmed Al Sayegh]], told [[John Kerry]] that Mazrui "first learned of BCCI's problems, and its involvement in false or deceitful accounting practices, in April, 1990, from Price Waterhouse, along with other members of BCCI's board of directors."[^9] On April 25, 1990, Price Waterhouse wrote to the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Finance Department: "Your representative, HE G Al Mazrui, has confirmed to use that you are fully aware of the nature and magnitude of the uncertainties and prepared to provide the necessary financial support in the event that losses arise from realisation of these loans."[^10]
Price Waterhouse's section 41 report to the [[Bank of England]] in June 1991 states that "the extent to which the major shareholders and in particular their board representative H.E.G.F. Mazrui was aware of the matters discussed in this report cannot be established." The same report says that Mazrui and the government were "briefed fully on all the problems in April, 1990," and that until October 1990 he had contended that loans later "proven to be totally fictitious" were recoverable.[^11] Price Waterhouse told the Bank of England that his accounts at ICIC showed receipts from no-risk transactions in BCCI shares in 1986 and earlier, and that he had confirmed a fictitious BCCI loan to the Crown Prince, Sheikh Khalifa. Mazrui told the auditors that "his signature must have been forged," a contention the auditors rejected.[^12]
The report's executive summary says Mazrui "received unorthodox financial benefits from BCCI in no-risk stock deals," and that he "remains today in place at the apex of Abu Dhabi's committee designated to respond to BCCI's collapse."[^13] The chapter on Abu Dhabi says that Mazrui "has neither been fired, nor resigned," and that "more than two years later, Al Mazrui remains in place as the head of Abu Dhabi's working group to deal with BCCI-related problems."[^13]
### The 1992 subcommittee hearing
In the spring of 1992 the subcommittee asked that Mazrui appear as Abu Dhabi's representative on BCCI's board. Abu Dhabi instead produced Al Sayegh, whose written answers reached the subcommittee five weeks after his testimony through Abu Dhabi's lawyers at [[Patton, Boggs & Blow]]. The report describes Al Sayegh as a member of the steering committee "headed by Al Mazrui, responsible for handling Abu Dhabi's response to BCCI's closure."[^14] Asked whether Mazrui had received financial benefits from purchases of BCCI shares, Al Sayegh replied: "I am not privy to the details of Mr. Mazrui's own private affairs." The report notes that Mazrui had confessed to receiving these benefits, according to the Price Waterhouse section 41 report, to members of the ruling family in April 1990.[^15]
### Restructuring and First American
Beaty and Gwynne wrote that the Abu Dhabi leadership was most visibly angry at the seizure of BCCI on July 5, 1991, which coincided with a BCCI board meeting in Luxembourg on the reorganization and new capital from Sheikh Zayed, and that the deal "was to have been signed a mere ten days later." They name Zayed and "his chief lieutenant, the secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Ghanim al-Mazrui."[^16] The Senate report says that by the late spring of 1991 U.S. and U.K. regulators insisted on the removal of [[Zafar Iqbal]] as head of BCCI. Mazrui, who had worked closely with Iqbal for many years, "resisted, temporarily paralyzing the restructuring plan" that the regulators, Abu Dhabi and BCCI had agreed.[^17]
The report says that the [[Federal Reserve]]'s need to secure the cooperation of Abu Dhabi's government and royal family arose from the Abu Dhabi shareholders "providing some $190 million to prop up [[First American Bank]] and prevent an embarrassing collapse."[^18]
### Closure and the Bingham inquiry
The Bank of England closed BCCI in July 1991 after receiving Price Waterhouse's report under section 41 of the [[Banking Act 1987]].[^19] Following the closure, the Chancellor and the Governor appointed Sir Thomas Bingham to inquire into the Bank's supervision. The Bank's annual report for 1992 to 1993 states that the [[Bingham Report|Bingham Report]] was published on October 22, 1992, that the inquiry "was held in private to avoid any prejudice to criminal proceedings," and that Bingham considered the July 1991 closure "an appropriate course of action in the circumstances, although it was not the only possible option."[^19]
### Lawyers for Abu Dhabi
[[Clark Clifford]] and [[Robert Altman]] had signed powers of attorney, spanning more than a decade, for Sheikh Zayed personally, for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for at least one of Sheikh Zayed's sons, and for Abdullah Darweish as guardian of another son.[^20] The report says that from 1978 through 1990 Abu Dhabi's interests in Financial General Bankshares and in CCAH and First American were represented by Clifford, Altman and the firm of [[Clifford & Warnke]]. Abu Dhabi's other interests in the United States were represented by Patton, Boggs & Blow.[^21]
### Access to Zayed
Beaty wrote that no one saw Zayed without Mazrui's approval, and quoted a contact at the UAE embassy in Washington, Sandy Martin, saying "only Ghanim al-Mazrui can approve that." Word came from Abu Dhabi that Mazrui "was not prepared to talk to Time magazine at this time." Beaty wrote that the Manhattan prosecutor John Moscow thought whether Sheikh Zayed or Mazrui, "his number-one man," knew about the bank's criminal activity was "one of the keys." Beaty wrote that if Zayed was being kept in ignorance, it was as likely that Mazrui was withholding information.[^22]
### The 1994 Abu Dhabi court
On June 14, 1994, an Abu Dhabi court sentenced twelve former BCCI executives to a combined 56 years in prison. Agha Hasan Abedi received six years in absentia. [[Swaleh Naqvi]], who had been handed to U.S. officials in May, received, in the June report, "four sentences totaling 11 years for the nine counts he faced." Zafar Iqbal and Hasan Mahmood Kazmi received six years each. One defendant was acquitted. The court awarded the former majority shareholders civil damages of more than $9.13 billion on claims of $10.0342 billion. The suits were brought by the Private Department of the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] president, ADIA and the Abu Dhabi Finance Department, and the court awarded the Private Department $6.56 billion, ADIA $1.347 billion and the Finance Department $1.223 billion.[^23] A UPI report of October 20, 1994 gave Naqvi's June sentence from the Abu Dhabi court as 14 years.[^24]
On January 10, 1994, [[Khalid bin Mahfouz]] issued a writ in London against ADIA and Mazrui, seeking recognition that they were liable to pay him up to $10.5 billion for any award made against him in the Touche Ross case.[^25]
### Settlement with the liquidators
In November 1994 the main creditors agreed to accept $1,800 million in compensation from Abu Dhabi.[^26] The [[Middle East Economic Digest]] reported that the majority shareholders were to pay "a fixed $1,800 million" in place of an earlier range of $1,200 million to $2,200 million that would have fallen as liquidation recoveries rose, and that a spokesman for the liquidator, [[Touche Ross]], said the creditors' committees had given the agreement "overwhelming support."[^27] An appeal by former BCCI employees delayed [[Luxembourg]]'s approval into 1995 and 1996.[^28] The Luxembourg court approved the plan on January 31, 1995, after the London and Cayman Islands courts.[^29] On May 14, 1996, after the deadline for appeals passed, Abu Dhabi paid $1.55 billion to the liquidators, with a further $250 million held in escrow.[^30] On December 10, 1996, creditors received their first repayments: $1,350 million from $2,650 million set aside. The same report stated that Abu Dhabi had paid $1,550 million under a settlement agreed with the liquidators, with $250 million still due. A spokesman for the liquidators, [[Deloitte & Touche]], gave those figures.[^31]
### Namesakes
[[Suhail al-Mazrouei]] resigned in November 1994 as secretary general of the [[Supreme Petroleum Council]] and general manager of the [[Abu Dhabi National Oil Company]]. [^32] Beaty wrote that Masri described [[Khalfan al-Mazrui]], head of the Karachi office of the Private Department, as "the brother, if he understood the complicated lineage being described, of Ghanim al-Mazrui."[^33]
### 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.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 92.
[^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. 128.
[^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. 351.
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 394.
[^6]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 14, "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Stockholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^1]: Kerry, John, and Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate*. S. Prt. 102-140. December 1992. Chapter 14, "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Shareholders," section "Ghanim Al Mazrui" and note 33. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, cast of characters.
[^3]: Beaty and Gwynne, *The Outlaw Bank* (1993), p. 68.
[^4]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, section "Darweish's Arrest and BCCI's Role in Abu Dhabi in 1980," including note 31 (indictment of Darweish by the Attorney General of Abu Dhabi, dated in the note December 8, 1991; the text dates the arrest December 8, 1981). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^5]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 10 (deposition, *Lasidi v. Financiera Avenida*, New York Supreme Court, County of New York, 1982), cited in the text of the "Darweish's Arrest" section. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^6]: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, press release, "formal enforcement proceeding against BCCI Holdings (Luxembourg) S.A.," July 29, 1991, with the attached BCCI shareholder tables for 1989 and note 1 to the rights-offering table. https://www.federalreserve.gov/supervisionreg/files/19910729.pdf
[^7]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 34 (Price Waterhouse audit reports, 1983, Hong Kong Deposit and Guaranty and Tetra Finance (HK)). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^8]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), Appendix, item 16. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/24appendic.htm
[^9]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 35 (answers of Ahmed Al Sayegh to Questions 31 and 35 of Senator Kerry, July 8, 1992, reprinted in S. Hrg. 102-350 Pt. 5). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^10]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 39 (letter from Price Waterhouse, April 25, 1990, reprinted in S. Hrg. 102-350 Pt. 1 p. 481). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^11]: Price Waterhouse, Section 41 Report to the Bank of England, June 1991, as quoted in Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 36. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^12]: Price Waterhouse, Section 41 Report to the Bank of England, June 1991, as summarized in Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 37. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^13]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), executive summary, https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/01exec.htm; and ch. 14, section "Ghanim Al Mazrui" and "Abu Dhabi's Commitments in April-May, 1990." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^14]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, text following note 15 and note 16 (Al Sayegh's sworn answers, July 8, 1992, S. Hrg. 102-350 Pt. 5). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^15]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 81 (answer of Al Sayegh to Question 35, S. Hrg. 102-350 Pt. 5). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^16]: Beaty and Gwynne, *The Outlaw Bank* (1993), p. 99.
[^17]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, section "Zafar Iqbal" and note 52 (staff interview, August 26, 1992). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^18]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 12, "Federal Reserve" section. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/12reg.htm
[^19]: Bank of England, *Banking Act Report 1992-93*, p. 18, "The Bingham Report." https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/archive/banking-act-report/1992-1993.pdf
[^20]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, note 64 (documents on Clifford and Altman's representation of Abu Dhabi, 1978 through 1990, S. Hrg. 102-350 Pt. 4), and text on powers of attorney. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^21]: Kerry and Brown, *The BCCI Affair* (1992), ch. 14, section "Abu Dhabi's Lawyers and PR Firms." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^22]: Beaty and Gwynne, *The Outlaw Bank* (1993), pp. 71, 73, 74, 86.
[^23]: United Press International, "UAE jails and fines BCCI executives," Abu Dhabi, June 14, 1994. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/14/UAE-jails-and-fines-BCCI-executives/7650771566400/
[^24]: United Press International, "Ex-BCCI chief faces jail in UAE," October 20, 1994. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/20/Ex-BCCI-chief-faces-jail-in-UAE/7767782625600/
[^25]: *Middle East Economic Survey*, Vol. XXXVII No. 16, January 17, 1994, "Mahfouz Sues ADIA and Mr. Ghanim al-Mazrui." https://archives.mees.com/issues/905/articles/34036
[^26]: *MEED*, "BCCI creditors agree to $1,800 million compensation pay-out from Abu Dhabi," November 4, 1994. https://www.meed.com/bcci-creditors-agree-to-1800-million-compensation-pay-out-from-abu-dhabi/
[^27]: *MEED*, "BCCI settlement moves to a climax as liquidation package firms up," December 2, 1994. https://www.meed.com/bcci-settlement-moves-to-a-climax-as-liquidation-package-firms-up/
[^28]: *MEED*, "BCCI creditors move closer to compensation," November 17, 1995. https://www.meed.com/bcci-creditors-move-closer-to-compensation/
[^29]: *Middle East Economic Survey*, Vol. XXXVIII No. 19, February 6, 1995, "Luxembourg Court Approves BCCI Settlement; Settlement With Mahfouz/NCB Imminent." https://archives.mees.com/issues/856/articles/32613
[^30]: *Middle East Economic Survey*, Vol. XXXIX No. 34, May 20, 1996, "Abu Dhabi Pays $1.55Bn To Liquidators Of BCCI." https://archives.mees.com/issues/806/articles/31172
[^31]: *MEED*, "BCCI creditors finally get their first pay out," December 20, 1996. https://www.meed.com/bcci-creditors-finally-get-their-first-pay-out/
[^32]: *Middle East Economic Survey* (MEES), Vol. XXXVIII No. 9, November 28, 1994, "Bin Yusuf Succeeds Mazrui In Top Abu Dhabi Posts At SPC and ADNOC." https://archives.mees.com/issues/846/articles/32300
[^33]: Beaty and Gwynne, *The Outlaw Bank* (1993), p. 68 (Khalfan al-Mazrui).

13
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/John Di Giorgio.md
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@ -3,12 +3,23 @@ category: "Victims & Witnesses"
tags:
- Person
summary: "Former Austrian citizen and undercover informant working against Ben Kalka for the California DOJ, central to a massive methamphetamine reverse sting operation."
relations:
- type: investigated
with: "[[Ben Kalka]]"
start: 1989-10
role: "informant against Kalka, per Seymour"
fn: 3
updated: 2026-10-15
---
[[John Di Giorgio]] was a former Austrian citizen who was allegedly an undercover informant working against [[Ben Kalka]] for the [[California Attorney General's Office]]. His criminal indictment was filed under seal by the INS on October 26, 1989, and remained secret for nearly a decade. At a news conference on November 17, 1989, former [[California Attorney General's Office|California State Attorney General]] [[John Van de Kamp]] touted the case as the "biggest methamphetamine seizure in the world," displaying 1,022 pounds of methamphetamine and $1 million in cash.[^1]
[[Pam MacLean]], a reporter for the *San Francisco Daily Journal*, spent thousands of dollars to get the Di Giorgio file unsealed. The unsealed documents revealed that the [[United States|U.S. government]] was looking for an alleged $13 million in laundered drug funds believed to be in [[Switzerland]], [[Germany]], and [[Israel]]. The methamphetamine precursors supplied to [[Ben Kalka]] were reportedly part of a "reverse sting" operation headed by [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent [[Robert Barnes]].[^1]
The federal case number on the sealed indictment is recorded in a federal docket index: No. 3:89-cr-00603 in the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of California|Northern District of California]], filed October 26, 1989 and terminated June 17, 1993. The index lists the parties as the United States and Ben Kalka.[^2] Seymour cites the same number as the "Di Giorgio Extradition File, Case No. CR89-0603 VRW, U.S. verses Di Giorgio."[^3]
---
### Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^2]: United States v. Kalka, No. 3:89-cr-00603 (N.D. Cal.), docket record filed October 26, 1989, terminated June 17, 1993. CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/26558922/united-states-v-kalka/
[^3]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, p. 400.

13
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/John Wayne Gacy.md
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@ -18,19 +18,20 @@ Gacy established Painting Decorating Maintenance (PDM) as a legitimate business
Gacy lured victims with job offers through PDM. Gacy used a handcuff trick to incapacitate victims before tying them to a wooden torture board. Gacy administered date rape drugs via hypodermic syringe and threatened electrocution. Gacy sexually assaulted victims and murdered them between January 1972 and December 1978. Gacy buried 29 bodies in the crawlspace under his home and dumped others in the Des Plaines River. Items seized from Gacy's home on December 13, 1978, included pederasty pornography, literature, chemist date rape drugs, a hypodermic syringe, a wooden board with wrist-sized rope loops, handcuffs, and driver's licenses of missing individuals. Gacy dressed as Pogo the Clown to lure victims. Gacy confessed to murders including [[Robert Piest]], [[John Butkovich]], and [[John Szyc]] during interrogation, describing killings in third person and claiming multiple personalities. A household inventory listed an 8mm movie camera, editing deck, film production equipment, confidential files on payoffs to city inspectors and politicians, personal income tax files, five bank accounts, checkbooks, credit cards, insurance, and a list of known homosexuals including politicians, sports figures, county and city employees.[^1]
### Accomplices and Victims
[[David Cram]], aged 20, and [[Michael Rossi]] lived with Gacy and worked for PDM. Cram and Rossi testified at the 1980 trial that they dug trenches in the crawl space at Gacy's direction.[^3] Gacy named Cram and Rossi as accomplices who buried bodies after claiming involvement in syndicate slayings. [[Phillip Paske]] worked for PDM in September 1978 with payslips dated September 12, 19, and 25. Gacy stated Paske was introduced via David Cram and procured boys for sex and movies. Paske, Cram, and Rossi held keys to Gacy's house during Gacy's out-of-town trips. Victims included 15-year-old Robert Piest, who disappeared on December 11, 1978, after meeting Gacy about employment at a pharmacy. John Szyc, a 1975 Maine West High School graduate, went missing in January 1977; Gacy gave Szyc's car to Rossi, and Szyc's high school ring inscribed J.A.S. was found in Gacy's home. John Butkovich went missing in 1975; Gacy's ex-wife [[Carole Hoff]] identified him. [[John Mowery]], 19, moved into an apartment with Rossi days before his disappearance; Rossi told Mowery's friends about a location storing dead bodies. All identified victims were male youths aged 14 to 21, with 28 named out of 33 total. Gacy's travel documents and PDM financial records show absences during some disappearances. [[Jeff Rignall]] survived being chloroformed and raped by Gacy in early 1978 at the [[Norwood Park]] home; at least one other person was present during the assault.[^1]
[[David Cram]], aged 20, and [[Michael Rossi]] lived with Gacy and worked for PDM. Cram and Rossi testified at the 1980 trial that they dug trenches in the crawl space at Gacy's direction; Rossi testified that he helped dig trenches and supervised newer employees who were directed to dig them.[^2] Gacy named Cram and Rossi as accomplices who buried bodies after claiming involvement in syndicate slayings. [[Phillip Paske]] worked for PDM in September 1978 with payslips dated September 12, 19, and 25. Gacy stated Paske was introduced via David Cram and procured boys for sex and movies. Paske, Cram, and Rossi held keys to Gacy's house during Gacy's out-of-town trips. Victims included 15-year-old Robert Piest, who disappeared on December 11, 1978, after meeting Gacy about employment at a pharmacy. John Szyc, a 1975 Maine West High School graduate, went missing in January 1977; Gacy gave Szyc's car to Rossi, and Szyc's high school ring inscribed J.A.S. was found in Gacy's home. John Butkovich went missing in 1975; Gacy's ex-wife [[Carole Hoff]] identified him. [[John Mowery]], 19, moved into an apartment with Rossi days before his disappearance; Rossi told Mowery's friends about a location storing dead bodies. All identified victims were male youths aged 14 to 21, with 28 named out of 33 total. Gacy's travel documents and PDM financial records show absences during some disappearances. [[Jeff Rignall]] survived being chloroformed and raped by Gacy in early 1978 at the [[Norwood Park]] home; at least one other person was present during the assault.[^1]
### Investigation and Trial
The investigation started after Robert Piest's disappearance on December 11, 1978. Pharmacy owner [[Phil Torf]] and coworker [[Kim Byers]] identified Gacy as the contractor Piest met. Des Plaines Police Captain [[Joseph Kozenczak]] pulled Gacy's 1968 assault record and executed a search warrant on December 13 at Gacy's home, seizing incriminating items including John Szyc's ring. Cram reported on December 16 Gacy's syndicate claims, dead persons' driver's licenses in the garage, and Gacy entering the crawlspace post-search. In that interview Cram said Gacy told him he did work for a syndicate and had set people up before, and that Gacy kept about three wallets in the garage, containing identification that included a driver's license, which Gacy said belonged to people who were deceased.[^4] Rossi confirmed on December 17 receiving Szyc's car from Gacy and the licenses. Kozenczak spoke with ex-wife Carole Hoff on December 17 about Butkovich, making Gacy prime suspect in three disappearances. A second search warrant on December 21, based on a photo processing receipt from Piest's pocket found in Gacy's trash and Detective [[Robert Schultz]] smelling decomposition on December 19 surveillance, revealed a flooded crawlspace; once drained, it yielded the first of 29 bodies. Gacy was arrested on December 21 at a gas station and stated upon arrival "Who else do we have in the police station. There are others involved." During interrogation, Gacy named Cram and Rossi and confessed to some murders. The trial began in February 1980, resulting in conviction in March 1980 for 33 murders and a death sentence. Prosecutor [[Terry Sullivan]] published "The Killer Clown" in 1983. In 1979, police investigated three potential accomplices including Rossi for involvement or knowledge of assaults and murders. Court files listed Phillip Paske as a possible witness for prosecution and defense. A 1987 [[Chicago Tribune]] article noted the [[Chicago Ripper Crew]] leader, suspected of killing 17 women in 1981-1982, did construction work for Gacy and criticized his body disposal.[^1]
The investigation started after Robert Piest's disappearance on December 11, 1978. Pharmacy owner [[Phil Torf]] and coworker [[Kim Byers]] identified Gacy as the contractor Piest met. Des Plaines Police Captain [[Joseph Kozenczak]] pulled Gacy's 1968 assault record and executed a search warrant on December 13 at Gacy's home, seizing incriminating items including John Szyc's ring. Cram reported on December 16 Gacy's syndicate claims, dead persons' driver's licenses in the garage, and Gacy entering the crawlspace post-search. In that interview Cram said Gacy told him he did work for a syndicate and had set people up before, and that Gacy kept about three wallets in the garage, containing identification that included a driver's license, which Gacy said belonged to people who were deceased.[^3] Rossi confirmed on December 17 receiving Szyc's car from Gacy and the licenses. Kozenczak spoke with ex-wife Carole Hoff on December 17 about Butkovich, making Gacy prime suspect in three disappearances. A second search warrant on December 21, based on a photo processing receipt from Piest's pocket found in Gacy's trash and Detective [[Robert Schultz]] smelling decomposition on December 19 surveillance, revealed a flooded crawlspace; once drained, it yielded the first of 29 bodies. Gacy was arrested on December 21 at a gas station and stated upon arrival "Who else do we have in the police station. There are others involved." During interrogation, Gacy named Cram and Rossi and confessed to some murders. The trial began in February 1980, resulting in conviction in March 1980. The jury convicted Gacy on 33 counts of murder, and the jury, finding no mitigating factors sufficient to preclude death, sentenced him to death on 12 murders committed after Illinois's death penalty statute took effect, with natural life terms on the other murder counts, including the 21 committed before the statute.[^2] The [[Illinois Supreme Court]] affirmed the judgment on June 6, 1984.[^2] In the appeal the court recorded that Gacy admitted in the course of the investigation to killing approximately thirty people, and that 29 bodies were recovered from the crawl space under his home.[^2] Prosecutor [[Terry Sullivan]] published "The Killer Clown" in 1983. In 1979, police investigated three potential accomplices including Rossi for involvement or knowledge of assaults and murders. Court files listed Phillip Paske as a possible witness for prosecution and defense. A 1987 [[Chicago Tribune]] article noted the [[Chicago Ripper Crew]] leader, suspected of killing 17 women in 1981-1982, did construction work for Gacy and criticized his body disposal.[^1]
### Connections to Networks
Gacy connected to John David Norman through Phillip Paske, Norman's accomplice in the [[Delta Project]] and [[Odyssey Network]]. Gacy claimed in 1992 interviews that Paske and Norman made snuff films with young boys, pimping and selling them, though Gacy was evasive about meeting Norman and suggested learning of him via news on Paske's jail newsletter. Paske, released on probation in 1976 after assisting Norman from Cook County Jail, lived with Norman in a Chicago, Illinois, basement apartment on W.[^2] Wrightwood Avenue in May 1977, twenty minutes from Gacy's home, where they produced pornography until a June 1978 raid, after which Paske joined PDM in September 1978. Gacy's 1994 pre-execution recording stated twelve keys were distributed to his house, with Rossi, Cram, Paske, and Norman involved, and archives confirmed Paske's employment and Gacy's absences aligning with victim disappearances during Norman's free periods in Chicago. Similarities to [[Dean Corll]]'s crimes include handcuff tricks and torture boards, 28 to 33 male youth victims aged 13 to 21, burying most under properties, teenage accomplices claiming syndicate ties, and connections to Norman's network - Corll via investigation suspicions, Gacy via confirmed Paske employment.[^1]
Gacy connected to John David Norman through Phillip Paske, Norman's accomplice in the [[Delta Project]] and [[Odyssey Network]]. Gacy claimed in 1992 interviews that Paske and Norman made snuff films with young boys, pimping and selling them, though Gacy was evasive about meeting Norman and suggested learning of him via news on Paske's jail newsletter. Paske, released on probation in 1976 after assisting Norman from Cook County Jail, lived with Norman in a Chicago, Illinois, basement apartment on W.[^4] Wrightwood Avenue in May 1977, twenty minutes from Gacy's home, where they produced pornography until a June 1978 raid, after which Paske joined PDM in September 1978. Gacy's 1994 pre-execution recording stated twelve keys were distributed to his house, with Rossi, Cram, Paske, and Norman involved, and archives confirmed Paske's employment and Gacy's absences aligning with victim disappearances during Norman's free periods in Chicago. Similarities to [[Dean Corll]]'s crimes include handcuff tricks and torture boards, 28 to 33 male youth victims aged 13 to 21, burying most under properties, teenage accomplices claiming syndicate ties, and connections to Norman's network - Corll via investigation suspicions, Gacy via confirmed Paske employment.[^1]
### Execution
Gacy exhausted appeals up to the Supreme Court by 1992. Gacy claimed accomplices Cram, Rossi, Paske, and Norman in TV interviews to seek reexamination and delay execution, stating Paske procured boys and all had house keys during his travels. In April 1994, a $1.99-per-minute reverse-charge phone line played Gacy's recording proclaiming innocence and implicating employees with keys, including Rossi, Cram, Paske, and Norman. Gacy was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar.
[^2]: *Chicago Tribune,* May 1977, reprinted in U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime. *Sexual Exploitation of Children,* hearings, 95th Congress, 1st session, Serial No. 12, 1977, which describes Paske, 25, as "a convicted murderer and thief" on probation "since last July" (that is, July 1976) and carrying on the Delta Project in Norman's absence; it gives no January 1976 parole. https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153502_0041
[^3]: *People v. Gacy*, 103 Ill. 2d 1 (1984), Illinois Supreme Court, No. 53212, June 6, 1984, testimony summaries of David Cram and Michael Rossi. https://static.case.law/ill-2d/103/cases/0001-01.json
[^4]: Des Plaines Police Department, John Wayne Gacy investigation file, part 5 of 6, interview of David Cram, December 16, 1978, terminated at 1712 hours. https://archive.org/details/Gacy_DesPlainesPD
[^2]: *People v. Gacy*, 103 Ill. 2d 1 (1984), Illinois Supreme Court, No. 53212, June 6, 1984, judgment affirmed; verdict and sentences; the court's recital of the testimony of David Cram and Michael Rossi. https://static.case.law/ill-2d/103/cases/0001-01.json
[^3]: Des Plaines Police Department, John Wayne Gacy investigation file, part 5 of 6, interview of David Cram, December 16, 1978, terminated at 1712 hours. https://archive.org/details/Gacy_DesPlainesPD
[^4]: *Chicago Tribune,* May 1977, reprinted in U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime. *Sexual Exploitation of Children,* hearings, 95th Congress, 1st session, Serial No. 12, 1977, which describes Paske, 25, as "a convicted murderer and thief" on probation "since last July" (that is, July 1976) and carrying on the Delta Project in Norman's absence; it gives no January 1976 parole. https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153502_0041

139
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Joseph Cuellar.md
View file

@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
aliases:
- Joseph Cuellar
- Joe Cuellar
- Joseph A. Cuellar
- Joseph Cuéllar
- Joe Cuéllar
category: "Military"
tags:
- Person
@ -11,92 +13,147 @@ tags:
- CasolaroDeath
- ArmyReserve
- DesertStorm
summary: "Army Reserve major who met Danny Casolaro in a bar in May 1991 and was asked to arrange a meeting with Peter Videnieks, and whom a 2024 article compared to a police witness sketch."
- SouthernCommand
- MartinsburgPoliceFile
summary: "Army Reserve major who met Danny Casolaro in a bar in May 1991, was asked to arrange a meeting with Peter Videnieks, and was compared to a Martinsburg witness sketch in a 2024 article."
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: member_of
with: "[[U.S. Army]]"
role: "Army Reserve major"
start: 1991
fn: 3
fn: 4
- type: member_of
with: "[[United States Southern Command]]"
role: "in-processing after Operation Desert Storm, per the 1994 review"
role: "in-processing after Operation Desert Storm, per the 1994 review; office with the command in Arlington, February 1994"
start: 1991-08
fn: 1
fn: 7
- type: member_of
with: "[[Inter-American Defense Board]]"
role: "Army Reserve major, adviser to the United States delegation, Council of Delegates"
start: 1994-11
fn: 30
- type: participant_in
with: "[[PROMIS Software Scandal]]"
role: "contact of Casolaro during the INSLAW inquiry, interviewed by the 1994 review"
start: 1991-05
fn: 3
fn: 1
---
[[Joseph Cuellar]] is an Army Reserve major who met [[Danny Casolaro]] in May 1991, during the last months of Casolaro's work on the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] and on what Casolaro called [[The Octopus]]. Casolaro later asked him to arrange a meeting with [[Peter Videnieks]]. The [[Department of Justice]]'s 1994 review found no evidence that Cuellar was involved in Casolaro's death; a 2024 article by Jeremy Kuzmarov compared a Martinsburg police witness sketch to him.[^1][^2]
[[Joseph Cuellar]] is an [[U.S. Army|Army]] Reserve major who met [[Danny Casolaro]] in May 1991, during the last months of Casolaro's work on the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] and on what Casolaro called [[The Octopus]]. Casolaro later asked him to arrange a meeting with [[Peter Videnieks]]. The [[Department of Justice]]'s 1994 review found no evidence that Cuellar was involved in Casolaro's death; a 2024 article by [[Jeremy Kuzmarov]] in [[CovertAction Magazine]] compared a [[Martinsburg]] police witness sketch to him.[^1][^2] The filmmakers of [[American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders]], a 2024 [[Netflix]] docuseries made by [[Christian Hansen]] and [[Zachary Treitz]], suggested that he may have been the second man in the room.[^3]
### Meeting at the bar
According to the Justice Department's 1994 review of the report of [[Nicholas J. Bua]], Cuellar and Casolaro met in May 1991 at "The Sign of the Whale" bar in Arlington, Virginia. Cuellar had gone there expecting to meet friends who were celebrating his return from [[Operation Desert Storm]]. Casolaro was already seated at the bar, waiting for a friend, and struck up a conversation with him. Cuellar talked of his exploits in the Army special forces, and, according to Cuellar, Casolaro became fascinated. The two men talked on the telephone several times and saw each other at least twice more. Cuellar also began dating the woman Casolaro had been waiting to meet.[^3]
According to the Justice Department's 1994 review of the report of [[Nicholas J. Bua]], Cuellar and Casolaro met in May 1991 at "The Sign of the Whale" bar in [[Arlington, Virginia]]. Cuellar had gone there expecting to meet friends who were celebrating his return from [[Operation Desert Storm]]. Casolaro was already seated at the bar, waiting for a friend, and struck up a conversation with him. Cuellar talked of his exploits in the Army special forces, and, according to Cuellar, Casolaro became fascinated. The two men talked on the telephone several times and saw each other at least twice more. Cuellar also began dating the woman Casolaro had been waiting to meet.[^4]
A Justice Department review of the Casolaro matter, ordered on November 1, 1993 and carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven E. Zipperstein with FBI Supervisory Special Agent Scott A. Erskine, gives the same account. Its text describes Cuellar as "an Army Reserve Major named Joseph Cuellar, who is attached to the United States Southern Command."[^4]
The review's own text describes Cuellar as "an Army Reserve Major named Joseph Cuellar, who is attached to the United States Southern Command." The review was ordered on November 1, 1993, and carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Steven E. Zipperstein]] with FBI Supervisory Special Agent [[Scott A. Erskine]], who gives the same account of the bar meeting.[^5] The review's appendix of persons interviewed lists Major Joseph Cuellar.[^6]
Other accounts place the first contact differently. [[Cheri Seymour]] wrote that Cuellar approached Casolaro in a pub during the week before his death, claimed to be a Special Forces operative, and offered to arrange a rendezvous with Videnieks, and that Casolaro confided to friends that he was unnerved by the encounter.[^5] Seymour also wrote that sources suggested Cuellar had been a major in an [[Army Intelligence Agency|Army intelligence]] unit and later went to work for a company that was a cutout for the [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]]. She wrote that an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent reported Cuellar spoke Arabic fluently and had spent time in [[Iraq]].[^5]
A [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] memorandum dated February 2, 1994, summarizes an interview with Cuellar the previous day at his office with the [[United States Southern Command]] in Arlington, Virginia. In that account, Casolaro and his companion introduced themselves to Cuellar and Casolaro began asking about his military work. When Cuellar said that he had served in the Special Forces and conducted special operations in military intelligence, Casolaro became infatuated with his knowledge of special operations, and the conversation continued until Cuellar's friends arrived.[^7] Cuellar told the agent that Casolaro called him on a number of occasions and that he agreed to meet Casolaro again at a restaurant in [[Alexandria, Virginia]]. He said he declined to give details of military operations because he could not discuss classified information. The memorandum records that Casolaro questioned him about the elements of government involved in "dirty operations" and likened the government to the film JFK. Cuellar said he cautioned Casolaro that former Special Forces members often embellished their accounts.[^7][^8]
Jeremy Kuzmarov wrote in [[CovertAction Magazine]] in October 2024 that in the days before Casolaro's death Cuellar "happened to bump into Casolaro near his home in Fairfax, Virginia, and gave him his business card," and that Cuellar at the time "had been contracted to investigate the theft of INSLAW's software."[^2]
In December 1993 a woman who had been with Casolaro recontacted investigators to add a detail: Cuellar had told them both that he was at the bar at the request of friends for a welcome-home luncheon, and the bartender passed him an envelope from those friends.[^9]
[[Kenn Thomas]] and [[Jim Keith]] wrote that the Hamiltons, whose firm was [[INSLAW]], believed that in the last days of Casolaro's life he was being tailed by a man named Joseph Cuellar, an Army special services officer and friend of Videnieks.[^6] In the same chapter they described a restaurant encounter in which a friend of Videnieks claimed Special Forces service and earlier work for a company connected to INSLAW, and was so forthcoming that he alarmed Casolaro's companions. They did not name that man.[^6]
### Other accounts of the first contact
Thomas and Keith also reported that [[Sarah McClendon]]'s notes recorded complaints by the Hamiltons that [[Webster Hubbell]] and the FBI investigator Erskine planned to release a report without interviewing important Casolaro associates or looking into incidents that included a threat against Casolaro made by a friend of Videnieks, Cuellar, who apparently was also trailing the writer.[^7]
[[Cheri Seymour]] wrote in a condensed version of The Last Circle, provided to an investigative committee in October 1996, that during the week before Casolaro's death a man named Joseph Cuellar approached him in a pub where he was having a beer, that Cuellar claimed to be a Special Forces operative and said he could arrange a rendezvous between Videnieks and Casolaro, and that Casolaro confided to friends that he was unnerved by what she called this supposedly chance meeting. Seymour wrote that Cuellar's connection to Videnieks allegedly came through Videnieks's wife, [[Barbara Videnieks]], who was the executive assistant to Senator [[Robert Byrd]], that Byrd played a major role in the effort to move some CIA administrative offices to Charlestown, 20 miles from Martinsburg, and that Casolaro met Cuellar at other times that week.[^10] In the 2010 book edition she wrote that sources suggested Cuellar had been a major in an [[Army Intelligence Agency|Army intelligence]] unit and later went to work for a company that was a cutout for the [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]], and that an FBI agent reported Cuellar spoke Arabic fluently and had spent time in [[Iraq]].[^11]
Senator Byrd named his chief of staff on the Senate floor on March 20, 1991, in remarks thanking the staff who had worked on the two supplemental appropriations bills that included the Desert Shield and Desert Storm funding: "my chief of staff, Barbara Videnieks."[^12]
A memorandum submitted to the Justice Department on February 14, 1994 by INSLAW's lawyers and principals, including [[Elliot Richardson]], [[Bill Hamilton]] and Nancy Hamilton, as an addendum to INSLAW's 1993 rebuttal of the Bua report, stated that Casolaro had gone to Martinsburg for a final meeting with sources whom he described to an associate as a relative of Barbara Videnieks plus one other person from Byrd's office. It stated that Casolaro told [[Bill Turner]] that the Friday evening meeting in Martinsburg had been arranged by Cuellar, whom it described, according to Turner, as a U.S. Army Special Forces covert intelligence officer, and that Cuellar had a "purportedly chance encounter" with Casolaro in a pub near Casolaro's home less than one month before his death, in which Cuellar described himself as one of Videnieks's closest friends, offered to broker a meeting, and said that Videnieks had agreed to meet.[^13]
Jeremy Kuzmarov wrote in CovertAction Magazine in October 2024 that in the days before Casolaro's death Cuellar "happened to bump into Casolaro near his home in Fairfax, Virginia, and gave him his business card," and that Cuellar at the time "had been contracted to investigate the theft of INSLAW's software."[^2]
[[Kenn Thomas]] and [[Jim Keith]] wrote that the Hamiltons, whose firm was [[INSLAW]], believed that in the last days of Casolaro's life he was being tailed by a man named Joseph Cuellar, an Army special services officer and friend of Videnieks.[^14] In the same chapter they described a restaurant encounter in which a friend of Videnieks claimed Special Forces service and earlier work for a company connected to INSLAW, and was so forthcoming that he alarmed Casolaro's companions. They did not name that man.[^14]
Thomas and Keith also reported that [[Sarah McClendon]]'s notes recorded complaints by the Hamiltons that [[Webster Hubbell]] and the FBI investigator Erskine planned to release a report without interviewing important Casolaro associates or looking into incidents that included a threat against Casolaro made by a friend of Videnieks, Cuellar, who apparently was also trailing the writer.[^15]
[[Whitney Webb]] wrote in One Nation Under Blackmail that the person who had arranged Casolaro's final meeting before his death was a U.S. military intelligence officer named Joseph Cuellar, who before Casolaro's death had promised to arrange a meeting between Casolaro and Videnieks.[^16]
### Videnieks
In one conversation, Casolaro asked about the people in the Octopus story, and Cuellar said he knew Videnieks. Cuellar explained that a former fiancée had worked with Videnieks's wife in the Capitol Hill office of Senator [[Robert Byrd]]. Both men told the reviewers that "their relationship was social," that they had double-dated with their partners several times, and that they saw less of each other after Cuellar broke up with his fiancée.[^8] The Zipperstein and Erskine text states: "As best as we can tell, there was nothing sinister about the fact that Cuellar knew Videnieks; it was, at most, a coincidence."[^4]
In one conversation, Casolaro asked about the people in the Octopus story, and Cuellar said he knew Videnieks. Cuellar explained that a former fiancée had worked with Videnieks's wife in the Capitol Hill office of Senator Byrd. Both men told the reviewers that "their relationship was social," that they had double-dated with their partners several times, and that they saw less of each other after Cuellar broke up with his fiancée.[^4] The Zipperstein and Erskine text states: "As best as we can tell, there was nothing sinister about the fact that Cuellar knew Videnieks; it was, at most, a coincidence."[^5]
Casolaro then asked Cuellar repeatedly to arrange a meeting with Videnieks, so that he could ask about the allegation in the March 1991 affidavit of [[Michael Riconosciuto]] that Videnieks had threatened him. Cuellar called Videnieks, who refused.[^9] The Zipperstein and Erskine text records that Casolaro's notes reflect a telephone call he made to Videnieks on June 13, 1991. In that call Videnieks refused to talk and referred him to his lawyer, [[Charles Ruff]].[^10]
Casolaro then asked Cuellar repeatedly to arrange a meeting with Videnieks, so that he could ask about the allegation in the March 1991 affidavit of [[Michael Riconosciuto]] that Videnieks had threatened him. Cuellar called Videnieks, who refused.[^1] The Zipperstein and Erskine text records that Casolaro's notes reflect a telephone call he made to Videnieks on June 13, 1991. In that call Videnieks refused to talk and referred him to his lawyer, [[Charles Ruff]].[^17]
In the February 1994 interview, Cuellar said that Casolaro was persistent, that the woman he was dating at the time also telephoned him to press the request, and that he then contacted Videnieks and told him of Casolaro's interest. Videnieks, Cuellar said, indicated that he might meet Casolaro but was "done with that and there was no need to go into it anymore."[^8]
A work list of further steps in the same Justice Department file, which described itself as overinclusive, names Cuellar as item 16, "Joe Cuellar (source)," and Videnieks as item 17, "Peter Videnieks (possible source)," represented by counsel.[^18]
According to an FBI memorandum summarizing a telephone interview with [[Robert Booth Nichols]] on January 11, 1994, when Casolaro drove him to [[Dulles International Airport]] in the summer of 1991, Casolaro was on the telephone there with Cuellar, trying to have Cuellar introduce him to Videnieks. Nichols also told agents that Casolaro had described his first meeting with Cuellar as strange because Cuellar had initiated the conversation at a bar in Northern Virginia.[^19]
### Casolaro's last weeks
Cuellar told the reviewers that Casolaro confided in him near the end of his life. Casolaro, Cuellar said, had become so absorbed in the Octopus story that he had lost his perspective and could not arrange the material into a cohesive story, and he was in financial distress and close to losing his house.[^11]
Cuellar told the reviewers that Casolaro confided in him near the end of his life. Casolaro, Cuellar said, had become so absorbed in the Octopus story that he had lost his perspective and could not arrange the material into a cohesive story, and he was in financial distress and close to losing his house.[^20] In the February 1994 interview Cuellar added that Casolaro's publisher was extremely upset with him, that Casolaro felt pressure to produce a book from his investigation, and that Cuellar had cautioned him against accepting what people involved in Special Operations told him.[^21]
A woman who was briefly involved with Cuellar after the bar meeting told the reviewers that, after Casolaro's death and as their relationship deteriorated, Cuellar made a veiled threat. She said he told her she was asking too many questions about Casolaro, that she had two children, and that she would not be doing them a favor if she wound up like Casolaro or another journalist who had been killed in Guatemala. Cuellar denied making those statements.[^12]
A woman who was briefly involved with Cuellar after the bar meeting told the reviewers that, after Casolaro's death and as their relationship deteriorated, Cuellar made a veiled threat. She said he told her she was asking too many questions about Casolaro, that she had two children, and that she would not be doing them a favor if she wound up like Casolaro or another journalist who had been killed in [[Guatemala]]. Cuellar denied making those statements.[^1] INSLAW's February 1994 addendum quoted the warning as having been given to the woman who had been with Casolaro at the first meeting, in words or substance: "What Danny Casolaro was investigating is a business," and "Anyone who asks too many questions will end up dead."[^13]
### Findings on August 10, 1991
Casolaro's body was found in room 517 of the Sheraton Inn in Martinsburg, [[West Virginia]], on August 10, 1991. Local authorities ruled the death a suicide in 1991 and again on January 25, 1992, after over 1,000 man-hours of investigation. The House Judiciary Committee's 1992 report recorded that it had not included the death in its formal INSLAW investigation and that the controversy over the death continued in the press.[^13] The March 1993 report of the Special Counsel, Bua, stated that Casolaro's death "was fully and fairly investigated" and that the local conclusion of suicide "was amply supported by the facts."[^14]
Casolaro's body was found in room 517 of the [[Sheraton Inn]] in Martinsburg, [[West Virginia]], on August 10, 1991. Local authorities ruled the death a suicide in 1991 and again on January 25, 1992, after over 1,000 man-hours of investigation. The [[House Judiciary Committee]]'s 1992 report recorded that it had not included the death in its formal INSLAW investigation and that the controversy over the death continued in the press.[^22] The March 1993 report of the Special Counsel, Bua, stated that Casolaro's death "was fully and fairly investigated" and that the local conclusion of suicide "was amply supported by the facts."[^23]
The 1994 review wrote that several people had suggested Cuellar was somehow involved in Casolaro's death. "We found no evidence supporting that hypothesis." The review stated that on August 10, 1991, Cuellar was in Washington, D.C., working on his "Outprocessing" from Desert Storm and his "in-processing" into the Southern Command, and that several witnesses had verified that he was in Washington that day.[^1] The review also said that it was unaware of any evidence linking Videnieks to the death.[^15]
The 1994 review wrote that several people had suggested Cuellar was somehow involved in Casolaro's death. "We found no evidence supporting that hypothesis." The review stated that on August 10, 1991, Cuellar was in [[Washington, D.C.]], working on his "Outprocessing" from Desert Storm and his "in-processing" into the Southern Command, and that several witnesses had verified that he was in Washington that day.[^1] The review also said that it was unaware of any evidence linking Videnieks to the death.[^24]
[[Bill Hamilton]], president of INSLAW, stated that he had received an affidavit from [[Bill Turner]] on "highly classified computer printouts on off-shore accounts that he claimed Casolaro intended to use the night he died in a planned meeting with Peter Videnieks and Joseph Cuellar and others."[^5]
The February 1994 FBI memorandum records Cuellar's own account of those weeks. He told the agent that three or four weeks before Casolaro's death he left for [[Panama]], learned of the death in a telephone call from the woman he had been dating, and returned from Panama to attend the funeral. He put the number of his meetings with Casolaro at three or four in all.[^8][^21]
### Martinsburg police file and witness sketch
Bill Hamilton, president of INSLAW, stated that he had received an affidavit from Turner on "highly classified computer printouts on off-shore accounts that he claimed Casolaro intended to use the night he died in a planned meeting with Peter Videnieks and Joseph Cuellar and others."[^11] A Justice Department copy of the review records the account that Turner gave the Hamiltons, who relayed it to the reviewers: Casolaro planned to meet in Martinsburg with Videnieks, Cuellar, an unidentified person from Byrd's office, an unidentified IRS employee and the attorney [[Robert Altman]]. The same passage records that a caller to the [[Unsolved Mysteries]] hotline reported seeing [[Clark Clifford]] and Altman driving in Martinsburg on the day of Casolaro's death in a late-model Chevrolet Caprice, and states: "We have no reason to believe either of these claims."[^25]
The Zipperstein and Erskine text records a detail from the hotel. At about 9:00 p.m. on August 9, 1991, a guest in an adjoining room saw someone matching Casolaro's general description enter room 517 with a key. The guest did not see the man's face, because his back was to her, and he was carrying a brown paper bag.[^16] The same text states that no one was seen entering or leaving Casolaro's room on the morning of August 10.[^17]
### Martinsburg police file and witness accounts
In October 2024, Kuzmarov published an article in CovertAction Magazine on the Martinsburg police report, which he wrote had recently been obtained by the Australian researcher Peter Osborne through a Freedom of Information Act request Osborne filed in 2004. The article said the report "includes a witness sketch of a man seen entering and leaving Danny Casolaro's room on the day he was found dead" and continued: "The man bears strong resemblance to Major Joseph Cuellar, a CIA and military intelligence Special Forces operative, who had long been a lead suspect in Casolaro's apparent murder." Kuzmarov added that the police file includes signed statements from a witness who saw a man other than Casolaro leaving the room with a key on the night before and the morning of Casolaro's death. A footnote to the article states that the sketch witness described the man leaving the room as wearing sports clothes that Cuellar was also known to wear.[^2]
The Zipperstein and Erskine text records a detail from the hotel. At about 9:00 p.m. on August 9, 1991, a guest in an adjoining room saw someone matching Casolaro's general description enter room 517 with a key. The guest did not see the man's face, because his back was to her, and he was carrying a brown paper bag.[^26] The same text states that no one was seen entering or leaving Casolaro's room on the morning of August 10.[^27]
Kuzmarov wrote that the Martinsburg police never interviewed Cuellar and that the Justice Department claimed not to be able to find him even though he worked with the U.S. Southern Command. The 1994 review records that Cuellar and Videnieks each spoke with its reviewers.[^8] Kuzmarov further wrote that [[Janet Reno]], [[John Dwyer]] and Zipperstein left the match between the sketch and Cuellar out of their investigation reports. He wrote that the producers of the Netflix series American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, [[Christian Hansen]] and [[Zachary Treitz]], received a copy of the Martinsburg report in 2014, and that the series presented Cuellar favorably on the basis of an interview with his son.[^2]
A March 14, 1994, letter from [[Charles R. Work]], counsel for Bill Hamilton and Nancy Hamilton of INSLAW, to [[John C. Dwyer]], written after a March 1 meeting attended by Zipperstein and Erskine, describes a different witness account. According to the letter, Erskine confirmed that a hotel maid had told Martinsburg police she saw a man leave Casolaro's room on the Saturday morning of the death, and that the police took a statement describing him as a man in his 30s with "an excellent sun tan," wearing a tee-shirt, dark slacks and deck shoes. The letter asked whether this was the man whom press accounts described Casolaro waiting for in the hotel bar on Thursday evening, a "dark-skinned man."[^28]
In October 2024, Kuzmarov published an article in CovertAction Magazine on the Martinsburg police report, which he wrote had recently been obtained by the Australian researcher [[Peter Osborne]] through a Freedom of Information Act request Osborne filed in 2004. The article said the report "includes a witness sketch of a man seen entering and leaving Danny Casolaro's room on the day he was found dead" and continued: "The man bears strong resemblance to Major Joseph Cuellar, a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and military intelligence Special Forces operative, who had long been a lead suspect in Casolaro's apparent murder." Kuzmarov added that the police file includes signed statements from a witness who saw a man other than Casolaro leaving the room with a key on the night before and the morning of Casolaro's death. A footnote to the article states that the sketch witness described the man leaving the room as wearing sports clothes that Cuellar was also known to wear.[^2]
Kuzmarov wrote that the Martinsburg police never interviewed Cuellar and that the Justice Department claimed not to be able to find him even though he worked with the U.S. Southern Command. The 1994 review records that Cuellar and Videnieks each spoke with its reviewers.[^4] Kuzmarov further wrote that [[Janet Reno]], John C. Dwyer and Zipperstein left the match between the sketch and Cuellar out of their investigation reports. He wrote that the producers of the Netflix series American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, Christian Hansen and Zachary Treitz, received a copy of the Martinsburg report in 2014, and that the series presented Cuellar favorably on the basis of an interview with his son.[^2]
### Netflix series and later accounts
[[Fox News]] reported in March 2024 that Martinsburg police granted Hansen's public records request from 2013, and that among the paper documents in a box of evidence were statements from another woman in the hotel who said she saw a dark-haired man enter Casolaro's room on the evening of his death. According to Fox News, the detail had not appeared in news coverage or in FBI files. The filmmakers guessed, "based on circumstances and a composite sketch," that Cuellar, whom Fox News described as a former military intelligence official who spoke with Casolaro about his theories in a diner weeks before his death, may have been the second man in the room. In the documentary, Cuellar's son said that his father specialized in "psychological warfare." Treitz told the [[Daily Mirror]] that he was "haunted" after making the connection, and the two told [[GQ]] that neither had decided whether Casolaro was murdered or killed himself.[^3]
James Anthony DiEugenio, who wrote a critical review of the series in 2025, argued that the film's suggestion of a Cuellar sighting runs into an alibi: Cuellar was in Washington that day, at work on "outprocessing" from Desert Storm, and had several witnesses to back him up.[^29]
### Service record
The Justice Department's 1994 review records Cuellar as an Army Reserve major who was returning from Operation Desert Storm in May 1991 and was being processed into the Southern Command in August 1991.[^1][^3] Kuzmarov reported that he was born in Los Angeles in 1954, took part in covert operations in Venezuela, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia and Africa, served in the Persian Gulf War, and worked at NATO headquarters.[^2]
The Justice Department's 1994 review records Cuellar as an Army Reserve major who was returning from Operation Desert Storm in May 1991 and was being processed into the Southern Command in August 1991.[^1][^4] The February 1994 memorandum identifies him as Major Joseph A. Cuellar and places his office with the United States Army Southern Command in Arlington, Virginia. In that interview he said that his work with the command required frequent travel, which kept him from talking at length with Casolaro.[^7][^8] The minutes of the Council of Delegates of the [[Inter-American Defense Board]] for November 3, 1994, record the chair's welcome to Major Joseph A. Cuellar, an Army Reserve officer, as an adviser to the United States delegation.[^30]
Kuzmarov also quoted an October 11, 1991 letter from Don Walker, whom he identified as president of [[Business Risks International]], to Hamilton. The letter described Cuellar as an "intelligent and articulate individual" who "speaks several languages" and who had "extensive experience in U.S. army intelligence and the CIA." Kuzmarov described Business Risks International as a CIA front where Cuellar worked, and a footnote to the article states that Cuellar "is thought to have been a 'wet operative' ie. a CIA assassin."[^18]
Kuzmarov reported that Cuellar was born in [[Los Angeles]] in 1954, took part in covert operations in [[Venezuela]], [[Bosnia]], [[Saudi Arabia]] and Africa, served in the [[Persian Gulf War]], and worked at [[NATO]] headquarters.[^2] A 1990 Defense Department booklet on Hispanic Americans in the armed forces lists Joseph Anthony Cuellar among the Hispanic graduates of the [[United States Military Academy]] in the Class of 1976.[^31] A Joseph A. Cuellar appears in the Senate's list of Army officers for permanent promotion to major and appointment into the Regular Army on July 21, 1986,[^32] and a Joseph A. Cuellar appears among Army Reserve officers nominated to the grade of colonel on October 26, 2000 and again on February 27, 2001.[^33][^34] The booklet gives the middle name Anthony and the class year; the nominations and the Defense Board minutes give the middle initial A and the grade. These entries match the name and grade or class only; the records found do not establish that the officer listed is the Joseph Cuellar of the Casolaro record.
Kuzmarov also quoted an October 11, 1991 letter from Don Walker, whom he identified as president of [[Business Risks International]], to Hamilton. The letter described Cuellar as an "intelligent and articulate individual" who "speaks several languages" and who had "extensive experience in U.S. army intelligence and the CIA." Kuzmarov described Business Risks International as a CIA front where Cuellar worked, and a footnote to the article states that Cuellar "is thought to have been a 'wet operative' ie. a CIA assassin."[^35] A Virginia registry entry lists a Business Risks International Inc. as an inactive foreign corporation (number F0506966), and entries under the same name appear in other states, including New Jersey, California and West Virginia.[^36]
### Footnotes
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 162. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^2]: Kuzmarov, Jeremy. "Witness Sketch of Man Seen Entering and Leaving Journalist's Room on the Day He Was Found Dead Resembles Former CIA Agent." *CovertAction Magazine*, October 16, 2024. https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/10/16/witness-sketch-of-man-seen-entering-and-leaving-journalists-room-on-the-day-he-was-found-dead-resembles-former-cia-agent/
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, pp. 160-161. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, ordered November 1, 1993, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release pp. 41-42 (printed pp. 25-26), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^5]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal.* TrineDay, 2010.
[^6]: Thomas, Kenn, and Jim Keith. *The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro.* Feral House, 2004, p. 102.
[^7]: Thomas, Kenn, and Jim Keith. *The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro.* Feral House, 2004, p. 132, reporting the notes of Sarah McClendon.
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 161. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 162. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Zipperstein and Erskine, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 42 (printed p. 26), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 162 n.5. Cuellar's account to the reviewers. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 162. Account given to the reviewers by a woman who had been involved with Cuellar; she is not named here as a private individual. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^13]: 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, pp. 69-72. https://archive.org/stream/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport/TheInslawAffair_djvu.txt
[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993, pp. 246-250 ("B. The Death of Joseph Daniel Casolaro"), quotation at p. 248. https://archive.org/details/InslawPROMISBuaReport
[^15]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 160. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^16]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Zipperstein and Erskine, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 69 (printed p. 53), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^17]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Zipperstein and Erskine, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 70 (printed p. 54), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^18]: Don Walker to William Hamilton, October 11, 1991, as quoted in Kuzmarov, *CovertAction Magazine*, October 16, 2024 (its note 3). https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/10/16/witness-sketch-of-man-seen-entering-and-leaving-journalists-room-on-the-day-he-was-found-dead-resembles-former-cia-agent/
[^3]: Coulter, Christina. "'Octopus Murders' conspiracy puts spotlight on journalist's mysterious 'suicide'." *Fox News*, March 16, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/us/octopus-murders-conspiracy-puts-spotlight-journalists-mysterious-suicide.print
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 161. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, ordered November 1, 1993, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release pp. 20, 42-43 (printed pp. 5, 26-27), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Casolaro review, appendix of persons interviewed, DOCID 70002071, release p. 2. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-CasolaroInterviews
[^7]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Metropolitan Field Office, memorandum to Steven E. Zipperstein, Assistant United States Attorney, Los Angeles, February 2, 1994, "Casolaro Review," interview of Cuellar on February 1, 1994, release p. 106, DOCID 70098626. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^8]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Metropolitan Field Office, memorandum to Steven E. Zipperstein, Assistant United States Attorney, Los Angeles, February 2, 1994, "Casolaro Review," interview of Cuellar on February 1, 1994, release p. 107, DOCID 70098626. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^9]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, memorandum recording a recontact by a woman who had been with Casolaro, December 16, 1993, DOCID 70098626, release p. 86. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^10]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle*, condensed version provided in October 1996 to an investigative committee, chapter 5, as posted online. https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/last_circle/5.htm
[^11]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal.* TrineDay, 2010.
[^12]: *Congressional Record*, vol. 137, Senate, March 20, 1991, p. 6823, remarks of Senator Robert C. Byrd on the supplemental appropriations bills. https://archive.org/details/sim_congressional-record-proceedings-and-debates_march-13-1991-march-21-1991_137-redacted
[^13]: Richardson, Elliot L., et al. *Addendum to INSLAW's Analysis and Rebuttal of the Bua Report*, February 14, 1994, p. 24 and n.5. https://archive.org/details/AddendumToInslawsAnalysisAndRebuttalOfTheBuaReport
[^14]: Thomas, Kenn, and Jim Keith. *The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro.* Feral House, 2004, p. 102.
[^15]: Thomas, Kenn, and Jim Keith. *The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro.* Feral House, 2004, p. 132, reporting the notes of Sarah McClendon.
[^16]: Webb, Whitney Alyse. *One Nation Under Blackmail*, Vol. 1. TrineDay, 2022, p. 405. https://archive.org/details/one-nation-under-blackmail-vol.-2-whitney-alyse-webb
[^17]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, ordered November 1, 1993, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 43 (printed p. 27), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^18]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, undated "Casolaro Review" work list, DOCID 70098626, release pp. 44-45. The list describes itself as "overinclusive and does not reflect our views as to the importance of any of the listed items." https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^19]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, memorandum summarizing a telephone interview with Robert Booth Nichols conducted January 11, 1994, DOCID 70098626, release pp. 113-114. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^20]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 162 n.51, Cuellar's account to the reviewers. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^21]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Metropolitan Field Office, memorandum to Steven E. Zipperstein, Assistant United States Attorney, Los Angeles, February 2, 1994, "Casolaro Review," interview of Cuellar on February 1, 1994, release p. 108, DOCID 70098626. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^22]: 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, pp. 69-72. https://archive.org/stream/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport/TheInslawAffair_djvu.txt
[^23]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993, pp. 246-250 ("B. The Death of Joseph Daniel Casolaro"), quotation at p. 248. https://archive.org/details/InslawPROMISBuaReport
[^24]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 160. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^25]: U.S. Department of Justice, Casolaro review passage on William Turner's account and the hotline report, DOCID 70098622, release p. 108. https://archive.org/details/DOJReportOnDanielJCasolaro
[^26]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, ordered November 1, 1993, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 70 (printed p. 54), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^27]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, ordered November 1, 1993, as reproduced in a memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 71 (printed p. 55), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^28]: Letter from Charles R. Work, McDermott, Will & Emery, counsel for William and Nancy Hamilton, to John C. Dwyer, Assistant Associate Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 1994, following a meeting of March 1, 1994. https://archive.org/details/MaidWitnessCasolaroDeath
[^29]: DiEugenio, James Anthony. "American Conspiracy Pt. 4: The Octopus Murders." Substack, 2025. https://jamesanthonydieugenio.substack.com/p/american-conspiracy-pt-4-the-octopus
[^30]: Inter-American Defense Board (Junta Interamericana de Defensa), Council of Delegates, minutes of Session 1052, November 3, 1994, document C-2869, section III.A.5. https://archive.org/details/test_0100unse
[^31]: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Manpower and Personnel Policy. *Hispanics in America's Defense*, 1990, section "The Military Academies and Hispanic Americans," United States Military Academy, Class of 1976. https://archive.org/details/hispanicsinameri00wash
[^32]: *Congressional Record*, vol. 132, Senate, July 21, 1986, p. 17142, Army nominations, "To be major." https://archive.org/details/sim_congressional-record-proceedings-and-debates_july-15-28-1986_132-redacted
[^33]: *Congressional Record*, vol. 146, Senate, October 26, 2000, p. 24906, executive nominations received by the Senate, Army Reserve, "To be colonel." https://archive.org/details/sim_congressional-record-proceedings-and-debates_october-25-2000-october-31-2000_146
[^34]: *Congressional Record*, vol. 147, Senate, February 27, 2001, p. 2324, executive nominations received by the Senate, Army Reserve, "To be colonel." https://archive.org/details/sim_congressional-record-proceedings-and-debates_february-8-2001-march-7-2001_147
[^35]: Don Walker to William Hamilton, October 11, 1991, as quoted in Kuzmarov, *CovertAction Magazine*, October 16, 2024 (its note 3). https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/10/16/witness-sketch-of-man-seen-entering-and-leaving-journalists-room-on-the-day-he-was-found-dead-resembles-former-cia-agent/
[^36]: OpenCorporates, Business Risks International Inc., Virginia foreign corporation, company number F0506966. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_va/F0506966

51
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Khalfan al-Mazrui.md
View file

@ -5,28 +5,55 @@ tags:
- BCCI
- Banker
- CIA
summary: "Khalfan al-Mazrui was the Head of the Karachi office of Sheikh Zayed's Private Department."
- PrivateDepartment
summary: "Khalfan al-Mazrui was the head of the Karachi office of Sheikh Zayed's Private Department, responsible for BCCI's operations in Pakistan."
relations:
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan]]"
role: "head of the Karachi office of the Private Department"
fn: 1
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Sami Masri]]"
role: "brother-in-law"
fn: 3
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui]]"
role: "brother (per Sami Masri)"
fn: 4
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Khalfan al-Mazrui was the Head of the [[Karachi]] office of [[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan|Sheikh Zayed]]'s Private Department.[^1] He was also the brother-in-law of [[Sami Masri]].[^2]
Khalfan al-Mazrui was the head of the [[Karachi]] office of [[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan|Sheikh Zayed]]'s Private Department.[^1] [[Jonathan Beaty]] wrote that he directed the Private Department in Karachi, "the entity that administers the fabled wealth of [[Abu Dhabi]]," and as such was "ultimately responsible for the operations of BCCI in Pakistan."[^2] He was the brother-in-law of [[Sami Masri]], whose sister was his wife.[^3] Masri told Beaty that Khalfan was the brother, "if he understood the complicated lineage being described," of [[Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui]], the director general of Sheikh Zayed's Private Department and a longtime director of [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]].[^4]
### Role in BCCI Operations
Al-Mazrui was involved in the restructuring efforts of [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] after its financial difficulties.[^3] He was part of the group of BCCI bankers around Crown Prince Khalifa who believed they could maintain control of the imploding bank.[^4]
Al-Mazrui was involved in the restructuring efforts of BCCI after its financial difficulties.[^5] Beaty wrote that [[Zafar Iqbal]], whom Abu Dhabi named to head BCCI and its restructuring, "was Khalfan's arch-rival for power within the Emirates."[^6]
He was responsible for cleaning up the missing hundreds of millions of dollars that were drained off by employees in Karachi, and was sent in to manage the Private Department's Karachi section.[^5]
Beaty reported that [[Masihur Rahman]], BCCI's former chief financial officer, described a cabal of BCCI bankers around Crown Prince [[Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan|Khalifa]].[^7]
He was responsible for cleaning up the missing hundreds of millions of dollars that were drained off by employees in Karachi, and was sent in to manage the Private Department's Karachi section.[^8] The Private Department in Karachi had a staff of hundreds, and Beaty wrote that nearly 80 percent of them were BCCI employees seconded to Zayed's personal staff.[^9] Masri told Beaty he was not sure whether his brother-in-law realized the extent of the bank's black operations.[^10]
### Connections and Interactions
Al-Mazrui was in communication with [[Jonathan Beaty]] regarding Sami Masri and the BCCI investigation.[^6] He was cautious and wary, especially about discussing sensitive information over the phone.[^7] He was also involved in meetings with BCCI heads in [[London]].[^8]
Al-Mazrui was in communication with Beaty regarding Sami Masri and the BCCI investigation. Beaty reached him by telephone in [[London]] after two days, and Khalfan sent word agreeing to meet Beaty and Masri in [[Casablanca]].[^11] He was cautious and wary, especially about discussing sensitive information over the phone: Beaty wrote that the sheikh, who had little English, did not want to talk about anything important on Pakistani telephones.[^12]
Masri told Beaty that Khalfan and "Prince What's-his-name Sultan" were meeting "all the BCCI heads in London," and Beaty wrote that the meeting between the heads of the bank and Abu Dhabi's representatives failed to materialize before he learned by telephone that a London meeting had been held.[^13]
Khalfan met Beaty at the Inter-Continental hotel in Casablanca, a man perhaps in his mid-forties. Beaty briefed him there on BCCI's criminal activities, and Khalfan suggested that Beaty go to Abu Dhabi to see whether Ghanim had time to see him.[^14]
### 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.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 92.
[^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. 128.
[^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. 82.
[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, cast of characters.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 66.
[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, pp. 68, 85.
[^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. 68.
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 128.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 280.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 96.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 95.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 86.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 59.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 128.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 72.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 68.
[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, pp. 71-76.
[^12]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, pp. 72-73.
[^13]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, pp. 70-71.
[^14]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, pp. 85-87.

18
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Marc Dutroux.md
View file

@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ tags:
summary: "Marc Dutroux, born November 6 1956, operated as a Belgian child trafficker and serial killer whose 1996 arrest exposed connections to international pedophile networks."
born: 1956-11-06
location: "Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium"
updated: 2026-10-09
updated: 2026-10-15
---
@ -73,17 +73,19 @@ The writer S. Dovey wrote that Lelievre blocked the 12-year-old's path on her bi
On June 17, 2004, the jury at Arlon convicted Dutroux of the abduction, sequestration and rape of both girls and Lelievre of their abduction and sequestration; Martin was convicted of their sequestration. Nihoul was acquitted of the charges relating to the abductions, the jury finding that he had no involvement in the abduction and sequestration of the 14-year-old and rejecting the "network" thesis argued by the prosecution, the Marchal family and the girl's own lawyers.[^8][^9]
The Belgian [[Chamber of Representatives]] commission's supplementary report of February 16, 1998 stated as its general conclusion that there were indications that both Dutroux and Nihoul, separately or together, had engaged in polycriminal activity (fraud, drug trafficking, abduction and rape of children followed by murders, trafficking in human beings, car trafficking) and that the networks they set up had benefited at various levels from an indirect protection arising from individual or collective erosion of the norm or corrupt conduct. The same conclusion stated that the commission had found no indication that these criminal circles enjoyed, within the police, the magistracy, the administration or the political world, protection that could by itself explain the failures, delays and anomalies of the investigations, and that the serious gaps arose chiefly from professional failings and structural defects of the criminal justice system.[^10] Its first report of April 14, 1997 had stated that the commission could not exclude that an eventual protection was among the reasons for the failure of the investigation.[^11]
### The 1989 Conviction and Early Release
Dutroux's 1996 arrest was not his first: on April 26, 1989 he was convicted of abducting and raping five girls and women and sentenced to 13.5 years, but Justice Minister Wathelet paroled him on April 8, 1992 after roughly three years, over the objections of both the public prosecutor and a prison psychiatrist who had assessed him as a high-risk offender. He resumed offending soon after release, and the decision became a central controversy in the later parliamentary inquiries.[^10]
Dutroux's 1996 arrest was not his first: on April 26, 1989 he was convicted of abducting and raping five girls and women and sentenced to 13.5 years, but Justice Minister Wathelet paroled him on April 8, 1992 after roughly three years, over the objections of both the public prosecutor and a prison psychiatrist who had assessed him as a high-risk offender. He resumed offending soon after release, and the decision became a central controversy in the later parliamentary inquiries.[^12]
### Witness X1 Corroboration and the De Baets Team
The investigative team under the gendarme [[Patrick De Baets]] conducted extensive interviews with Regina Louf (Witness X1) and corroborated significant portions of her testimony through independent means before being removed from the case after pursuing leads toward prominent individuals; Judge Jacques Langlois ordered a rereading of all the related files in the summer of 1997, and on April 23, 1998, the prosecutors-general closed them, a course which De Baets and his colleagues maintained was a political decision.[^10][^11]
The investigative team under the gendarme [[Patrick De Baets]] conducted extensive interviews with Regina Louf (Witness X1) and corroborated significant portions of her testimony through independent means before being removed from the case after pursuing leads toward prominent individuals; Judge Jacques Langlois ordered a rereading of all the related files in the summer of 1997, and on April 23, 1998, the prosecutors-general closed them, a course which De Baets and his colleagues maintained was a political decision.[^12][^13]
### Gunderson, Gosch, and U.S. Parallels
Researchers including [[Ted Gunderson]], a former head of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]'s [[Los Angeles]] field office, drew parallels between the Belgian network and organized-abuse rings in the United States, including the [[McMartin Preschool]] case and the [[The Finders|Finders]] case; [[Noreen Gosch]], mother of kidnapped Iowa paperboy [[Johnny Gosch]], publicly stated her belief that her son had been abducted into an organized network with connections to both American and European intelligence services.[^12]
Researchers including [[Ted Gunderson]], a former head of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]'s [[Los Angeles]] field office, drew parallels between the Belgian network and organized-abuse rings in the United States, including the [[McMartin Preschool]] case and the [[The Finders|Finders]] case; [[Noreen Gosch]], mother of kidnapped Iowa paperboy [[Johnny Gosch]], publicly stated her belief that her son had been abducted into an organized network with connections to both American and European intelligence services.[^14]
### Footnotes
@ -96,6 +98,8 @@ Researchers including [[Ted Gunderson]], a former head of the [[Federal Bureau o
[^7]: Chambre des Représentants de Belgique, Doc. 713/6-96/97, April 18, 1997, p. 112 and the chronology of August 1996, pp. 264-266; translated from the French. https://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/PDF/49/0713/49K0713006.pdf
[^8]: "Nihoul acquitté pour les enlèvements." *La Dernière Heure,* June 17, 2004; translated from the French. https://www.dhnet.be/actu/faits/2004/06/17/nihoul-acquitte-pour-les-enlevements-MF73NPYQVBC25I2Y6P54BXIQDA/
[^9]: "Notorious child rapist-murderer convicted." NBC News and Associated Press, June 17, 2004. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5233011
[^10]: "Paedophile Marc Dutroux and the Murders That United a Divided Belgium," *Euronews*, October 27, 2019; *Dutroux* trial verdict, Arlon Assize Court, June 17, 2004; U.S. Office of Justice Programs, "Exhausting Whiteness: The 1996-98 Belgian Parliamentary Inquiry," 2004.
[^11]: Sénat de Belgique. Proposition déposée par M. Frans Lozie, Doc. 2-563/1, October 9, 2000, développements.
[^12]: A.B.H. Alexander, "Sex, Drugs, the CIA, MIND CONTROL and Your Children," PROBE, c. 1996; Ted Gunderson investigative reports.
[^10]: Belgian Chamber of Representatives, supplementary report, Doc. 713/8-96/97, February 16, 1998, section 6, "Conclusions generales," pp. 148-149, translated from the French. https://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/PDF/49/0713/49K0713008.pdf
[^11]: Belgian Chamber of Representatives, Parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of the police and judicial investigations in the Dutroux-Nihoul affair, report of Renaat Landuyt and Nathalie de T'Serclaes, Doc. 713/6-96/97, April 14, 1997, chapter conclusion, p. 190, translated from the French. https://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/PDF/49/0713/49K0713006.pdf
[^12]: "Paedophile Marc Dutroux and the Murders That United a Divided Belgium," *Euronews*, October 27, 2019; *Dutroux* trial verdict, Arlon Assize Court, June 17, 2004; U.S. Office of Justice Programs, "Exhausting Whiteness: The 1996-98 Belgian Parliamentary Inquiry," 2004.
[^13]: Sénat de Belgique. Proposition déposée par M. Frans Lozie, Doc. 2-563/1, October 9, 2000, développements.
[^14]: A.B.H. Alexander, "Sex, Drugs, the CIA, MIND CONTROL and Your Children," PROBE, c. 1996; Ted Gunderson investigative reports.

7
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Martin Gardner.md
View file

@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
aliases:
- Martin Gardner
category: "Skeptics & Critics"
updated: 2026-10-15
tags:
- Person
- Skeptic
@ -23,8 +24,14 @@ Gardner, along with [[Carl Sagan]], [[Ray Hyman]], [[Paul Kurtz]], and [[James R
Towards the end of his life, Gardner experienced a religious epiphany, openly discussing his belief in a supernatural being or God. He asserted that this belief was not pseudoscience because it could neither be confirmed nor disproved by science or reason, calling it "philosophical theism"[^1].
### Psychic research, 1974
In March 1974 the magazine [[Time (magazine)|Time]] published a cover story on psychic research in which Gardner, identified in the article as its science and mathematics analyst, commented on the field. He listed "Uri Geller, The Secret Life of Plants, telepathy, ESP, the incomplete conclusions of [[Arthur Koestler]]" and wrote that these "all seem part of a new uncritical enthusiasm for pseudo science." He added: "The claims are immense, the proof nonexistent."[^2]
### Publications
* *Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science* (1952)
### Footnotes
[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.
[^2]: "Boom Times on the Psychic Frontier," *Time*, March 4, 1974, CIA-RDP96-00787R000100030002-8 (CIA CREST).

12
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Robert Barnes.md
View file

@ -3,16 +3,22 @@ category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
tags:
- Person
summary: "Barnes was involved in a 'reverse sting' operation where methamphetamine precursors were reportedly supplied to Ben Kalka."
updated: 2026-10-15
---
[[Robert Barnes]] was an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent at the San Francisco Bureau. He worked with [[Philip Arthur Thompson]] (PAT), who served as an undercover informant for him. Barnes admitted to Detective [[Sue Todd]] in June 2000 that PAT had worked for him.[^1]
Barnes was involved in a "reverse sting" operation where methamphetamine precursors were reportedly supplied to [[Ben Kalka]]. He was also the agent who cleared the laundering of millions of dollars through a principality in [[Liechtenstein]].[^1]
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that a chemical company was cooperating with the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and reporting all the chemicals Riconosciuto ordered for his chemical companies in Washington State, which Riconosciuto then provided to [[Ben Kalka]]. Riconosciuto also stated that he was working for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] when he connected with [[Ben Kalka]] and that the agency told him to find the monomethylamine for Kalka as part of the sting operation.[^1]
A letter dated April 13, 1982, signed by Phyllis Riconosciuto and [[Jimmy Hughes]], describes a plan for [[Michael Riconosciuto]] to meet Barnes and, after Barnes assumed protection of him, to enter protective custody with the FBI at the [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] office.[^2] In a transcribed interview with [[Ted Gunderson]], Riconosciuto said Barnes and a second agent interviewed him, that Barnes was interested in Kalka and not in Thompson or [[Paul Morasca]], and that Barnes dismissed [[Al Holbert]] as "just a nut."[^3] Seymour wrote that a 2000 interview of Barnes by Sue Todd confirmed that he had been the "handler" for both Riconosciuto and Thompson in a large drug sting in [[San Francisco]], a sting she says is mentioned in the [[John Di Giorgio|Di Giorgio]] file.[^4]
Barnes received three of [[Michael Riconosciuto]]'s computer coded cards from PAT, which he sent to Quantico. PAT, however, withheld one of the cards for himself. These cards were allegedly connected to the deaths of [[Paul Morasca]] and [[Mary Quick]].[^1]
Michael Riconosciuto claimed that a chemical company was cooperating with the FBI and reporting all the chemicals Riconosciuto ordered for his chemical companies in Washington State, which Riconosciuto then provided to Ben Kalka. Riconosciuto also stated that he was working for the FBI when he connected with Ben Kalka and that the agency told him to find the monomethylamine for Kalka as part of the sting operation.[^1]
Barnes received three of Michael Riconosciuto's computer coded cards from PAT, which he sent to Quantico. PAT, however, withheld one of the cards for himself. These cards were allegedly connected to the deaths of Paul Morasca and [[Mary Quick]].[^1]
---
### Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^2]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010, pp. 404-405.
[^3]: Transcript of a recorded interview of Michael Riconosciuto by Ted Gunderson, Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516). https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^4]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010, p. 405.

64
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Robert Bigelow.md
View file

@ -12,83 +12,97 @@ aliases:
- Robert Thomas Bigelow
- Bob Bigelow
relations:
- type: owned
with: "[[Skinwalker Ranch]]"
start: 1996-09
end: 2016-04
role: "purchase in September 1996; sale reported in 2016, the buyer listed as Adamantium Real Estate, with Bigelow's ownership of the buyer unproven per UBMedia correction"
fn: 3
- type: funded
with: "[[Never Back Down Inc.]]"
role: "contribution of 20,000,500 dollars reported March 30, 2023"
start: 2023-03-30
fn: 8
fn: 16
- type: funded
with: "[[Make America Great Again Inc.]]"
role: "contributions of 14,175,400 dollars in 2024 and 250,000 dollars in January 2025"
start: 2024-02-09
fn: 8
fn: 16
- type: funded
with: "[[Friends for Harry Reid]]"
role: "10,800 dollars in 1998, 2003 and 2010"
start: 1998-08-07
fn: 7
fn: 15
- type: funded
with: "[[Searchlight Leadership Fund]]"
role: "5,000 dollars (June 13, 2003) and 5,000 dollars from Bigelow Development Aerospace LLC (June 30, 2004)"
start: 2003-06-13
fn: 7
fn: 15
- type: director_of
with: "[[Robert Thomas Bigelow Educational Foundation]]"
role: "president and director, and treasurer and director, per Form 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024"
start: 2024-01
fn: 9
fn: 17
- type: director_of
with: "[[Robert Thomas Bigelow Medical Foundation]]"
role: "president and director, and treasurer and director, per Form 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024"
start: 2024-01
fn: 9
updated: 2026-10-02
fn: 17
updated: 2026-10-15
---
[[Robert Bigelow]] is a billionaire hotelier, developer, and aerospace magnate known for his long-standing interest in [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena]] (UAP) and paranormal research. His company, [[Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies]] (BAASS), was the primary contractor for the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AAWSAP), the precursor to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).[^1]
### Interest in UAP and Paranormal Research
Bigelow has had a lifelong obsession with UAP and paranormal occurrences, and he has used his personal fortune to fund research into these mysteries. In the 1990s, he founded the [[National Institute for Discovery Science]] (NIDS) to study UAP and the paranormal. He also purchased [[Skinwalker Ranch]] in [[Utah]], a property known for its long history of strange and often terrifying phenomena, so that his scientists could study the anomalous activity there.[^1]
Bigelow has had a lifelong obsession with UAP and paranormal occurrences, and he has used his personal fortune to fund research into these mysteries. In the 1990s, he founded the [[National Institute for Discovery Science]] (NIDS) to study UAP and the paranormal. He also purchased [[Skinwalker Ranch]] in [[Utah]], a property known for its long history of strange and often terrifying phenomena, so that his scientists could study the anomalous activity there.[^1] The [[Deseret News]] reported in April 1997 that Bigelow bought the ranch in September 1996, three months after the Shermans first told their story in that paper.[^2] The [[Las Vegas Sun]] reported in October 1996 that Bigelow "negotiated to buy the ranch for about $200,000," that the National Institute for Discovery Science was "formed last October," and that Bigelow "has erected an observation building and moved in a pair of scientists and a veterinarian."[^3] The Deseret News reported in April 2006 that the property was "still owned by the National Institute for Discovery Science."[^4] UBMedia reported in September 2016 that "Adamantium Real Estate acquired the ranch in April 2016," and added a correction that "no proof has been brought forward to show that Robert Bigelow is an owner of Adamantium Real Estate."[^5] [[KLAS-TV]] and [[Vice]] reported in March 2020 that the buyer belonged to [[Brandon Fugal]] and that Bigelow sold the ranch in 2016.[^6] Fugal told Utah Business in December 2020 that "I think Mr. Bigelow saw me as a worthy successor and steward of the property."[^7]
### Role in AATIP
Through his friendship with Senator [[Harry Reid]], Bigelow became a central figure in the establishment of AAWSAP. His company, BAASS, was awarded the contract to conduct research for the program, with a total award amount of 21,948,810 dollars on one released copy of the order form and 10,000,000 dollars on another.[^2] BAASS was responsible for investigating UAP incidents, including the [[Colares Incidents]] in [[Brazil]], and for compiling a massive database of UAP encounters. The company also continued the investigation of Skinwalker Ranch under the auspices of the AATIP program.[^1]
Through his friendship with Senator [[Harry Reid]], Bigelow became a central figure in the establishment of AAWSAP. His company, BAASS, was awarded the contract to conduct research for the program, with a total award amount of 21,948,810 dollars on one released copy of the order form and 10,000,000 dollars on another.[^8] BAASS was responsible for investigating UAP incidents, including the [[Colares Incidents]] in [[Brazil]], and for compiling a massive database of UAP encounters. The company also continued the investigation of Skinwalker Ranch under the auspices of the AATIP program.[^1] According to the [[New York Times]], Reid said that in 2007 Bigelow told him that an official with the Defense Intelligence Agency had approached Bigelow wanting to visit Bigelow's ranch in Utah, where he conducted research.[^9] [[George Knapp]] told Congress in 2023 that Bigelow created NIDS in 1996 and that Reid attended one of the first meetings of its science advisory board.[^10]
Bigelow's involvement was crucial to the operation of AATIP, and [[Luis Elizondo]] wrote that he spent his own money to front some of the program's costs. However, his role as a private contractor also drew scrutiny from within the [[Pentagon]] and was used by detractors to create a false impression that the program had gone rogue.[^1]
### Federal awards to Bigelow companies
[[USASpending.gov|USAspending.gov]], which holds federal contract data from fiscal 2008 onward, lists these awards to [[Bigelow Aerospace]] entities (companies, not Robert Bigelow personally), all from [[NASA]]: contract NNH13CH31C to Bigelow Aerospace LLC, "to provide and operate the [[Bigelow Expandable Activity Module]] (BEAM) on-board the [[International Space Station]]," phase 2 of the BEAM demonstration project, awarded after full and open competition, period December 20, 2012 to July 1, 2018, 17,839,858 dollars obligated;[^3] contract NNH15CN82C to Bigelow Aerospace LLC for [[NextSTEP]] conceptual studies leveraging the B330 habitat, resulting from broad agency announcement NNH15ZCQ001K, period July 31, 2015 to June 30, 2020, with 12,244,738.15 dollars obligated against a potential value of 16,044,796.15 dollars and 4,875,578 dollars in outlays;[^4] and three delivery orders to [[Bigelow Space One]] LLC for BEAM support: 80JSC021F0007 (October 19, 2020 to December 15, 2021, not competed, 5,006,667 dollars obligated, 5,000,000 dollars outlaid), 80JSC019F0011 (150,000 dollars) and 80JSC018F0024 (40,000 dollars).[^5] The obligations listed total 35,281,263.15 dollars. USAspending returns no award record for contract HHM402-08-C-0072 or for Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies; the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] documents for that contract state the paying office as the [[NSA]] Finance and Accounting Office.
[[USASpending.gov|USAspending.gov]], which holds federal contract data from fiscal 2008 onward, lists these awards to [[Bigelow Aerospace]] entities (companies, not Robert Bigelow personally), all from [[NASA]]: contract NNH13CH31C to Bigelow Aerospace LLC, "to provide and operate the [[Bigelow Expandable Activity Module]] (BEAM) on-board the [[International Space Station]]," phase 2 of the BEAM demonstration project, awarded after full and open competition, period December 20, 2012 to July 1, 2018, 17,839,858 dollars obligated;[^11] contract NNH15CN82C to Bigelow Aerospace LLC for [[NextSTEP]] conceptual studies leveraging the B330 habitat, resulting from broad agency announcement NNH15ZCQ001K, period July 31, 2015 to June 30, 2020, with 12,244,738.15 dollars obligated against a potential value of 16,044,796.15 dollars and 4,875,578 dollars in outlays;[^12] and three delivery orders to [[Bigelow Space One]] LLC for BEAM support: 80JSC021F0007 (October 19, 2020 to December 15, 2021, not competed, 5,006,667 dollars obligated, 5,000,000 dollars outlaid), 80JSC019F0011 (150,000 dollars) and 80JSC018F0024 (40,000 dollars).[^13] The obligations listed total 35,281,263.15 dollars. USAspending returns no award record for contract HHM402-08-C-0072 or for Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies; the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] documents for that contract state the paying office as the [[NSA]] Finance and Accounting Office.
### Lobbying registrations
Senate [[Lobbying Disclosure Act]] filings (searchable at lda.gov) show Bigelow Aerospace LLC as a client of [[Carliner Strategies]] LLC from the second quarter of 2014 (lobbyist [[Paul Carliner]], who disclosed a prior position as subcommittee staff director on the [[Senate Appropriations Committee]]) and of [[Brimley Group]] Inc. from the fourth quarter of 2014 (lobbyists [[Jessica Nickel]] and [[Thomas Culligan]], who disclosed prior positions with Representatives [[Rob Portman|Robert Portman]], [[Thomas Petri]] and [[Frank Wolf]]). The disclosed issues were funding for NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems account and the FAA [[Office of Commercial Space Transportation]]. Carliner reported 10,000 dollars (second quarter 2014), 30,000 (third), 70,000 (fourth) and 30,000 per quarter through 2015, a total of 230,000 dollars; Brimley reported 20,000 dollars (fourth quarter 2014) and 30,000 per quarter through 2015, a total of 140,000 dollars. From the second quarter of 2016 Bigelow Aerospace LLC registered as its own lobbying firm (lobbyists [[Christopher Hearsey]], listed as director of legislative affairs, and [[Ryan Noble]]) and reported expenses of 77,000 dollars (second quarter 2016), 110,000 (third and fourth quarters 2016), 110,000 (first through third quarters 2017) and 10,000 (fourth quarter 2017), a total of 637,000 dollars, on "commercialization of in-space expandable habitats" and "concerns arising from the authorization and supervision of commercial space activities," with the House, Senate, [[Office of Management and Budget]], [[Federal Aviation Administration]] and [[State Department]] listed as contacts. The searches found no filing by Bigelow entities that mentions unidentified anomalous phenomena.[^6]
Senate [[Lobbying Disclosure Act]] filings (searchable at lda.gov) show Bigelow Aerospace LLC as a client of [[Carliner Strategies]] LLC from the second quarter of 2014 (lobbyist [[Paul Carliner]], who disclosed a prior position as subcommittee staff director on the [[Senate Appropriations Committee]]) and of [[Brimley Group]] Inc. from the fourth quarter of 2014 (lobbyists [[Jessica Nickel]] and [[Thomas Culligan]], who disclosed prior positions with Representatives [[Rob Portman|Robert Portman]], [[Thomas Petri]] and [[Frank Wolf]]). The disclosed issues were funding for NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems account and the FAA [[Office of Commercial Space Transportation]]. Carliner reported 10,000 dollars (second quarter 2014), 30,000 (third), 70,000 (fourth) and 30,000 per quarter through 2015, a total of 230,000 dollars; Brimley reported 20,000 dollars (fourth quarter 2014) and 30,000 per quarter through 2015, a total of 140,000 dollars. From the second quarter of 2016 Bigelow Aerospace LLC registered as its own lobbying firm (lobbyists [[Christopher Hearsey]], listed as director of legislative affairs, and [[Ryan Noble]]) and reported expenses of 77,000 dollars (second quarter 2016), 110,000 (third and fourth quarters 2016), 110,000 (first through third quarters 2017) and 10,000 (fourth quarter 2017), a total of 637,000 dollars, on "commercialization of in-space expandable habitats" and "concerns arising from the authorization and supervision of commercial space activities," with the House, Senate, [[Office of Management and Budget]], [[Federal Aviation Administration]] and [[State Department]] listed as contacts. The searches found no filing by Bigelow entities that mentions unidentified anomalous phenomena.[^14]
### Federal campaign contributions
[[OpenFEC]] schedule A records list the following contributions by Robert T. Bigelow and Bigelow companies (receipts dated 1979 to 2025).
To committees of Harry Reid: [[Friends for Harry Reid]], two entries of 1,000 dollars on August 7, 1998, two of 2,000 dollars on June 12, 2003 and two of 2,400 dollars on June 8, 2010 (10,800 dollars in all); and the [[Searchlight Leadership Fund]] (Reid's leadership PAC, per its [[Federal Election Commission|FEC]] registration), 5,000 dollars on June 13, 2003 and 5,000 dollars on June 30, 2004 from Bigelow Development Aerospace LLC (the same date carries a 5,000 dollar memo attribution to Bigelow personally).[^7] The same Bigelow Development Aerospace LLC gave 5,000 dollars to [[Friends of the Big Sky]] on April 2, 2004. The [[Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]] received 28,500 dollars from Bigelow on September 28, 2007 and 28,500 dollars on June 30, 2008 (employer "Bigelow Investment Company"). Reid's July 2008 supplemental appropriation language and the September 22, 2008 award to BAASS fall between and after those two dates.
To committees of Harry Reid: [[Friends for Harry Reid]], two entries of 1,000 dollars on August 7, 1998, two of 2,000 dollars on June 12, 2003 and two of 2,400 dollars on June 8, 2010 (10,800 dollars in all); and the [[Searchlight Leadership Fund]] (Reid's leadership PAC, per its [[Federal Election Commission|FEC]] registration), 5,000 dollars on June 13, 2003 and 5,000 dollars on June 30, 2004 from Bigelow Development Aerospace LLC (the same date carries a 5,000 dollar memo attribution to Bigelow personally).[^15] The same Bigelow Development Aerospace LLC gave 5,000 dollars to [[Friends of the Big Sky]] on April 2, 2004. The [[Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]] received 28,500 dollars from Bigelow on September 28, 2007 and 28,500 dollars on June 30, 2008 (employer "Bigelow Investment Company"). Reid's July 2008 supplemental appropriation language and the September 22, 2008 award to BAASS fall between and after those two dates.
To Republican and other federal committees before 2022: [[Friends for Bryan]] (1,000 dollars, March 23, 1988); [[Committee to Elect Demar Dahl]] (1,000, October 28, 1992); [[Berkley for Congress]] and related Berkley committees (1,000 in 1997, 2,000 in 1999, 4,800 in 2010, 2,000 for Berkley for Senate in 2011); [[Rehberg for Congress]] (two entries of 2,000 dollars on June 23, 2003 from Robert T. Bigelow, and two of 2,000 dollars on March 31, 2004 recorded under "Mrs. Robert T. Bigelow," occupation "hotel/real estate developer"); [[Ensign for Senate]] (2,100, September 11, 2006); Committee to Re-elect Congressman [[Dana Rohrabacher]] (2,000 in 2004, 2,300 in 2008, 500 in 2010) and Rohrabacher for Congress (5,400 on November 21, 2017); [[Chambliss for Senate]] (2,300, 2008); the [[National Republican Congressional Committee]] (15,000 dollars, April 7, 2010); the [[Nevada Republican State Central Committee]] (10,000, October 8, 2010); [[Heller Victory Committee]] (30,800 dollars, December 31, 2011, with the same amount attributed to the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]]); [[Heller for Senate]] (2,700 in 2018 as joint-fundraising attribution) and [[Heller Senate Victory Committee]] (14,600, March 1, 2018); and [[Team Hardy Nevada Tough Victory Fund]] (240,000 dollars, October 24, 2018).[^8]
To Republican and other federal committees before 2022: [[Friends for Bryan]] (1,000 dollars, March 23, 1988); [[Committee to Elect Demar Dahl]] (1,000, October 28, 1992); [[Berkley for Congress]] and related Berkley committees (1,000 in 1997, 2,000 in 1999, 4,800 in 2010, 2,000 for Berkley for Senate in 2011); [[Rehberg for Congress]] (two entries of 2,000 dollars on June 23, 2003 from Robert T. Bigelow, and two of 2,000 dollars on March 31, 2004 recorded under "Mrs. Robert T. Bigelow," occupation "hotel/real estate developer"); [[Ensign for Senate]] (2,100, September 11, 2006); Committee to Re-elect Congressman [[Dana Rohrabacher]] (2,000 in 2004, 2,300 in 2008, 500 in 2010) and Rohrabacher for Congress (5,400 on November 21, 2017); [[Chambliss for Senate]] (2,300, 2008); the [[National Republican Congressional Committee]] (15,000 dollars, April 7, 2010); the [[Nevada Republican State Central Committee]] (10,000, October 8, 2010); [[Heller Victory Committee]] (30,800 dollars, December 31, 2011, with the same amount attributed to the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]]); [[Heller for Senate]] (2,700 in 2018 as joint-fundraising attribution) and [[Heller Senate Victory Committee]] (14,600, March 1, 2018); and [[Team Hardy Nevada Tough Victory Fund]] (240,000 dollars, October 24, 2018).[^16]
In 2022: [[Take Back the Senate]] (255,000 dollars, August 17), [[American Resolve PAC]] (200,000 dollars, August 26), the [[Noem Victory Fund]] (25,000 dollars, June 13), [[Maggie's List]] (5,000 dollars on December 27, 2021 and 5,000 on January 4, 2022), [[Kat for Congress]] (5,742 dollars), [[Becker for Congress]] (5,800) and [[Committee to Elect Sam Peters]] (5,800, with a 2,900 dollar memo reversal), and a 2,900 dollar memo entry to [[Michelle Steel for Congress]]. [[Morning in America PAC]] received 5,000,000 dollars from Bigelow on August 11, 2022, recorded as three entries (2,000,000, 2,000,000 and 1,000,000), all listing the employer as Bigelow Aerospace and reported on a 2023 filing.[^8]
In 2022: [[Take Back the Senate]] (255,000 dollars, August 17), [[American Resolve PAC]] (200,000 dollars, August 26), the [[Noem Victory Fund]] (25,000 dollars, June 13), [[Maggie's List]] (5,000 dollars on December 27, 2021 and 5,000 on January 4, 2022), [[Kat for Congress]] (5,742 dollars), [[Becker for Congress]] (5,800) and [[Committee to Elect Sam Peters]] (5,800, with a 2,900 dollar memo reversal), and a 2,900 dollar memo entry to [[Michelle Steel for Congress]]. [[Morning in America PAC]] received 5,000,000 dollars from Bigelow on August 11, 2022, recorded as three entries (2,000,000, 2,000,000 and 1,000,000), all listing the employer as Bigelow Aerospace and reported on a 2023 filing.[^16]
In 2023 and after: [[Never Back Down Inc.]] (FEC committee C00834077, a super PAC), 20,000,500 dollars, reported March 30, 2023; [[Make America Great Again Inc.]], 5,000,000 dollars (February 9, 2024), 4,175,400 dollars (March 28, 2024) and 5,000,000 dollars (June 26, 2024), then 250,000 dollars on January 23, 2025; and [[Trump 47 Committee]], Inc. (a joint fundraising committee), 824,600 dollars on March 29, 2024, with memo entries of the same date allocating amounts to the [[Republican National Committee]] and 40 state and territorial party committees (10,000 dollars each, 400,000 dollars in all, dated March 29, June 27 and June 28, 2024).[^8]
In 2023 and after: [[Never Back Down Inc.]] (FEC committee C00834077, a super PAC), 20,000,500 dollars, reported March 30, 2023; [[Make America Great Again Inc.]], 5,000,000 dollars (February 9, 2024), 4,175,400 dollars (March 28, 2024) and 5,000,000 dollars (June 26, 2024), then 250,000 dollars on January 23, 2025; and [[Trump 47 Committee]], Inc. (a joint fundraising committee), 824,600 dollars on March 29, 2024, with memo entries of the same date allocating amounts to the [[Republican National Committee]] and 40 state and territorial party committees (10,000 dollars each, 400,000 dollars in all, dated March 29, June 27 and June 28, 2024).[^16]
### Foundations
The [[Robert Thomas Bigelow Educational Foundation]] Inc and the [[Robert Thomas Bigelow Medical Foundation]] Inc were recognized as 501(c)(3) private foundations in March 2024 at 4640 S Eastern Ave, [[Las Vegas]], Nevada. Their Forms 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 list Robert Thomas Bigelow as president and director and as treasurer and director, [[Donna Stauch]] as secretary and director, and [[Colm Kelleher]] and [[Jody Erickson]] as directors, with no compensation reported on the Educational Foundation return (and 7,231 dollars for Jody Erikson on the Medical Foundation return); each foundation reports 62,000 dollars in contributions, all from Robert Thomas Bigelow, and the preparer is [[McCarthy Kaster Guerrero]] CPAs Ltd.[^9] For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, the Educational Foundation's Form 990-PF reports contributions of 643,050 dollars (639,700 dollars from Robert Thomas Bigelow), total expenses of 658,557 dollars, officer and director compensation of 254,134 dollars (Stauch 95,769, Kelleher 93,365, Erickson 65,000), and 151,195 dollars in grants to six recipients described as "challenge grant award winners for the 'Survival of Human Consciousness After Death' contest." The Medical Foundation's return for the same year reports contributions of 94,100 dollars, all from Bigelow, and total expenses of 131,828 dollars.[^10] National Institute for Discovery Science does not appear in the [[ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer]] database.
The [[Robert Thomas Bigelow Educational Foundation]] Inc and the [[Robert Thomas Bigelow Medical Foundation]] Inc were recognized as 501(c)(3) private foundations in March 2024 at 4640 S Eastern Ave, [[Las Vegas]], Nevada. Their Forms 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 list Robert Thomas Bigelow as president and director and as treasurer and director, [[Donna Stauch]] as secretary and director, and [[Colm Kelleher]] and [[Jody Erickson]] as directors, with no compensation reported on the Educational Foundation return (and 7,231 dollars for Jody Erikson on the Medical Foundation return); each foundation reports 62,000 dollars in contributions, all from Robert Thomas Bigelow, and the preparer is [[McCarthy Kaster Guerrero]] CPAs Ltd.[^17] For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, the Educational Foundation's Form 990-PF reports contributions of 643,050 dollars (639,700 dollars from Robert Thomas Bigelow), total expenses of 658,557 dollars, officer and director compensation of 254,134 dollars (Stauch 95,769, Kelleher 93,365, Erickson 65,000), and 151,195 dollars in grants to six recipients described as "challenge grant award winners for the 'Survival of Human Consciousness After Death' contest." The Medical Foundation's return for the same year reports contributions of 94,100 dollars, all from Bigelow, and total expenses of 131,828 dollars.[^18] National Institute for Discovery Science does not appear in the [[ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer]] database.
### Footnotes
[^1]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024.
[^2]: Defense Intelligence Agency, Standard Form 1449, order HHM402-08-C-0072, signed September 22, 2008 (FOIA-00269-2018, block 26); and the copy attached to modification P00001, effective September 2, 2009. https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/dia/AAWSAP/FOIA-00269-2018-.pdf and https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/dia/AAWSAP/Contract_FY10.pdf
[^3]: USAspending.gov, award CONT_AWD_NNH13CH31C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-, Bigelow Aerospace LLC, NASA. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NNH13CH31C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-
[^4]: USAspending.gov, award CONT_AWD_NNH15CN82C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NNH15CN82C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-
[^5]: USAspending.gov awards CONT_AWD_80JSC021F0007_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000, CONT_AWD_80JSC019F0011_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000 and CONT_AWD_80JSC018F0024_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000 (Bigelow Space One LLC). https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_AWD_80JSC021F0007_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000/
[^6]: Senate Office of Public Records, Lobbying Disclosure Act database, filings with client or registrant name "Bigelow Aerospace," 2014 through 2017 (23 filings in all, including three registration reports), retrieved October 2, 2026. https://lda.gov/api/v1/filings/?client_name=Bigelow+Aerospace
[^7]: Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC API, schedule A receipts, committees C00204370 (Friends for Harry Reid, Senate) and C00327395 (Searchlight Leadership Fund, sponsor candidate Harry Reid), sub_ids 3061920110006449337, 3061920110006449338, 1070820110008097328, 1070820110008097329, 2072820101127880321, 2072820101127880567, 4070920041040043086, 4072020041040387575, 4072020041040387576. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_a/
[^8]: Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC API, schedule A, contributor name search "Bigelow, Robert" with contributor_state NV, retrieved October 2, 2026; full row list with sub_ids in _LEDGER_M1.md. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_a/
[^9]: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt Organization Search e-file data, Forms 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024, object IDs 202403379349100410 (Educational Foundation, EIN 93-3962948) and 202413379349100411 (Medical Foundation, EIN 93-3974535), in https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/990/xml/2024/2024_TEOS_XML_12A.zip ; ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer API, EIN 933962948 and 933974535. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/api/v2/organizations/933962948.json
[^10]: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt Organization Search e-file data, Forms 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, object IDs 202522589349100222 (Educational Foundation) and 202512589349100631 (Medical Foundation), in https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/990/xml/2025/2025_TEOS_XML_09A.zip
[^2]: Zack Van Eyck, "No UFOs or ETs have dropped in at spooky ranch," *Deseret News*, April 27, 1997. https://www.deseret.com/1997/4/27/19308958/no-ufos-or-ets-have-dropped-in-at-spooky-ranch
[^3]: "Nevada millionaire buys UFO ranch in Utah," *Las Vegas Sun*, October 23, 1996. https://lasvegassun.com/news/1996/oct/23/nevada-millionaire-buys-ufo-ranch-in-utah/
[^4]: "Mysteries of UFO ranch in spotlight," *Deseret News*, April 22, 2006. https://www.deseret.com/2006/4/22/19949762/mysteries-of-ufo-ranch-in-spotlight
[^5]: Joshua Murdock, UBMedia, September 24, 2016, with editor's correction. https://web.archive.org/web/20190616173436/https://ubmedia.biz/ (article 016cb90c)
[^6]: KLAS-TV (8 News Now), Mystery Wire, March 10, 2020, https://digital-release.8newsnow.com/?p=2488085 ; Vice, "Brandon Fugal owner of Skinwalker Ranch," March 10, 2020, https://www.vice.com/en/article/brandon-fugal-owner-of-skinwalker-ranch
[^7]: "Why Brandon Fugal bought Skinwalker Ranch," *Utah Business*, December 15, 2020. https://www.utahbusiness.com/building-development/2020/12/15/why-a-millionaire-real-estate-mogul-bought-skinwalker-ranch/
[^8]: Defense Intelligence Agency, Standard Form 1449, order HHM402-08-C-0072, signed September 22, 2008 (FOIA-00269-2018, block 26); and the copy attached to modification P00001, effective September 2, 2009. https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/dia/AAWSAP/FOIA-00269-2018-.pdf and https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/dia/AAWSAP/Contract_FY10.pdf
[^9]: Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean, *The New York Times*, December 16, 2017 (New York Times News Service text: https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2017/12/16/are-ufos-real-a-pentagon-program-tried-to-find-out).
[^10]: George Knapp, statement to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, July 26, 2023, pp. 1 to 2. https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO06/20230726/116282/HHRG-118-GO06-20230726-SD004.pdf
[^11]: USAspending.gov, award CONT_AWD_NNH13CH31C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-, Bigelow Aerospace LLC, NASA. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NNH13CH31C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-
[^12]: USAspending.gov, award CONT_AWD_NNH15CN82C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NNH15CN82C_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-
[^13]: USAspending.gov awards CONT_AWD_80JSC021F0007_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000, CONT_AWD_80JSC019F0011_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000 and CONT_AWD_80JSC018F0024_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000 (Bigelow Space One LLC). https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_AWD_80JSC021F0007_8000_80JSC018D0001_8000/
[^14]: Senate Office of Public Records, Lobbying Disclosure Act database, filings with client or registrant name "Bigelow Aerospace," 2014 through 2017 (23 filings in all, including three registration reports), retrieved October 2, 2026. https://lda.gov/api/v1/filings/?client_name=Bigelow+Aerospace
[^15]: Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC API, schedule A receipts, committees C00204370 (Friends for Harry Reid, Senate) and C00327395 (Searchlight Leadership Fund, sponsor candidate Harry Reid), sub_ids 3061920110006449337, 3061920110006449338, 1070820110008097328, 1070820110008097329, 2072820101127880321, 2072820101127880567, 4070920041040043086, 4072020041040387575, 4072020041040387576. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_a/
[^16]: Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC API, schedule A, contributor name search "Bigelow, Robert" with contributor_state NV, retrieved October 2, 2026; full row list with sub_ids in _LEDGER_M1.md. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_a/
[^17]: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt Organization Search e-file data, Forms 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024, object IDs 202403379349100410 (Educational Foundation, EIN 93-3962948) and 202413379349100411 (Medical Foundation, EIN 93-3974535), in https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/990/xml/2024/2024_TEOS_XML_12A.zip ; ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer API, EIN 933962948 and 933974535. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/api/v2/organizations/933962948.json
[^18]: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt Organization Search e-file data, Forms 990-PF for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, object IDs 202522589349100222 (Educational Foundation) and 202512589349100631 (Medical Foundation), in https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/990/xml/2025/2025_TEOS_XML_09A.zip

33
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan.md
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@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ relations:
role: "principal shareholder with the Abu Dhabi government and ruling family"
start: 1972
end: 1991
fn: 11
fn: 13
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan was the Head of [[Abu Dhabi]]'s ruling family and president of the [[United Arab Emirates]].[^1]
@ -33,21 +34,21 @@ BCCI effectively merged with Zayed's Private Department, which handled and inves
### Role in BCCI Scandal
Zayed and his chief lieutenant, [[Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui]], were infuriated by the global seizure of BCCI, as it occurred just ten days before a deal to restructure the bank was to be signed.[^7] Zayed's various state agencies, along with Zayed himself, lost as much as $8 billion in the shutdown of BCCI.[^8]
Zayed and his chief lieutenant, [[Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui]], were infuriated by the global seizure of BCCI, as it occurred just ten days before a deal to restructure the bank was to be signed.[^8] Beaty wrote that no one saw Zayed without Mazrui's approval, and quoted a contact at the UAE embassy in Washington saying "only Ghanim al-Mazrui can approve that." Beaty wrote that the Manhattan prosecutor John Moscow thought whether Zayed or Mazrui knew about the bank's criminal activity was "one of the keys."[^9] Zayed's various state agencies, along with Zayed himself, lost as much as $8 billion in the shutdown of BCCI.[^10]
He ordered audits of BCCI, which revealed billions of dollars missing.[^9] The [[Bank of England]] tried to persuade Zayed to inject more money into BCCI to cover losses.[^10]
He ordered audits of BCCI, which revealed billions of dollars missing.[^11] The [[Bank of England]] tried to persuade Zayed to inject more money into BCCI to cover losses.[^12]
### The Kerry-Brown Findings
The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] of December 1992 stated that "there was no relationship more central to BCCI's existence from its inception than that between BCCI and Sheikh Zayed and the ruling family of Abu Dhabi." Abu Dhabi shareholders bought 20 percent of BCCI at its creation in 1972 for 500,000 dollars and let that interest fall to just over one percent within three years. In January 1978, when BCCI needed two more names for its purchase of [[Financial General Bankshares]], the ruling family supplied them, and in 1980 and 1981, when BCCI needed a buyer for the shares held by the [[Bank of America]], Abu Dhabi again increased its interest.[^11]
The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] of December 1992 stated that "there was no relationship more central to BCCI's existence from its inception than that between BCCI and Sheikh Zayed and the ruling family of Abu Dhabi." Abu Dhabi shareholders bought 20 percent of BCCI at its creation in 1972 for 500,000 dollars and let that interest fall to just over one percent within three years. In January 1978, when BCCI needed two more names for its purchase of [[Financial General Bankshares]], the ruling family supplied them, and in 1980 and 1981, when BCCI needed a buyer for the shares held by the [[Bank of America]], Abu Dhabi again increased its interest.[^13]
After the fall in 1980 of his financial adviser Abdullah Darweish, who was arrested on December 8, 1981, and charged with defrauding the ruling family, Zayed directed that all of his personal oil revenues be placed in BCCI, had the [[Abu Dhabi Investment Authority]] acquire a 10 percent stake in BCCI from its Cayman affiliate [[ICIC]], and placed the chairman of his Private Department, Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui, on BCCI's board, where he became chairman. Abu Dhabi's witness before the subcommittee, Ahmed Al Sayegh, testified that "in excess of $2 billion was entrusted to Abedi and Naqvi for investment by Their Highnesses Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Khalifa under a power of attorney between 1980 and 1990."[^11]
After the fall in 1980 of his financial adviser Abdullah Darweish, who was arrested on December 8, 1981, and charged with defrauding the ruling family, Zayed directed that all of his personal oil revenues be placed in BCCI, had the [[Abu Dhabi Investment Authority]] acquire a 10 percent stake in BCCI from its Cayman affiliate [[ICIC]], and placed the chairman of his Private Department, Ghanim Faris al-Mazrui, on BCCI's board, where he became chairman. Abu Dhabi's witness before the subcommittee, Ahmed Al Sayegh, testified that "in excess of $2 billion was entrusted to Abedi and Naqvi for investment by Their Highnesses Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Khalifa under a power of attorney between 1980 and 1990."[^13]
Abu Dhabi's position was that it had been BCCI's victim. "We didn't know anything about the bank because of our passive role in the past," Al Sayegh testified. The report found instead that BCCI's records and insiders "outline a picture of the relationship which suggests that Abu Dhabi officials were indeed knowing participants in substantial wrongdoing," that members of the ruling family had taken risk-free investments in BCCI, and that Abu Dhabi officials had engaged "in a cover-up of fraudulent activity involving BCCI, which continues, in substantial part, to this day." Members of the ruling family appeared to have contributed no more than 500,000 dollars to BCCI's capital before April 1990 while recorded as owners of almost a quarter of its shares, with a book value of more than 750 million dollars. By the closure of July 5, 1991, Abu Dhabi owned 77 percent of BCCI; because the rest was held by nominees and ICIC, the report concluded that "Abu Dhabi was in fact BCCI's sole owner."[^11]
Abu Dhabi's position was that it had been BCCI's victim. "We didn't know anything about the bank because of our passive role in the past," Al Sayegh testified. The report found instead that BCCI's records and insiders "outline a picture of the relationship which suggests that Abu Dhabi officials were indeed knowing participants in substantial wrongdoing," that members of the ruling family had taken risk-free investments in BCCI, and that Abu Dhabi officials had engaged "in a cover-up of fraudulent activity involving BCCI, which continues, in substantial part, to this day." Members of the ruling family appeared to have contributed no more than 500,000 dollars to BCCI's capital before April 1990 while recorded as owners of almost a quarter of its shares, with a book value of more than 750 million dollars. By the closure of July 5, 1991, Abu Dhabi owned 77 percent of BCCI; because the rest was held by nominees and ICIC, the report concluded that "Abu Dhabi was in fact BCCI's sole owner."[^13]
### Settlement
Under an agreement of January 12, 1994, by which Abu Dhabi handed [[Swaleh Naqvi]] to the [[United States]] and gave American prosecutors access to BCCI witnesses and documents, the United States dropped a civil suit of 1.5 billion dollars against Zayed, brought no criminal charges against him, and received 400 million dollars' worth of Abu Dhabi's shares in [[First American Bank]].[^12][^13] In June 1994 an Abu Dhabi court convicted twelve former BCCI executives and awarded Zayed's Private Department 6.56 billion dollars of the 9.13 billion dollars in damages.[^12] Abu Dhabi's shareholders agreed in November 1994 to a 1.8 billion dollar compensation package for BCCI's creditors, which received its last legal clearances in December 1995; an agreement with the liquidators in May 1996 cleared a first payment of 1.55 billion dollars.[^14] The liquidators later reported that the Abu Dhabi government had contributed 2.2 billion dollars to the liquidation funds.[^15]
Under an agreement of January 12, 1994, by which Abu Dhabi handed [[Swaleh Naqvi]] to the [[United States]] and gave American prosecutors access to BCCI witnesses and documents, the United States dropped a civil suit of 1.5 billion dollars against Zayed, brought no criminal charges against him, and received 400 million dollars' worth of Abu Dhabi's shares in [[First American Bank]].[^14][^15] In June 1994 an Abu Dhabi court convicted twelve former BCCI executives and awarded Zayed's Private Department 6.56 billion dollars of the 9.13 billion dollars in damages.[^14] Abu Dhabi's shareholders agreed in November 1994 to a 1.8 billion dollar compensation package for BCCI's creditors, which received its last legal clearances in December 1995; an agreement with the liquidators in May 1996 cleared a first payment of 1.55 billion dollars.[^16] The liquidators later reported that the Abu Dhabi government had contributed 2.2 billion dollars to the liquidation funds.[^17]
### Footnotes
@ -58,11 +59,13 @@ Under an agreement of January 12, 1994, by which Abu Dhabi handed [[Swaleh Naqvi
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 163.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 128.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 128.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 129.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 55.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 136.
[^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. 14, "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Stockholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^12]: Hussain, Thomas. "UAE jails and fines BCCI executives," United Press International, June 14, 1994. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/14/UAE-jails-and-fines-BCCI-executives/7650771566400/
[^13]: "Ex-BCCI chief faces jail in UAE," United Press International, October 20, 1994. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/20/Ex-BCCI-chief-faces-jail-in-UAE/7767782625600/
[^14]: "BCCI small depositors paid in UAE," United Press International, October 11, 1997. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1997/10/11/BCCI-small-depositors-paid-in-UAE/2814876542400/
[^15]: Hunter, Gregor Stuart. "After 22 years, UAE branches of defunct BCCI finally liquidated," *The National,* July 5, 2013. https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/after-22-years-uae-branches-of-defunct-bcci-finally-liquidated-1.606808
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 99.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, pp. 71, 73.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 129.
[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 55.
[^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. 136.
[^13]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 14, "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Stockholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^14]: Hussain, Thomas. "UAE jails and fines BCCI executives," United Press International, June 14, 1994. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/14/UAE-jails-and-fines-BCCI-executives/7650771566400/
[^15]: "Ex-BCCI chief faces jail in UAE," United Press International, October 20, 1994. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/20/Ex-BCCI-chief-faces-jail-in-UAE/7767782625600/
[^16]: "BCCI small depositors paid in UAE," United Press International, October 11, 1997. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1997/10/11/BCCI-small-depositors-paid-in-UAE/2814876542400/
[^17]: Hunter, Gregor Stuart. "After 22 years, UAE branches of defunct BCCI finally liquidated," *The National,* July 5, 2013. https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/after-22-years-uae-branches-of-defunct-bcci-finally-liquidated-1.606808

21
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Arthur Koestler.md
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@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
---
category: "Authors & Journalists"
updated: 2026-10-15
tags:
- Person
- Military
@ -13,21 +14,29 @@ relations:
with: "[[University of Edinburgh]]"
start: 1985
role: "bequest endowing the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology"
fn: 2
fn: 4
---
Arthur Koestler was a Hungarian-born British novelist, journalist, and critic. He was known for his writings on science, parapsychology, and political philosophy. His 1972 book, *The Roots of Coincidence*, explored the concept of synchronicity and other parapsychological phenomena.[^1]
Koestler's work, particularly *The Roots of Coincidence*, played a role in influencing key figures in the U.S. government's psychic research programs. Major General [[Edmund Thompson]], the Army's assistant chief of staff for intelligence, developed a considerable enthusiasm for psychic spying after reading Koestler's pro-paranormal book. This personal interest contributed to Thompson's approval and support for the [[Stargate Project|Gondola Wish]] program.[^1]
### Geneva conference, 1974
In August 1974 the [[Parapsychology Foundation]] held its 23rd annual conference at the Hotel La Réserve in [[Geneva]] on the subject "Quantum Physics and Parapsychology." A conference report dated October 28, 1974 describes the subject as "a topic selected at the instigation of Arthur Koestler, the well-known author, who in recent years has interested himself in the subject of parapsychology. His recent book, The Roots of Coincidence, reflects this interest." The report records that experiments with gifted subjects were presented by [[Hal Puthoff]] and [[Russell Targ]].[^2]
In March 1974 the magazine [[Time (magazine)|Time]] published a cover story on psychic research that cited Koestler in its survey of the field. [[Martin Gardner]] was quoted in it as listing "the incomplete conclusions of Koestler" beside [[Uri Geller]] and *The Secret Life of Plants*, and as writing that these "all seem part of a new uncritical enthusiasm for pseudo science."[^3]
### Koestler Chair of Parapsychology
Koestler's bequest endowed a chair in parapsychology at the [[University of Edinburgh]]. The Koestler Parapsychology Unit, in the university's psychology department, gives 1985 as its year of establishment, and [[Robert L. Morris]] was appointed the first holder of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology in 1985.[^2][^3] A paper reproduced in the 1994 DIA peer review plan gives Morris as holding the chair in the Department of Psychology at Edinburgh.[^4] [[James E. Alcock]] described the chair in 1987 as "endowed by a bequest from the late Arthur Koestler, a long-time supporter of parapsychology."[^5]
Koestler's bequest endowed a chair in parapsychology at the [[University of Edinburgh]]. The Koestler Parapsychology Unit, in the university's psychology department, gives 1985 as its year of establishment, and [[Robert L. Morris]] was appointed the first holder of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology in 1985.[^4][^5] A paper reproduced in the 1994 DIA peer review plan gives Morris as holding the chair in the Department of Psychology at Edinburgh.[^6] [[James E. Alcock]] described the chair in 1987 as "endowed by a bequest from the late Arthur Koestler, a long-time supporter of parapsychology."[^7]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.
[^2]: Koestler Parapsychology Unit, University of Edinburgh, home page ("Established in 1985"). https://koestlerunit.wordpress.com/
[^3]: "Robert Morris," Psi Encyclopedia, Society for Psychical Research ("In 1985, Morris was appointed the first holder of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology"). https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/robert-morris/
[^4]: Defense Intelligence Agency, *Project STAR GATE Research and Peer Review Plan,* June 1994, CIA-RDP96-00789R002700010001-1. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00789r002700010001-1
[^5]: Alcock, James E. "Parapsychology: Science of the Anomalous or Search for the Soul?" *Behavioral and Brain Sciences* (1987), CIA-RDP96-00789R002200120001-4. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00789r002200120001-4
[^2]: Central Intelligence Agency, report on the 23rd Annual International Conference of the Parapsychology Foundation, Hotel La Réserve, Geneva, August 26 and 27, 1974, "Quantum Physics and Parapsychology," dated October 28, 1974, CIA-RDP96-00787R000200180001-2 (CIA CREST).
[^3]: "Boom Times on the Psychic Frontier," *Time*, March 4, 1974, CIA-RDP96-00787R000100030002-8 (CIA CREST).
[^4]: Koestler Parapsychology Unit, University of Edinburgh, home page ("Established in 1985"). https://koestlerunit.wordpress.com/
[^5]: "Robert Morris," Psi Encyclopedia, Society for Psychical Research ("In 1985, Morris was appointed the first holder of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology"). https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/robert-morris/
[^6]: Defense Intelligence Agency, *Project STAR GATE Research and Peer Review Plan,* June 1994, CIA-RDP96-00789R002700010001-1. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00789r002700010001-1
[^7]: Alcock, James E. "Parapsychology: Science of the Anomalous or Search for the Soul?" *Behavioral and Brain Sciences* (1987), CIA-RDP96-00789R002200120001-4. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp96-00789r002200120001-4

129
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Kalka.md
View file

@ -3,27 +3,140 @@ category: "Organized Crime"
tags:
- Person
- OrganizedCrime
- Methamphetamine
- ReverseSting
- PROMIS
aliases:
- "Kalka"
summary: "Kalka estimated he produced 8,000 pounds of drugs worth $10 million, using ingredients that federal agents had allegedly arranged for him to buy."
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: investigated
with: "[[Robert Barnes]]"
reverse: true
start: 1982
role: "FBI agent who handled Riconosciuto in the San Francisco sting, per Seymour"
fn: 7
- type: investigated
with: "[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]"
reverse: true
start: 1982
role: "agency of the reverse sting, per Seymour"
fn: 1
- type: investigated
with: "[[John Di Giorgio]]"
reverse: true
start: 1989-10
role: "former Austrian citizen said to be an undercover informant against Kalka"
fn: 1
- type: investigated
with: "[[California Attorney General's Office]]"
reverse: true
start: 1989-10
role: "state case against Kalka, per Seymour"
fn: 1
- type: prosecuted
with: "[[United States]]"
reverse: true
start: 1989-10-26
end: 1993-06-17
role: "N.D. Cal. No. 3:89-cr-00603"
fn: 16
- type: represented
with: "[[Chris Cannon]]"
reverse: true
start: 2000
role: "defense attorney whose deal overturned Kalka's sentence, per Seymour"
fn: 1
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Michael Riconosciuto]]"
start: 1982
role: "business ties at R & R Research, per Seymour"
fn: 1
- type: represented
with: "[[Harland Braun]]"
reverse: true
start: 1982
role: "Los Angeles attorney for Kalka at the time of Riconosciuto's cooperating-witness negotiations, per an INSLAW memorandum"
fn: 11
- type: investigated
with: "[[Sue Todd]]"
reverse: true
start: 2000
role: "detective whose 2000 Octopus probe concluded Kalka was an undercover operative, per Seymour"
fn: 14
---
[[Ben Kalka]] was a figure in the San Francisco drug world, initially a "bit player" who later became a major supplier of methamphetamine. He was arrested in 1982 with 900 pounds of methamphetamine in his possession and was serving time in a Pleasanton prison. Kalka's arrest was part of a federal sting operation, though he claimed the sting had ended by the time he began manufacturing the drug.[^1]
[[Ben Kalka]] was a figure in the [[San Francisco]] drug world, initially a "bit player" who later became a major supplier of [[Methamphetamine|methamphetamine]]. He was arrested in 1982 with 900 pounds of methamphetamine in his possession and was serving time in a [[Pleasanton]] prison. Kalka's arrest was part of a federal sting operation, though he claimed the sting had ended by the time he began manufacturing the drug.[^1]
### Methamphetamine Production and Government Involvement
Kalka estimated he produced 8,000 pounds of drugs worth $10 million, using ingredients that federal agents had allegedly arranged for him to buy. He became involved in methamphetamine production after a chemist friend asked him to find phenyl acetic acid, a key precursor. Despite the chemical not being illegal, its purchase was scrutinized by the government. A contact, [[Paul Palmer]], who had become a government informant after being busted for selling precursors, arranged for Kalka to obtain a semi-truck load of the chemical.[^1]
Kalka estimated he produced 8,000 pounds of drugs worth $10 million, using ingredients that federal agents had allegedly arranged for him to buy. He became involved in methamphetamine production after a chemist friend asked him to find [[Phenylacetic acid|phenyl acetic acid]], a key precursor. Despite the chemical not being illegal, its purchase was scrutinized by the government.[^1] Federal law later brought the chemical under control. A November 1, 1989 hearing of the [[House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control]] listed phenylacetic acid among the precursor chemicals regulated under the [[Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act]] of 1988.[^2] The current federal list of List I chemicals includes it.[^3] A letter of September 1, 1989 from the [[Chemical Manufacturers Association]] to the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] asked for guidance on implementing the act's final rule, published at 54 Fed. Reg. 31657 (August 1, 1989).[^4]
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] was introduced to Kalka by Palmer and helped Kalka find monomethylamine, the last ingredient needed for methamphetamine. Riconosciuto claimed he was working for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] as part of the sting operation and was authorized to supply Kalka with the final ingredient. The plan to bust Kalka and his subordinates reportedly failed when Kalka diverted the truck carrying the chemicals away from federal agents. Kalka wondered why the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] did not track him down once the methamphetamine began hitting the streets, suggesting the agency stumbled upon his enterprise during another undercover operation.[^1]
A contact, [[Paul Palmer]], who had become a government informant after being busted for selling precursors, arranged for Kalka to obtain a semi-truck load of the chemical.[^1]
Kalka was released from prison in April 2000 after his lawyer, [[Chris Cannon]], struck a deal that overturned his sentence, contingent upon Kalka signing a letter stating he did not obtain his precursors from the [[United States|U.S. government]]. This letter was reportedly written by [[William Shockley]], a [[United States Attorney|U.S. Attorney]] in San Francisco, and found by Detective [[Sue Todd]] in the Di Giorgio Extradition File.[^1]
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] was introduced to Kalka by Palmer and helped Kalka find [[Methylamine|monomethylamine]], the last ingredient needed for methamphetamine. In a statement printed in the November 1, 1989 hearing record, the Chemical Manufacturers Association reviewed methylamine "due to its possible future listing as a CDTA chemical by DEA."[^5] Riconosciuto claimed he was working for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] as part of the sting operation and was authorized to supply Kalka with the final ingredient. The plan to bust Kalka and his subordinates reportedly failed when Kalka diverted the truck carrying the chemicals away from federal agents. Kalka wondered why the FBI did not track him down once the methamphetamine began hitting the streets, suggesting the agency stumbled upon his enterprise during another undercover operation.[^1]
[[Cheri Seymour|Seymour]]'s notes of an interview with [[Peter Zokosky]] record that Zokosky played a tape on which Riconosciuto narrated. The tape referred to the murder of [[Paul Morasca]] in San Francisco and [[Mary Quick]] in [[Fresno]]. It said that Kalka handled an LSD operation in Fresno and that alleged drug traffickers worked with him, and that at some point Barnes became involved in the investigation.[^6] Zokosky described Riconosciuto as unreliable, a pathological liar with grains of truth in his accounts.[^6]
A letter dated April 13, 1982, signed by Riconosciuto's then-wife Phyllis Riconosciuto and by [[Jimmy Hughes]], engaged Hughes and a second man to provide bodyguard services for Riconosciuto on April 14, 15 and 16 for a flat fee of $1,300, to fly with him to Fresno while he put his affairs in order "until he goes into protective custody with the FBI at the Oakland [California] office." The letter stated that Riconosciuto was to meet [[Robert Barnes]], an FBI special agent, and that the two men could return to Palm Springs once Barnes assumed protection of him.[^7] Seymour places the letter in the period when Riconosciuto worked with [[Dr. John Philip Nichols]], whom she describes as administrator at the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation]] and a partner at the time in the [[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] joint venture on the reservation.[^8] Seymour also connects the date of the letter to Riconosciuto's claim that he had worked undercover, on loan from the FBI, for the Fresno prosecutor [[Brian Leighton]], who prosecuted 29 members of the drug and arms group [[The Company]], and she quotes a San Francisco Chronicle article of April 28, 1982 by Bill Wallace headed "Story of Spies, Stolen Arms and Drugs."[^7]
In a statement dated February 16, 1984, Riconosciuto wrote that Nichols directed him to have [[Philip Arthur Thompson]] recover "[all] of Kalka’s assets." He wrote that [[Jim De Silva|DeSilva]], who had control of the assets, agreed to release them and gave the location of the vehicles, which were in the Oakland area. The vehicles held a semi-truck loaded with amphetamine production chemicals and a red Datsun with a portable refrigerator containing acid. He added that Nichols complained that "PAT had made off with everything."[^9]
### Accounts in the Casolaro Papers
In a transcribed interview with [[Ted Gunderson]], a retired FBI special agent in charge, Riconosciuto said that in December 1981 word reached him "through the Wackenhut structure" that an attempt would be made on his life, and that he later learned Kalka had paid the [[Hells Angels|Hell's Angels]] a quarter of a million dollars to kill him. He said Kalka "was just horrified by the fact that I was with Paul Morasca." He said Kalka was "a fugitive from justice" who had been hiding in Colorado when Morasca gathered the company's raw materials, which Riconosciuto described as twelve hundred fifty-five-gallon drums of monomethylamine and close to half a million pounds of phenylacetic acid, collected through DeSilva. Riconosciuto said he gave the location to Barnes and a second FBI agent, that Barnes was interested in Kalka and not in Thompson or Morasca, and that the materials were removed shortly afterward, after DeSilva was beaten and told them where they were. He added that he had persuaded Kalka that a tracking device might be hidden in the phenylacetic acid, that Kalka had all of it screened, and that during the screening he introduced a heavy-metal micro-tagging material into it; he said Paul Palmer of Zero Waste wanted the fiber drums returned.[^10]
An INSLAW memorandum to the record dated July 18, 1990, drawing on that interview, stated that Riconosciuto had initially intended to use the Los Angeles attorney [[Harland Braun|Harlan Braun]] in negotiations with [[Stephen Trott]] in the spring of 1982, but that Braun had a conflict because he represented Kalka, "allegedly one of the leaders in illegal drug trafficking against whom Riconosciuto was about to become a cooperative witness." Braun referred him to Donald Wager. The memorandum added that Riconosciuto had told the authors Pizzo and Fricker in December 1987 that Braun represented the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] in the Los Angeles area.[^11]
In a letter of October 6, 1983 to Judge Victor Dahman of the Madera County Justice Court, Gunderson wrote that Paul Morasca had been working with federal and San Bernardino authorities to expose and prosecute Kalka, [[Al Holbert]] and a third man, and that after Morasca's death large quantities of drugs and chemicals disappeared from their San Francisco location once the location had been given to San Francisco authorities by informants. He listed 940 pounds of pure methamphetamine, 35,000 pounds of phenylacetic acid and 100 fifty-five-gallon drums of 40 percent monomethylamine, which he stated Kalka, Holbert and the third man had bought in 1980 from Zero Waste Inc. of Oakland and Ark Distribution Company of Contra Costa and had placed in the Fresno and Madera area. Gunderson also wrote that he had been told the "Kalka group" was concerned that a witness was cooperating with him, and that he had information that the group had committed 18 murders since January 1982.[^12]
### Arrest and Sentencing
The Oakland Tribune reported that an Oakland businessman named Ben Kalka, 36, previously convicted twice on drug sale charges, was given the maximum term of four years in prison in Alameda County Superior Court after his arrest on August 28 at his Oakland hills home with two pounds of cocaine and $77,000 in cash. The article stated that he earned about $50,000 a year from a business restoring antique motorcycles for use in Hollywood films.[^13]
### Todd's Conclusions
[[Sue Todd]] concluded that Kalka was an undercover operative and that the entire drug operation was sanctioned by the [[United States|U.S. government]], as Kalka had been arrested multiple times, but the FBI always took possession of him away from the arresting officers.[^1] Seymour reports that Todd interviewed Barnes in 2000, and that Barnes confirmed he had been the "handler" for both Riconosciuto and Thompson in a large drug sting in San Francisco.[^14]
### Connections and Allegations
Kalka's business ties with [[Michael Riconosciuto]] at [[R & R Research]] and the laboratory facilities at Hercules, [[California]], were documented in [[David Mayer]]'s attorney/client files. [[Dr. John Philip Nichols]], administrator at the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation]], also met with Riconosciuto at the Hercules plant. Investigators uncovered evidence of a chemical or drug operation at the Hercules plant that contaminated the entire property.[^1]
Kalka's business ties with Riconosciuto at [[R & R Research]] and the laboratory facilities at Hercules, [[California]], were documented in [[David Mayer]]'s attorney/client files. Nichols, administrator at the Cabazon Indian Reservation, also met with Riconosciuto at the Hercules plant. Investigators uncovered evidence of a chemical or drug operation at the Hercules plant that contaminated the entire property.[^1]
Kalka was close to [[Al Holbert]], a former [[Israel|Israeli]] intelligence agent, and [[Paul Morasca]], who was murdered in San Francisco during the time these sting operations were underway. [[Sue Todd]] concluded that Kalka was an undercover operative and that the entire drug operation was sanctioned by the [[United States|U.S. government]], as Kalka had been arrested multiple times, but the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] always took possession of him away from the arresting officers.[^1]
Kalka was close to Al Holbert, a former [[Israel|Israeli]] intelligence agent, and Morasca, who was murdered in San Francisco during the time these sting operations were underway. The Morasca homicide file (Case No. 82-1052505) reportedly contained over a thousand pages dating to the early 1980s and referenced the [[Fred Alvarez|Alvarez]] murders, according to Seymour.[^15]
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that the precursors Kalka used were provided by the [[United States|U.S. government]] and that a chemical company was cooperating with the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] by reporting all chemicals Riconosciuto ordered for his companies, which he then provided to Kalka. The money from these operations was reportedly laundered through [[Liechtenstein]] and other countries.[^1]
Riconosciuto claimed that the precursors Kalka used were provided by the U.S. government and that a chemical company was cooperating with the FBI by reporting all chemicals Riconosciuto ordered for his companies, which he then provided to Kalka. The money from these operations was reportedly laundered through [[Liechtenstein]] and other countries.[^1]
### Federal Prosecution and Release
The federal case United States v. Kalka, No. 3:89-cr-00603, was filed in the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of California|Northern District of California]] on October 26, 1989 and terminated on June 17, 1993, according to the docket index.[^16] Seymour cites the same number as the "Di Giorgio Extradition File," captioned United States v. [[John Di Giorgio|Di Giorgio]].[^15] Seymour wrote that at a news conference on November 17, 1989, Attorney General [[John Van de Kamp]] of California described the case as the "biggest methamphetamine seizure in the world," displaying 1,022 pounds of methamphetamine and $1 million in cash.[^1] The precursors supplied to Kalka were reportedly part of a "reverse sting" operation headed by Barnes.[^1]
A 1992 report of the [[House Committee on the Judiciary]] on the [[INSLAW]] matter recorded that Riconosciuto, after his 1991 arrest, "has been convicted of the drug related charges," and that the [[Department of Justice]] declined the committee's requests on the ground that his prosecution was an ongoing investigation.[^17] A 1997 hearing officer's report in a congressional reference proceeding described Riconosciuto as "convicted of manufacturing and selling methamphetamine" when discussing the sources relied on by [[Bill Hamilton]].[^18] The federal case against Riconosciuto, United States v. Riconosciuto, No. 3:91-cr-01034, was filed in the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Washington|Western District of Washington]] on April 1, 1991.[^19]
Kalka was released from prison in April 2000 after his lawyer, [[Chris Cannon]], struck a deal that overturned his sentence, contingent upon Kalka signing a letter stating he did not obtain his precursors from the U.S. government. This letter was reportedly written by [[William Shockley]], a [[United States Attorney|U.S. Attorney]] in San Francisco, and found by Detective Todd in the Di Giorgio Extradition File.[^1] The [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] inmate locator lists Ben Kalka's actual release date as April 20, 2000, from the [[Federal Correctional Institution Edgefield|Edgefield]] federal facility.[^20]
A California state prisoner named Benio Kalka was sentenced to four years' imprisonment on November 1, 1985, and arrived at the Department of Corrections reception center at [[Vacaville]]. In 1989 the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|Ninth Circuit]] affirmed the denial of his habeas petition, which concerned work-time credits.[^21] Benio Kalka may be the Ben Kalka sentenced to four years in Alameda County; the term and the Northern California courts match, and neither record carries a shared identifier.
---
### Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^2]: U.S. House of Representatives, Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, hearing on the flow of precursor chemicals and assault weapons from the United States, November 1, 1989 (SCNAC-101-1-18; Government Printing Office, 1990), Attachment 4, "Legitimate Uses for Precursor and Essential Chemicals Regulated by the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act," printed p. 196; hearing title "The Flow of Precursor Chemicals and Assault Weapons from the United States into the Andean Nations." https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/128172NCJRS.pdf
[^3]: 21 C.F.R. § 1310.02, List I chemicals, entry for phenylacetic acid, its esters and its salts (DEA chemical code 8791). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/1310.02
[^4]: Chemical Manufacturers Association, letter from Robert A. Roland to DEA Administrator John C. Lawn, September 1, 1989, printed as Attachment 5 in the hearing cited in note 2, pp. 198-199. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/128172NCJRS.pdf
[^5]: Chemical Manufacturers Association statement, printed in the hearing cited in note 2, p. 189. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/128172NCJRS.pdf
[^6]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, p. 340 (interview with Peter Zokosky and an audio tape of Michael Riconosciuto narrating) and p. 344 (Zokosky's assessment of Riconosciuto).
[^7]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, pp. 404-405, on the letter of April 13, 1982 concerning Riconosciuto's meeting with Robert Barnes and protective custody, and on the Chronicle article of April 28, 1982 and Riconosciuto's claimed work for Brian Leighton.
[^8]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, p. 405, on Nichols as administrator at the Cabazon Indian Reservation in 1982.
[^9]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, pp. 344-345, reproducing Riconosciuto's statement of February 16, 1984.
[^10]: Transcript of a recorded interview of Michael Riconosciuto by Ted Gunderson, Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516), transcript pages concerning Kalka, Barnes, DeSilva and phenyl acetic acid; cited in the INSLAW memorandum to the record of July 18, 1990 (note 21). https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^11]: INSLAW, Inc., Memorandum to the Record, July 18, 1990, pp. 7-8, Casolaro papers, "Inslaw - Press Releases." https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^12]: Ted Gunderson, letter to Judge Victor Dahman, Justice Court, Madera County, October 6, 1983, pp. 1-2, with enclosures, Casolaro papers, "Misc Docs." https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^13]: "Businessman gets four-year cocaine term," Oakland Tribune, clipping in the Casolaro papers, "Misc Docs." https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^14]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, p. 405, account of Detective Sue Todd's 2000 interview with Robert Barnes.
[^15]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, p. 400, on the Paul Morasca Homicide Investigation File (Case No. 82-1052505) and the Di Giorgio Extradition File (Case No. CR89-0603 VRW).
[^16]: United States v. Kalka, No. 3:89-cr-00603 (N.D. Cal.), docket record filed October 26, 1989, terminated June 17, 1993. CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/26558922/united-states-v-kalka/
[^17]: U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, *The INSLAW Affair: Investigative Report*, H. Rept. 102-857 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, September 10, 1992), p. 101. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^18]: INSLAW, Inc. v. United States, 39 Fed. Cl. 307 (1997), congressional reference proceeding, hearing officer's report (Miller, H.O.) on the sources relied on by Hamilton. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/6763932/inslaw-inc-v-united-states/
[^19]: United States v. Riconosciuto, No. 3:91-cr-01034 (W.D. Wash.), docket record filed April 1, 1991, including a judgment on revocation (Doc. 220) filed August 18, 2017. CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6144038/united-states-v-riconosciuto/
[^20]: Federal Bureau of Prisons, Inmate Locator, record for Ben Kalka (Edgefield facility, release date 04/20/2000). https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/
[^21]: Benio Kalka v. Dan Vasquez, 867 F.2d 546 (9th Cir. 1989), No. 87-2405, decided February 3, 1989. https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/867/867.F2d.546.87-2405.html

33
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Bill Hamilton.md
View file

@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
category: "Technologists"
created: 2024-04-25
updated: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-15
tags:
- KeyFigure
- Person
@ -15,35 +15,37 @@ location: "Laude, Indiana"
William A. Hamilton was born around 1940 and grew up in Laude, Indiana, where he was one of seven brothers. He graduated from Notre Dame with an English degree in 1962 and married [[Nancy Hamilton]] in 1963.[^1]
Hamilton worked as an analyst and Vietnamese linguist for the [[NSA]] for seven years. In 1969, he left federal service and became a management consultant at [[Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co]]. He left the firm in 1971 to improve the software, which by contract rights belonged to the government. He then worked for eighteen months as an independent contractor for the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C., and he then founded the [[INSLAW|Institute for Law and Social Research]].[^2][^3] He won a contract through a competitive bid to develop what would become [[PROMIS]], working under the direction of [[Joan E. Jacoby]] and [[Charles R. Work]] with [[LEAA|Law Enforcement Assistance Administration]] funding routed through the [[Office of Crime Analysis of the District of Columbia]]. The resulting software, the Prosecutor's Management Information System, debuted on January 1, 1971, in the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office.[^1][^7]
Hamilton worked as an analyst and Vietnamese linguist for the [[NSA]] for seven years. In 1969, he left federal service and became a management consultant at [[Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co]]. He left the firm in 1971 to improve the software, which by contract rights belonged to the government. He then worked for eighteen months as an independent contractor for the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C., and he then founded the [[INSLAW|Institute for Law and Social Research]].[^2][^3] He won a contract through a competitive bid to develop what would become [[PROMIS]], working under the direction of [[Joan E. Jacoby]] and [[Charles R. Work]] with [[LEAA|Law Enforcement Assistance Administration]] funding routed through the [[Office of Crime Analysis of the District of Columbia]]. The resulting software, the Prosecutor's Management Information System, debuted on January 1, 1971, in the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office.[^1][^4]
In 1973, Hamilton and his wife Nancy founded INSLAW (the Institute for Law and Social Research), a non-profit organization that took over stewardship of PROMIS. INSLAW received additional LEAA funding to enhance PROMIS into a transferable system adoptable by other jurisdictions and oversaw its spread to prosecutors' offices around the country. In January 1981, Hamilton reorganized INSLAW as a for-profit entity and acquired the predecessor organization's assets.[^1]
### The DOJ Contract and Bankruptcy
In March 1982, INSLAW signed a $10 million, three-year contract with the [[Department of Justice|DOJ's]] [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]] to install PROMIS in 20 large U.S. Attorneys' offices and word-processor systems in 74 smaller ones. From the contract's earliest days, Hamilton and [[C. Madison Brewer]], the DOJ's project manager, were in conflict: Hamilton alleged Brewer obstructed INSLAW's proprietary rights claims and engineered advance payment disputes to force the company into financial distress. When INSLAW ran out of funds to sustain litigation against the DOJ while fighting to protect its software rights, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 1985.[^4]
In March 1982, INSLAW signed a $10 million, three-year contract with the [[Department of Justice|DOJ's]] [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]] to install PROMIS in 20 large U.S. Attorneys' offices and word-processor systems in 74 smaller ones. From the contract's earliest days, Hamilton and [[C. Madison Brewer]], the DOJ's project manager, were in conflict: Hamilton alleged Brewer obstructed INSLAW's proprietary rights claims and engineered advance payment disputes to force the company into financial distress. When INSLAW ran out of funds to sustain litigation against the DOJ while fighting to protect its software rights, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 1985.[^5]
Hamilton and Nancy Hamilton sued the DOJ for non-payment on a version of PROMIS called Modification 12 and for the alleged unauthorized distribution of the enhanced software beyond the contract's authorized sites. In September 1987, [[Bankruptcy Judge George F. Bason]] ruled in their favor, finding that the Department of Justice "took, converted, stole, Inslaw's enhanced PROMIS by trickery, fraud, and deceit" and awarding approximately $6.8 million in damages. The ruling was affirmed by the district court but reversed on jurisdictional grounds by the Court of Appeals in May 1991.[^4]
Hamilton and Nancy Hamilton sued the DOJ for non-payment on a version of PROMIS called Modification 12 and for the alleged unauthorized distribution of the enhanced software beyond the contract's authorized sites. In September 1987, [[Bankruptcy Judge George F. Bason]] ruled in their favor, finding that the Department of Justice "took, converted, stole, Inslaw's enhanced PROMIS by trickery, fraud, and deceit" and awarding approximately $6.8 million in damages. The ruling was affirmed by the district court but reversed on jurisdictional grounds by the Court of Appeals in May 1991.[^5]
### Representation by Elliot Richardson
Hamilton retained former [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] Elliot Richardson as lead counsel for INSLAW's civil claims. Richardson, who had served as Nixon's Attorney General before his resignation during the Saturday Night Massacre, provided INSLAW with significant public credibility. Richardson told the press and congressional investigators that the affair presented "circumstantial evidence of a sinister conspiracy" that was "at its outer reaches...far more sinister than anything revealed in Watergate." He submitted testimony, sworn statements, and affidavits linking high-level DOJ officials to a conspiracy to steal PROMIS and secretly transfer it.[^5]
Hamilton retained former [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] Elliot Richardson as lead counsel for INSLAW's civil claims. Richardson, who had served as Nixon's Attorney General before his resignation during the Saturday Night Massacre, provided INSLAW with significant public credibility. Richardson told the press and congressional investigators that the affair presented "circumstantial evidence of a sinister conspiracy" that was "at its outer reaches...far more sinister than anything revealed in Watergate." He submitted testimony, sworn statements, and affidavits linking high-level DOJ officials to a conspiracy to steal PROMIS and secretly transfer it.[^6]
### The 1985 Intelligence Letter
In November 2004, Hamilton received a document from a source described as a reliable U.S. intelligence contact. Dated May 16, 1985, the letter indicated that PROMIS software was being provided to an Arab sheik for resale and distribution, brokered by [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]], [[Adnan Khashoggi]], and [[Richard Armitage]]. The document had been signed by [[William Bradford Reynolds]], who authenticated it when shown the letter. Hamilton considered this letter significant, because, he said, all copies had been ordered destroyed. The letter corroborated INSLAW's longstanding claim that PROMIS had been distributed internationally through channels that included Middle Eastern arms brokers with Iran-Contra connections.[^6]
In November 2004, Hamilton received a document from a source described as a reliable U.S. intelligence contact. Dated May 16, 1985, the letter indicated that PROMIS software was being provided to an Arab sheik for resale and distribution, brokered by [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]], [[Adnan Khashoggi]], and [[Richard Armitage]]. The document had been signed by [[William Bradford Reynolds]], who authenticated it when shown the letter. Hamilton considered this letter significant, because, he said, all copies had been ordered destroyed. The letter corroborated INSLAW's longstanding claim that PROMIS had been distributed internationally through channels that included Middle Eastern arms brokers with Iran-Contra connections.[^7]
### The Octopus Investigation
In 1990, Hamilton contacted freelance journalist [[Danny Casolaro]], whose subsequent investigation would attempt to connect the PROMIS theft to the [[October Surprise]], the [[Iran-Contra Affair]], and the collapse of [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] under the unified theory he called "[[The Octopus]]." Hamilton was in daily contact with Casolaro until approximately a week before Casolaro's death on August 10, 1991.[^6]
In 1990, Hamilton contacted freelance journalist [[Danny Casolaro]], whose subsequent investigation would attempt to connect the PROMIS theft to the [[October Surprise]], the [[Iran-Contra Affair]], and the collapse of [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] under the unified theory he called "[[The Octopus]]." Hamilton was in daily contact with Casolaro until approximately a week before Casolaro's death on August 10, 1991.[^7]
In March 1991, Hamilton received a notarized affidavit from [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claiming that Riconosciuto had modified PROMIS at the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon]]-[[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] joint venture. When Riconosciuto later approached Hamilton with a lead about former DOJ official [[Michael Abbell]]'s connections to the [[Cali Drug Cartel]], Hamilton, pressed for time, passed the lead to Casolaro - a handoff that Riconosciuto subsequently alleged led directly to Casolaro's death.[^6]
In March 1991, Hamilton received a notarized affidavit from [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claiming that Riconosciuto had modified PROMIS at the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon]]-[[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] joint venture. When Riconosciuto later approached Hamilton with a lead about former DOJ official [[Michael Abbell]]'s connections to the [[Cali Drug Cartel]], Hamilton, pressed for time, passed the lead to Casolaro - a handoff that Riconosciuto subsequently alleged led directly to Casolaro's death.[^7]
Hamilton also described to investigators his belief that the main purpose of the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture was to provide a platform for government-sanctioned drug trafficking and money laundering by organized crime groups including the [[Gambino Crime Family]] and the [[Contras]], and that Riconosciuto's role was to use NSA's bank-surveillance version of PROMIS to launder drug proceeds with a portion channeled to unauthorized covert operations.[^6]
Hamilton also described to investigators his belief that the main purpose of the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture was to provide a platform for government-sanctioned drug trafficking and money laundering by organized crime groups including the [[Gambino Crime Family]] and the [[Contras]], and that Riconosciuto's role was to use NSA's bank-surveillance version of PROMIS to launder drug proceeds with a portion channeled to unauthorized covert operations.[^7]
On March 14, 1994, Charles R. Work, counsel for Bill and Nancy Hamilton, wrote to [[John C. Dwyer]] after a March 1, 1994 meeting attended by [[Steven E. Zipperstein]] and [[Scott A. Erskine]]. The letter states that Erskine had confirmed that a hotel maid in Martinsburg gave police an eyewitness description of a man leaving Casolaro's room on the Saturday morning of the death: a man in his 30s with "an excellent sun tan," wearing a tee-shirt, dark slacks and deck shoes. The letter also asked whether this man was the "dark-skinned man" whom press accounts described Casolaro waiting for in the hotel bar on the Thursday evening before his death.[^8] On February 14, 1994, INSLAW's lawyers and principals, including [[Elliot Richardson]], Hamilton and Nancy Hamilton, had submitted an addendum to INSLAW's rebuttal of the Bua report that stated that [[Joseph Cuellar]] had a "purportedly chance encounter" with Casolaro in a pub near Casolaro's home less than one month before his death and told Casolaro that [[Peter Videnieks]] had agreed to meet.[^9] A Justice Department record of the same period states that the adjoining-room guest saw a man enter the room with a key at about 9:00 p.m. on August 9, and that no one was seen entering or leaving the room on the morning of August 10.[^10]
### Congressional Testimony and Final Legal Proceedings
Hamilton and INSLAW participated in all major investigations of the affair, including the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations inquiry (1989), the [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] investigation led by Representative Jack Brooks (1989-1992), and the Special Counsel investigation conducted by [[Nicholas J. Bua]] (1991-1993). In 1995, the U.S. Senate referred INSLAW's remaining claims to the Court of Federal Claims; the court ruled in 1997-1998 that all versions of PROMIS were in the public domain and that the government had always been free to use the software. INSLAW received no compensation.[^4]
Hamilton and INSLAW participated in all major investigations of the affair, including the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations inquiry (1989), the [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] investigation led by Representative Jack Brooks (1989-1992), and the Special Counsel investigation conducted by [[Nicholas J. Bua]] (1991-1993). In 1995, the U.S. Senate referred INSLAW's remaining claims to the Court of Federal Claims; the court ruled in 1997-1998 that all versions of PROMIS were in the public domain and that the government had always been free to use the software. INSLAW received no compensation.[^5]
Hamilton continued to assert that PROMIS was fraudulently stolen and distributed internationally. He maintained a public website documenting INSLAW's claims long after the formal legal proceedings concluded.
@ -52,7 +54,10 @@ Hamilton continued to assert that PROMIS was fraudulently stolen and distributed
[^1]: Newspapers.com, Hamilton family records, Notre Dame graduation records (via https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/139683581/).
[^2]: Mitchell Pacelle and Robert Safian, "Vendetta," *The American Lawyer*, December (year not printed in the reprint). Reprinted in U.S. Senate, Committee on Governmental Affairs, *Staff Study of Allegations Pertaining to the Department of Justice's Handling of a Contract with INSLAW, Inc.*, Committee Print, 101st Congress, 1st Session (Washington: GPO, 1989). Archive.org, item micro_IA41152832_0145.
[^3]: Same committee print, the passage on the profile's account of Hamilton's career (the reprinted profile, "The Rise and Fall of INSLAW").
[^4]: 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; U.S. Court of Federal Claims, *Inslaw, Inc. v. United States*, Ruling of Hearing Officer Christine Miller, July 31, 1997.
[^5]: 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; Richardson, Elliot L. Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, 1992.
[^6]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal.* TrineDay, 2010.
[^7]: Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., *System Overview and Report Formats for PROMIS* (May 1971), prepared for the District of Columbia Government Office of Crime Analysis under LEAA Grant No. 70-DF-047, note 1 to the passage on the design team, NCJ 32469. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/32469NCJRS.pdf
[^4]: Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., *System Overview and Report Formats for PROMIS* (May 1971), prepared for the District of Columbia Government Office of Crime Analysis under LEAA Grant No. 70-DF-047, note 1 to the passage on the design team, NCJ 32469. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/32469NCJRS.pdf
[^5]: 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; U.S. Court of Federal Claims, *Inslaw, Inc. v. United States*, Ruling of Hearing Officer Christine Miller, July 31, 1997.
[^6]: 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; Richardson, Elliot L. Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, 1992.
[^7]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal.* TrineDay, 2010.
[^8]: Letter from Charles R. Work, McDermott, Will & Emery, counsel for William and Nancy Hamilton, to John C. Dwyer, Assistant Associate Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 1994. https://archive.org/details/MaidWitnessCasolaroDeath
[^9]: Richardson, Elliot L., et al. *Addendum to INSLAW's Analysis and Rebuttal of the Bua Report*, February 14, 1994, p. 24 and n.5. https://archive.org/details/AddendumToInslawsAnalysisAndRebuttalOfTheBuaReport
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, review of the Casolaro matter by Steven E. Zipperstein and Scott A. Erskine, DOCID 70002067, release pp. 70-71 (printed pp. 54-55). https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro

8
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Jimmy Hughes.md
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@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ relations:
role: "distant cousin"
fn: 1
created: 2025-08-05
updated: 2026-09-22
updated: 2026-10-15
---
James "Jimmy" Hughes was the security director of the casino and bingo operations of the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon Band of Mission Indians]] for four years, until 1984.[^1] In a statement to investigators reported by the *[[Los Angeles Times]]* in 1985, he said that in the summer of 1981 he had been instructed, in the presence of the tribe's financial adviser [[Dr. John Philip Nichols]], to take 25,000 dollars to Idyllwild and give it to a man as partial payment for the killing of [[Fred Alvarez]].[^1] He later described himself as a former Army Ranger who had become a "Mafia hit-man," said he had worked for the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] abroad and been protected by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] in exchange for information, and alleged that Nichols issued murder contracts and that the tribe's gambling enterprises were fronts for government-sanctioned covert military activity and arms shipments to Central and [[South America]].[^2]
@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ Hughes was held without bail for nearly nine months. On July 1, 2010, Deputy Att
Hughes joined the [[Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International]] in 1987 and founded Jimmy Hughes Ministries, Free the Oppressed, in Honduras, where he ministered to and trained military personnel at Zambrano. In February 2008 he spoke at a fellowship dinner in Fresno, California, with General [[Daniel Lopez Carballo]] of Honduras. The writer Cheri Seymour wrote that he was involved in planning the June 2009 [[Honduras coup|coup]] that removed President [[Manuel Zelaya]]; its leaders, Generals [[Romeo Vasquez Velasquez]] and Lopez Carballo, who installed [[Roberto Micheletti]], were members of the fellowship and friends of Hughes.[^2]
### Riconosciuto's 1982 protective-custody letter
A letter dated April 13, 1982, signed by Phyllis Riconosciuto, then the wife of Michael Riconosciuto, and by Hughes, engaged Hughes and a second man to provide bodyguard services for Riconosciuto on April 14, 15 and 16 for a flat fee of $1,300, including airfare, hotel and meals, to fly to [[Fresno]] and help him "get his affairs in order" until he went into protective custody with the FBI at its [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] office.[^6] The letter stated that Riconosciuto was to meet FBI special agent [[Robert Barnes]], and that Hughes and the second man could return to Palm Springs once Barnes assumed protection of him.[^6] [[Cheri Seymour]] wrote that the letter indicates Hughes had either met or known Barnes.[^7]
### Footnotes
[^1]: "California authorities believe an unsolved 1981 triple murder was a hit job," Associated Press, September 2009 (Fox News mirror), citing the *Los Angeles Times* of 1985 and state attorney general's spokesman Evan Westrup. https://www.foxnews.com/story/unsolved-1981-triple-murder-in-california-was-hit-job-authorities-say.amp ; "Authorities say triple tribe murder was hit job," Associated Press, September 2009. https://www.foxnews.com/story/authorities-triple-tribe-murder-was-hit-job.amp
@ -57,3 +61,5 @@ Hughes joined the [[Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International]] in 198
[^3]: "Jimmy Hughes Speaks To KESQ After Charges Dropped," KESQ News Channel 3, Palm Springs, July 2, 2010. https://kesq.com/news/2010/07/02/jimmy-hughes-speaks-to-kesq-after-charges-dropped/
[^4]: Taxin, Amy, with Jennifer Kay. "Arrest in 1981 tribal murders revives old mystery." Associated Press, in *The Press Democrat,* November 22, 2009. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2009/11/22/arrest-in-1981-tribal-murders-revives-old-mystery/
[^5]: "Murder case against preacher abruptly dropped in mysterious 1981 California tribal slaying," Associated Press, July 2010 (Fox News). https://www.foxnews.com/us/murder-case-against-preacher-abruptly-dropped-in-mysterious-1981-california-tribal-slaying
[^6]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010, pp. 404-405.
[^7]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010, p. 405.

11
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/John Krol.md
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@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ born: 1910-10-26
died: 1996-03-03
location: "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"
created: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: head_of
with: "[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia]]"
@ -50,11 +50,11 @@ Krol was born in [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] to Polish immigrants, the fourth
### Black Mass
In February 1975 a midnight run of *Black Mass*, a film of a satanic mass, was cancelled at the [[Arcadia Theatre (Philadelphia)|Arcadia]] in Center City "after reported pressure by the Philadelphia Archdiocese," according to [[Art Carduner]], whose [[Bandbox Theater]] in [[Germantown, Philadelphia|Germantown]] showed it instead on March 1.[^3] Krol led sixteen Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Jewish leaders in a joint statement that called the film "a blasphemous attack on the religious rites held in sacred reverence by millions of Christian believers" and "a frontal attack on the sacred itself," said that it was "obviously intended not to be viewed as a film, but as a blasphemous ritualistic observance," and asked everyone in the local film industry "to resist and reject every attempt to market or portray this film." The signers included Rabbi Charles Lacks of the [[Greater Philadelphia Board of Rabbis]] and Francis G. Brown of the [[Philadelphia Yearly Meeting]] of the Religious Society of Friends.[^4] Eleven weeks before the Bandbox screening, on December 10, 1974, Hoersch had been arrested by the [[United States Secret Service]] for counterfeiting ten-dollar bills.[^5]
In February 1975 a midnight run of *Black Mass*, a film of a satanic mass, was cancelled at the [[Arcadia Theatre (Philadelphia)|Arcadia]] in Center City "after reported pressure by the Philadelphia Archdiocese," according to [[Art Carduner]], whose [[Bandbox Theater]] in [[Germantown, Philadelphia|Germantown]] showed it instead on March 1.[^3] The *Inquirer* of February 28, 1975 announced the midnight showing there.[^3] On February 27, 1975, Krol led sixteen Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Jewish leaders in a joint statement that called the film "a blasphemous attack on the religious rites held in sacred reverence by millions of Christian believers" and "a frontal attack on the sacred itself," said that it was "obviously intended not to be viewed as a film, but as a blasphemous ritualistic observance," and asked everyone in the local film industry "to resist and reject every attempt to market or portray this film." The signers included Rabbi Charles Lacks of the [[Greater Philadelphia Board of Rabbis]] and Francis G. Brown of the [[Philadelphia Yearly Meeting]] of the Religious Society of Friends.[^4] The *Inquirer* reported the statement the next morning, naming "John Cardinal Krol, archbishop of Philadelphia" among the 16 signers.[^5] Eleven weeks before the Bandbox screening, on December 10, 1974, Hoersch had been apprehended by Hatboro police after a shop reported a suspicious ten-dollar bill, and [[United States Secret Service]] agents found counterfeit ten-dollar bills in his car under a search warrant.[^6]
### Death
Krol, who had diabetes and a heart ailment, was hospitalized on February 14, 1996, and failed to respond to treatment for kidney problems and a blood clot in a lung, according to the [[Associated Press]]. He died at his home on March 3, 1996, aged 85.[^2] He was buried in the crypt of the [[Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul]] after a funeral attended by seven cardinals, sixty bishops, and 1,500 priests, at which Cardinal [[John O'Connor]] of [[New York City|New York]] preached.[^6]
Krol, who had diabetes and a heart ailment, was hospitalized on February 14, 1996, and failed to respond to treatment for kidney problems and a blood clot in a lung, according to the [[Associated Press]]. He died at his home on March 3, 1996, aged 85.[^2] He was buried in the crypt of the [[Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul]] after a funeral attended by seven cardinals, sixty bishops, and 1,500 priests, at which Cardinal [[John O'Connor]] of [[New York City|New York]] preached.[^7]
### Footnotes
@ -62,5 +62,6 @@ Krol, who had diabetes and a heart ailment, was hospitalized on February 14, 199
[^2]: Weil, Martin. "Cardinal John Krol Dies; Philadelphia Archbishop," *The Washington Post,* March 4, 1996. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/03/04/cardinal-john-krol-dies/8d845f35-61a2-4b44-934a-0bdc39ca14df/
[^3]: [Society and nightlife column], *The Philadelphia Inquirer,* February 28, 1975, p. 21. https://www.newspapers.com/image/173366667/
[^4]: "Offensive Material: Leaders Condemn Black Mass Film," Religious News Service, *Lake Shore Visitor* (Erie), March 7, 1975, p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/951794835/
[^5]: "[...] bogus $180,000 in Bucks raid," *The Morning Call* (Allentown), December 11, 1974, p. 5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/275702319/
[^6]: "Cardinal Krol laid to rest," United Press International, March 8, 1996. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/03/08/Cardinal-Krol-laid-to-rest/8760826261200/
[^5]: "Protest Raised Here On 'Black Mass' Film," *The Philadelphia Inquirer,* February 28, 1975, p. 11. https://www.newspapers.com/image/173364962/
[^6]: "[...] bogus $180,000 in Bucks raid," *The Morning Call* (Allentown), December 11, 1974, p. 5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/275702319/
[^7]: "Cardinal Krol laid to rest," United Press International, March 8, 1996. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/03/08/Cardinal-Krol-laid-to-rest/8760826261200/

20
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Karel Maasdam.md
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@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ aliases:
- Alex Privee
summary: "Karel Maasdam, alias 'Alex Privee,' was described by Nick Davies in 1998 as the owner of the Bell Boys escort agency in the Netherlands."
created: 2026-05-14
updated: 2026-10-09
updated: 2026-10-15
location: "Netherlands"
relations:
- type: owned
@ -53,34 +53,22 @@ A [[Brussels]] magistrate identified in [[X-Dossier]] witness statements only by
### Accounts in the Dovey book
S. Dovey wrote that Maasdam had a bookkeeper who told the Dutch current-affairs programme EenVandaag that [[Warwick Spinks]] frequently supplied boys to Demmink and Holthuis, and that Maasdam's accountant gave Dutch intelligence services a dossier identifying [[Gero-Video]] as a distributor of child pornography. Dovey also wrote that Glandorf was investigated alongside associates such as Maasdam.[^12]
S. Dovey wrote that a man Dovey describes as Maasdam's bookkeeper told the Dutch current-affairs programme EenVandaag that [[Warwick Spinks]] frequently supplied boys to Demmink and to Holthuis. Dovey also wrote that Maasdam's accountant gave Dutch intelligence services a dossier identifying [[Gero-Video]] as a distributor of child pornography, and that Glandorf was investigated alongside associates such as Maasdam.[^12]
The Morkhoven Workgroup dossier, as reported by Dovey, identified the owner of the [[G-Force nightclub]] in Amsterdam as an American named John Edward Mullaney and linked him through a company called [[Korper and Korver]] to [[John Stamford]]'s [[Spartacus Network]] and through a company called [[Adonis]] to Maasdam. Dovey also wrote that Gero-Video was linked to [[TAG Films]].[^12] The Dutch commercial register lists a J.E. Mullaney Holding B.V., registered in Amsterdam and no longer active, and an active Korper B.V. and Adonis B.V.; the register entries do not state who held the companies.[^13]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Nick Davies, "Paedophile network trafficks young boys across Europe," nickdavies.net, dated October 1, 1998 and marked previously unpublished. https://www.nickdavies.net/1998/10/01/paedophile-network-trafficks-young-boys-across-europe/
[^2]: "Samenvatting van de aanleiding, het verloop, de resultaten en de besluitvorming in het Rolodex-onderzoek," December 23, 2013, enclosure to a letter of the Minister van Veiligheid en Justitie to the Tweede Kamer (Kamerstuk 33 750 VI, nr. 116), Eerste Kamer copy. https://eerstekamer.nl/9370000/1/j4nvgs5kjg27kof_j9vvkfvj6b325az/vjigib8p5szh
[^3]: Het Parool, classified advertisements, December 24, 1983 (ABCDDD:010846300:mpeg21:a0137), January 30, 1984 (ABCDDD:010833158:mpeg21:a0039), February 1, 1984 (ABCDDD:010833236:mpeg21:a0079) and October 28, 1985 (ABCDDD:010831481:mpeg21:a0029), Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Delpher. http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010846300:mpeg21:a0137
[^4]: Het Parool, classified advertisements, March 4, 1985 (ABCDDD:010831409:mpeg21:a0033), March 6, 1985 (ABCDDD:010831411:mpeg21:a0060) and March 8, 1985 (ABCDDD:010831413:mpeg21:a0023), Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Delpher. http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010831413:mpeg21:a0023
[^5]: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Kamerstuk 31 015, nr. 115, letter of the Minister van Veiligheid en Justitie, July 1, 2015, answers to questions 2 and 8. https://eerstekamer.nl/9370000/1/j4nvi0xeni9vr2l_j9vvkfvj6b325az/vme26leaeuex/f=/vjvdn6hc42z9.pdf
[^6]: "Politie onderzocht Demmink in '97," NOS, March 5, 2014. https://nos.nl/artikel/619220-politie-onderzocht-demmink-in-97
[^7]: "Oud-hoofdofficier justitie Jan Wolter Wabeke uit Best genoemd in zedenzaak Joris Demmink," Omroep Brabant, March 5, 2014. https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/1720283/oud-hoofdofficier-justitie-jan-wolter-wabeke-uit-best-genoemd-in-zedenzaak-joris-demmink
[^8]: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Kamerstuk 33 750 VI, nr. 116, letter of the Minister van Veiligheid en Justitie, March 27, 2014. https://www.eerstekamer.nl/behandeling/20140327/brief_regering/document3/f=/vjifeja4nlzk.pdf
[^9]: "Politicians and officials named in court as 'boy brothel' case begins," DutchNews.nl, April 18, 2016. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2016/04/politicians-and-officials-named-in-court-as-boy-brothel-case-begins/
[^10]: "Forced child prostitution case: Netherlands elite, royalty under microscope," NL Times, April 18, 2016. https://nltimes.nl/node/28758
[^10]: "Forced child prostitution case: Netherlands elite, royalty under microscope," NL Times, April 18, 2016. https://nltimes.nl/2016/04/18/forced-child-prostitution-case-netherlands-elite-royalty-microscope
[^11]: "Dutroux case and X-Dossier victim-witnesses," crimesandconsequences.com, updated 2021. PV 117.535, November 19, 1996, as quoted in the document. https://crimesandconsequences.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/dutroux-case-and-x-dossier-victim-witnesses.pdf
[^12]: Dovey, S. *Eye of the Chickenhawk.* Thehotstar, 2023.
[^12]: Dovey, S. *Eye of the Chickenhawk,* on the bookkeeper's account, the accountant's dossier and the Glandorf investigation. Thehotstar, 2023.
[^13]: Kamer van Koophandel, Handelsregister, entries 33304101, 65922646 and 09208081. https://opencorporates.com/companies/nl/33304101

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10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/R.C. Horsch.md
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21
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ramon J. Martinez.md
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@ -6,15 +6,22 @@ tags:
- The_Finders
- Washington_DC
- 1980s
summary: "Ramon J. Martinez was the U.S. Customs Special Agent in Washington D.C. who conducted the February 1987 investigation of The Finders' properties and authored the reports documenting warehouse contents, CIA interference in the investigation, and the subsequent suppression of the case."
summary: "Ramon J. Martinez was the U.S. Customs Special Agent whose February and April 1987 reports documented the contents of The Finders' warehouse and the end of the investigation."
location: "Washington, D.C."
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: investigated
with: "[[The Finders]]"
start: 1987-02-05
end: 1987-04-13
fn: 1
---
Ramon J. Martinez was a U.S. Customs Special Agent based in Washington D.C. who conducted the primary federal investigation of [[The Finders]]' properties in February 1987. His reports, filed February 7, 1987 and April 13, 1987, constitute the principal primary documentary record of what investigators found at the group's warehouse and Glover Park properties, including the telex communications describing international operations involving children and the subsequent CIA interference in the investigation. Both reports were included in the FBI Vault's November 2019 release of Finders documents under FOIA case number 1372462-0.[^1][^2]
### The 1987 Finders Investigation
Martinez was called in by Metropolitan Police to assist with the investigation after the van used to transport six malnourished children in Tallahassee, Florida on February 4, 1987 was traced to [[The Finders]]' warehouse at 1307 Fourth Street NE in Washington D.C. He executed search warrants on the warehouse and the Glover Park duplex alongside MPD Detective Bradley on February 5-6, 1987.[^1]
Martinez was called in by Metropolitan Police to assist with the investigation after the van used to transport six malnourished children in Tallahassee, Florida on February 4, 1987 was traced to The Finders' warehouse at 1307 Fourth Street NE in Washington D.C. He executed search warrants on the warehouse and the Glover Park duplex alongside MPD Detective Bradley on February 5-6, 1987.[^1]
His February 7, 1987 report documented the following at the warehouse:
@ -36,9 +43,9 @@ Martinez's overall documented assessment: the files indicated "international tra
On February 6, 1987, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] took over the investigation and took possession of the computers and floppy disks seized from Finders properties. The FBI's Foreign Counterintelligence Division directed the Metropolitan Police Department to classify all MPD reports as Secret and directed MPD not to brief the FBI's own Washington Field Office.[^1][^2]
In late March or early April 1987, Martinez met with MPD Sgt. [[John H. Stitcher Jr.]], who informed him that the investigation "had become a CIA internal matter" and that "the Finders was a CIA front gone bad." An MPD report filed by Stitcher on February 19, 1987 had previously documented a CIA official's acknowledgment that the investigation was "treading on their toes," that the CIA had "had someone working on the case since it first broke," and that the agency had a "vested interest" in the group.[^1]
On March 31, 1987 Martinez contacted an MPD detective to review the seized documents, and on April 2, 1987 he spoke at the Metropolitan Police Department with a third party who discussed the case with him on an "off the record" basis. Martinez reported that this person said the MPD report had been classified secret, that the FBI had directed MPD not to advise the FBI's Washington Field Office, that the FBI had withdrawn from the investigation several weeks earlier, and that the investigation had become a CIA internal matter.[^3] The same person said the State Department had advised MPD that the passport holders' travel to Moscow, North Korea and North Vietnam from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s was within the law.[^3] A Customs Service memorandum quoted by U.S. News & World Report in December 1993 recorded that the CIA "admitted to owning the Finders organization as a front for a domestic computer training operation but that it had gone bad."[^4] An MPD report filed by Stitcher on February 19, 1987 had previously documented a CIA official's acknowledgment that the investigation was "treading on their toes," that the CIA had "had someone working on the case since it first broke," and that the agency had a "vested interest" in the group.[^1]
Martinez's April 13, 1987 report concluded: "The MPD report has been classified SECRET... FBI had withdrawn from the investigation... FBI Foreign Counter Intelligence Division had directed MPD not to advise the FBI Washington Field Office... No further information will be available. No further action will be taken."[^1]
Martinez's April 13, 1987 report concluded: "No further information will be available. No further action will be taken."[^3]
### Professional Consequences
@ -48,10 +55,12 @@ In 1994, the U.S. Customs Service proposed to remove Martinez from his position.
### Significance as a Primary Source
Martinez's reports, confirmed authentic by the FBI Vault's 2019 release, remain the most detailed primary-source description of what federal investigators found at [[The Finders]]' properties. The key evidentiary limitation is that no second investigator present at the same raids independently confirmed all elements of his reports in records accessible to the public, particularly the specific telex describing the Hong Kong children purchase order.[^3] His April 1987 report provides the primary documentary basis for the claim that the CIA intervened to end the investigation.
Martinez's reports, confirmed authentic by the FBI Vault's 2019 release, remain the most detailed primary-source description of what federal investigators found at The Finders' properties. The key evidentiary limitation is that no second investigator present at the same raids independently confirmed all elements of his reports in records accessible to the public, particularly the specific telex describing the Hong Kong children purchase order.[^5] His April 1987 report provides the primary documentary basis for the claim that the CIA intervened to end the investigation.
### Footnotes
[^1]: Martinez, Ramon J. U.S. Customs Service Reports, February 7, 1987 and April 13, 1987. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/ted-gunderson-fbi-the-finders.
[^2]: MintPress News. "Losing Finders: How the US Government Worked to Keep the CIA Connection Secret." 2019. https://www.mintpressnews.com/finders-cult-us-government-worked-keep-cia-connection-secret/277948/. Also: FBI Vault, "The Finders," FOIA case number 1372462-0, vault.fbi.gov/the-finders.
[^3]: Sword, Autumn. "Were 'The Finders' a CIA-Fronted Satanic Cult?" Skeptical Inquirer, February 28, 2023. https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/were-the-finders-a-cia-fronted-satanic-cult/.
[^3]: U.S. Customs Service, Report of Investigation (Continuation), signed by Ramon J. Martinez, April 13, 1987, FBI Vault "The Finders," FOIA 1372462-0, Part 2 of 4. https://archive.org/details/report_of_investigation_finders
[^4]: Witkin, Gordon, Peter Cary, and Angel Martinez. "Through a glass, very darkly: Cops, spies and a very odd investigation." U.S. News & World Report, December 27, 1993. Text as enclosed in FBI WMFO teletype dated December 23, 1993, FBI Vault "The Finders," FOIA 1372462-0, Part 1 of 4. https://archive.org/details/the-finders-part-01-of-04
[^5]: Sword, Autumn. "Were 'The Finders' a CIA-Fronted Satanic Cult?" Skeptical Inquirer, February 28, 2023. https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/were-the-finders-a-cia-fronted-satanic-cult/.

51
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Salvatore La Russa.md
View file

@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ relations:
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Michael LaRussa]]"
role: "brother"
fn: 17
fn: 22
created: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-07
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Salvatore "Sam the Barber" LaRussa (1938 to August 18, 1996) was a [[Philadelphia]] barber, bust-out bar operator, restaurateur and club owner who gained notoriety in law enforcement and underworld circles through his friendship with [[Nicodemo Scarfo]].[^1] [[R.C. Horsch]] said that most of the budget of the 1973 pornographic feature *[[The Erotic Memoirs of a Male Chauvinist Pig]]* came from LaRussa.[^2]
@ -54,19 +54,21 @@ In the early 1960s, while in his early twenties, LaRussa began opening what came
The Crime Commission listed bust-out operations at several Locust Street addresses in its 1974 report on police corruption in Philadelphia, among them the Skabidoo/AU in the Family at 1301 Locust Street, the Why Not Lounge at 1305 Locust Street and the RD Club on the second floor at 1301 Locust Street.[^5]
The Crime Commission's 1974 report also describes payments to police. It says that an officer passed word of an anticipated raid on liquor establishments to LaRussa, owner of the Sugar Shack, which was not raided.[^6] The report describes LaRussa as the manager of the Why Not Lounge, owned by [[Irvin Goltzer]], and says that LaRussa "also negotiated the payoffs" to uniformed officers. It quotes LaRussa advising Goltzer to pay, or "they will bust the joint."[^7] In a recorded conversation an officer told Goltzer, "I always understood that Sam the Barber [LaRussa] ran the place," and Goltzer replied, "He works for me."[^8] In another passage an officer said, "I took a couple of Sammy the Barber's joints. I took the Bag O'Nails."[^9] The report also describes a month in which Goltzer and LaRussa ran the Brass Monkey, a former bust-out operation at 1227 Walnut Street, at the request of its owner.[^10]
In the early 1970s LaRussa bought the [[Piccadilly Club]] on [[South Street (Philadelphia)|South Street]] near Front, reopened it as Scruples and later renamed it Christine's, after his granddaughter.[^3] Next door he opened [[La Cucina Ristorante]], a restaurant near Second and South Streets that he owned.[^1][^3]
### La Cucina and the Scarfo circle
The Crime Commission's 1990 report describes La Cucina Ristorante, 121 South Street, as having "long been a hangout for members of Scarfo's LCN Family."[^4] [[Philip Leonetti]], Scarfo's nephew, said that "There was a place on South Street called La Cucina that we used to go to. Sam the Barber, who was with us, owned it. We rented the place out and threw a big party," and placed there the Christmas party that Scarfo threw for himself after he became boss.[^6] In the mid-1980s Scarfo and several of his senior associates were frequent customers at La Cucina.[^1] In a 1987 account, [[Thomas DelGiorno]] said that on one night he met Scarfo, Leonetti and [[Salvatore Merlino]] at La Cucina, "a restaurant on South Street near Front," and told the three men that [[Salvatore Testa]] had been murdered.[^7]
The Crime Commission's 1990 report describes La Cucina Ristorante, 121 South Street, as having "long been a hangout for members of Scarfo's LCN Family."[^4] [[Philip Leonetti]], Scarfo's nephew, said that "There was a place on South Street called La Cucina that we used to go to. Sam the Barber, who was with us, owned it. We rented the place out and threw a big party," and placed there the Christmas party that Scarfo threw for himself after he became boss.[^11] In the mid-1980s Scarfo and several of his senior associates were frequent customers at La Cucina.[^1] In a 1987 account, [[Thomas DelGiorno]] said that on one night he met Scarfo, Leonetti and [[Salvatore Merlino]] at La Cucina, "a restaurant on South Street near Front," and told the three men that [[Salvatore Testa]] had been murdered.[^12]
Scarfo's 1985 Christmas party at the restaurant drew police attention.[^1] The journalist [[George Anastasia]] quoted an unnamed participant describing Scarfo hosting "this big thing" at La Cucina that Christmas, with "forty, maybe fifty" members present from about two o'clock and invited nonmembers arriving after four o'clock.[^8] In the 1987 extortion trial, prosecutors showed the jury an FBI videotape of [[Leland Beloff]], [[Robert Rego]] and former state senator [[Henry Cianfrani]] entering "LaCucina Ristorante Extraordinaire, 117 South Street," at 4:30 p.m. on December 19, 1985, when a Scarfo Christmas party allegedly was under way inside.[^9] [[George Anastasia]] wrote that during a celebration at La Cucina, Scarfo offered [[Nicholas Caramandi]] his personal congratulations.[^10]
Scarfo's 1985 Christmas party at the restaurant drew police attention.[^1] The journalist [[George Anastasia]] quoted an unnamed participant describing Scarfo hosting "this big thing" at La Cucina that Christmas, with "forty, maybe fifty" members present from about two o'clock and invited nonmembers arriving after four o'clock.[^13] In the 1987 extortion trial, prosecutors showed the jury an FBI videotape of [[Leland Beloff]], [[Robert Rego]] and former state senator [[Henry Cianfrani]] entering "LaCucina Ristorante Extraordinaire, 117 South Street," at 4:30 p.m. on December 19, 1985, when a Scarfo Christmas party allegedly was under way inside.[^14] George Anastasia wrote that during a celebration at La Cucina, Scarfo offered [[Nicholas Caramandi]] his personal congratulations.[^15]
### The Whitemarsh house
In the 1987 trial, Caramandi described an alleged event on November 25, 1984, "in a house in [[Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania|Whitemarsh]], [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Montgomery County]]," with some 30 Mafia members standing around a dining-room table, at which he was initiated into the Mafia. He testified that Scarfo put a piece of tissue paper in his palm and lit it.[^11] The Third Circuit's 1990 opinion in [[United States v. Pungitore]] states that in the fall of 1984 [[Charles Iannece]] and [[Joseph Grande]], along with government witness Caramandi, became made members.[^12]
In the 1987 trial, Caramandi described an alleged event on November 25, 1984, "in a house in [[Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania|Whitemarsh]], [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Montgomery County]]," with some 30 Mafia members standing around a dining-room table, at which he was initiated into the Mafia. He testified that Scarfo put a piece of tissue paper in his palm and lit it.[^16] The Third Circuit's 1990 opinion in [[United States v. Pungitore]] states that in the fall of 1984 [[Charles Iannece]] and [[Joseph Grande]], along with government witness Caramandi, became made members.[^17]
Caramandi told Anastasia that "Finally, we get to the house and it's Sam the Barber's house," in Whitemarsh, which he said LaRussa built himself and was later offered about nine hundred thousand dollars for. Anastasia wrote that thirty-five members of the Philadelphia mob looked on as Scarfo administered the oath, and that LaRussa had left his house before the ceremony began; by four o'clock that afternoon, he wrote, the ceremonies were over and the drinks and food were served.[^13]
Caramandi told Anastasia that "Finally, we get to the house and it's Sam the Barber's house," in Whitemarsh, which he said LaRussa built himself and was later offered about nine hundred thousand dollars for. Anastasia wrote that thirty-five members of the Philadelphia mob looked on as Scarfo administered the oath, and that LaRussa had left his house before the ceremony began; by four o'clock that afternoon, he wrote, the ceremonies were over and the drinks and food were served.[^18]
LaRussa's own account, given to a federal grand jury in 1987, concerned his home in Whitemarsh. He said he had invited Scarfo to his home several times and that Scarfo finally accepted. LaRussa said he was called away to work that day and did not share in a catered meal for about 40 people that he had brought in from his restaurant. He told the grand jury: "I told him it's my pleasure to have him there."[^1] Caramandi later testified that he and two other mob figures were formally initiated, or "made," that afternoon, after LaRussa had left the house.[^1] DelGiorno and Caramandi testified that LaRussa allowed Scarfo to use his Whitemarsh home for Mafia initiation ceremonies.[^3] The Crime Commission's 1990 report states the same of the two witnesses' testimony.[^4]
@ -74,7 +76,7 @@ LaRussa's own account, given to a federal grand jury in 1987, concerned his home
LaRussa told the grand jury that he was a frequent guest at Scarfo's waterfront home in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], had supervised construction work there, and usually picked up the check when Scarfo ate at La Cucina. He said he was in the dark about Scarfo's mob activities: "I never ask him any questions," he said. "We go out. We have dinner. We eat. We drink. We laugh. Christmas, we exchange gifts."[^1]
Leonetti said that Scarfo had him pay $650,000 in cash for a Fort Lauderdale house on the water, which Scarfo named Casablanca South. He said that "Sam wasn't a made guy, but he was with us," that Scarfo put LaRussa in charge of the renovations, and that Scarfo ended up spending close to $100,000 on them.[^14]
Leonetti said that Scarfo had him pay $650,000 in cash for a Fort Lauderdale house on the water, which Scarfo named Casablanca South. He said that "Sam wasn't a made guy, but he was with us," that Scarfo put LaRussa in charge of the renovations, and that Scarfo ended up spending close to $100,000 on them.[^19]
### The 1973 film
@ -84,11 +86,11 @@ Horsch then said that "Sam was always complaining that it didn't make any money,
### Waterfront clubs
LaRussa operated establishments along South Street and, most recently, along [[Delaware Avenue]].[^1] In the 1990s he opened clubs along the [[Delaware River]] waterfront, among them [[Club Vegas]], the [[South Beach Club]] and the [[Aztec Club]]. The Aztec Club was one he built, operated and later sold. A correction published August 21, 1996 stated that he constructed Club Vegas and South Beach but did not own the building or the liquor license of either.[^3] In May 1992 the Aztec Club was among the waterfront's old showplace standbys, with the [[Riverfront Dinner Theater]] and the Barbary.[^15] In May 1995 Club Vegas was new that year among about a dozen clubs along the waterfront.[^16]
LaRussa operated establishments along South Street and, most recently, along [[Delaware Avenue]].[^1] In the 1990s he opened clubs along the [[Delaware River]] waterfront, among them [[Club Vegas]], the [[South Beach Club]] and the [[Aztec Club]]. The Aztec Club was one he built, operated and later sold. A correction published August 21, 1996 stated that he constructed Club Vegas and South Beach but did not own the building or the liquor license of either.[^3] In May 1992 the Aztec Club was among the waterfront's old showplace standbys, with the [[Riverfront Dinner Theater]] and the Barbary.[^20] In May 1995 Club Vegas was new that year among about a dozen clubs along the waterfront.[^21]
### Family
LaRussa was married twice.[^3] His brother [[Michael LaRussa]] was described in 2012 as the owner of [[Dante & Luigi's]] at 10th and Catharine Streets in Bella Vista, where he said: "I do still have people that are 'connected' come in here. I don't make a fuss about it."[^17]
LaRussa was married twice.[^3] His brother [[Michael LaRussa]] was described in 2012 as the owner of [[Dante & Luigi's]] at 10th and Catharine Streets in Bella Vista, where he said: "I do still have people that are 'connected' come in here. I don't make a fuss about it."[^22]
### Death and survivors
@ -96,20 +98,27 @@ LaRussa died of a heart attack on Sunday, August 18, 1996. The Inquirer gave the
The Inquirer listed four sons, Joseph, Salvatore Jr., Michael and Giovanni, a daughter, Sharlene Pantisano, and five grandchildren.[^1] The Daily News listed three sons and a daughter besides the fifth child, and said that his companion of eight years, [[Nadeen Seuss]], had recently borne him that child, Giovanni, named for a brother who had died 19 years earlier.[^3]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Anastasia, George, "Salvatore Larussa, 58, Friend Of Mob Figures," *Philadelphia Inquirer*, August 21, 1996, Wayback copy of the articles.philly.com page: https://web.archive.org/web/20150928205738id_/http://articles.philly.com/1996-08-21/news/25645305_1_nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo-grand-jury-mob-activities
[^2]: West, Ashley, "Unknowing Ray Horsch, Episode 2: Performance," *The Rialto Report*, Podcast 172, September 20, 2026, audio transcript at 20:33 to 21:07 and 28:59 to 29:49 (republishing interviews recorded in 2013): https://www.therialtoreport.com/2026/09/20/ray-horsch-3/ In the transcript, "Sam" without a surname follows the reference to Sam Lake and is used for the buyer, the person complaining and the person said to have made four or five million dollars.
[^3]: Caparella, Kitty, "Heart Attack Claims `Sam The Barber'," *Philadelphia Daily News*, August 20, 1996, with the correction published August 21, 1996, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1996-08-20/news/25645508_1_heart-transplant-heart-attack-mob
[^4]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: A Decade of Change, 1990 Report* (1991), p. 159 (entry for Salvatore LaRussa, also known as Samuel LaRussa, Salvatore LaRusso and "Sam the Barber"; the index also lists La Cucina Ristorante, 121 South Street, at p. 159), NCJ 133208: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/133208NCJRS.pdf
[^5]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Report on Police Corruption and the Quality of Law Enforcement in Philadelphia* (1974), public document on Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/reportonpoliceco00penn
[^6]: Leonetti, Philip, with Scott Burnstein, *Mafia Prince: Inside America's Most Violent Crime Family and the Bloody Fall of La Cosa Nostra* (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2012), pp. 131-133 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/mafiaprinceinsid0000leon
[^7]: Daughen, Joseph R., "It All Began With Bug On One Mobster's Pad," *Philadelphia Daily News*, April 10, 1987, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1987-04-10/news/26194567_1_salvatore-testa-scarfo-family-mob-members
[^8]: Anastasia, George, *Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family* (New York: William Morrow, 1991), p. 277 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/bloodhonorinside00anas The passage does not name the quoted speaker.
[^9]: Smith, Jim, "Prosecution Rests Case In Scarfo Trial," *Philadelphia Daily News*, May 4, 1987, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1987-05-04/news/26163517_1_philadelphia-south-jersey-extortion-case-nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo
[^10]: Anastasia, *Blood and Honor*, p. 211 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/bloodhonorinside00anas
[^11]: Smith, Jim, "Big Scores Easy For Caramandi," *Philadelphia Daily News*, May 1, 1987, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1987-05-01/news/26161878_1_nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo-mafia-members-knife
[^12]: *United States v. Pungitore*, 910 F.2d 1084 (3d Cir. 1990), text from the Caselaw Access Project: https://static.case.law/f2d/910/cases/1084-01.json
[^13]: Anastasia, *Blood and Honor*, pp. 214-215, 217, quoting Caramandi (lending copy; the book's index lists LaRussa at pp. 214 and 215): https://archive.org/details/bloodhonorinside00anas
[^14]: Leonetti, *Mafia Prince*, pp. 191, 193 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/mafiaprinceinsid0000leon
[^15]: de la Vina, Mark, "Riverfront Jam Once Just Wet, It's Getting Wild," *Philadelphia Daily News*, May 22, 1992, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1992-05-22/news/26015302_1_waterfront-entertainment-aztec-club
[^16]: Weiner, Jennifer, "Checking Out The Clubs . . .," *Philadelphia Inquirer*, May 19, 1995, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1995-05-19/entertainment/25672572_1_club-vegas-waterfront-family-reunion-day
[^17]: Bender, William, "Dante & Luigi's: Still a longtime hit," *Philadelphia Daily News*, January 30, 2012: https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/news_update/20120130_Dante___Luigi_s__Still_a_longtime_hit.html
[^6]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Report on Police Corruption and the Quality of Law Enforcement in Philadelphia* (1974), p. 108. https://archive.org/details/reportonpoliceco00penn
[^7]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Report on Police Corruption and the Quality of Law Enforcement in Philadelphia* (1974), pp. 112-113 (manager, p. 112; "also negotiated the payoffs" and "they will bust the joint," p. 113). https://archive.org/details/reportonpoliceco00penn
[^8]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Report on Police Corruption and the Quality of Law Enforcement in Philadelphia* (1974), p. 114 (taped conversation between Goltzer and an officer, as quoted in the report). https://archive.org/details/reportonpoliceco00penn
[^9]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Report on Police Corruption and the Quality of Law Enforcement in Philadelphia* (1974), p. 117. https://archive.org/details/reportonpoliceco00penn
[^10]: Pennsylvania Crime Commission, *Report on Police Corruption and the Quality of Law Enforcement in Philadelphia* (1974), p. 124. https://archive.org/details/reportonpoliceco00penn
[^11]: Leonetti, Philip, with Scott Burnstein, *Mafia Prince: Inside America's Most Violent Crime Family and the Bloody Fall of La Cosa Nostra* (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2012), pp. 131-133 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/mafiaprinceinsid0000leon
[^12]: Daughen, Joseph R., "It All Began With Bug On One Mobster's Pad," *Philadelphia Daily News*, April 10, 1987, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1987-04-10/news/26194567_1_salvatore-testa-scarfo-family-mob-members
[^13]: Anastasia, George, *Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family* (New York: William Morrow, 1991), p. 277 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/bloodhonorinside00anas The passage does not name the quoted speaker.
[^14]: Smith, Jim, "Prosecution Rests Case In Scarfo Trial," *Philadelphia Daily News*, May 4, 1987, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1987-05-04/news/26163517_1_philadelphia-south-jersey-extortion-case-nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo
[^15]: Anastasia, *Blood and Honor*, p. 211 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/bloodhonorinside00anas
[^16]: Smith, Jim, "Big Scores Easy For Caramandi," *Philadelphia Daily News*, May 1, 1987, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1987-05-01/news/26161878_1_nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo-mafia-members-knife
[^17]: *United States v. Pungitore*, 910 F.2d 1084 (3d Cir. 1990), text from the Caselaw Access Project: https://static.case.law/f2d/910/cases/1084-01.json
[^18]: Anastasia, *Blood and Honor*, pp. 214-215, 217, quoting Caramandi (lending copy; the book's index lists LaRussa at pp. 214 and 215): https://archive.org/details/bloodhonorinside00anas
[^19]: Leonetti, *Mafia Prince*, pp. 191, 193 (lending copy): https://archive.org/details/mafiaprinceinsid0000leon
[^20]: de la Vina, Mark, "Riverfront Jam Once Just Wet, It's Getting Wild," *Philadelphia Daily News*, May 22, 1992, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1992-05-22/news/26015302_1_waterfront-entertainment-aztec-club
[^21]: Weiner, Jennifer, "Checking Out The Clubs . . .," *Philadelphia Inquirer*, May 19, 1995, Wayback copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2015id_/http://articles.philly.com/1995-05-19/entertainment/25672572_1_club-vegas-waterfront-family-reunion-day
[^22]: Bender, William, "Dante & Luigi's: Still a longtime hit," *Philadelphia Daily News*, January 30, 2012: https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/news_update/20120130_Dante___Luigi_s__Still_a_longtime_hit.html

25
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Sam Lake.md
View file

@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ relations:
with: "[[Scorpio '70]]"
start: 1970
role: "producer, and writer from an idea by Lake"
fn: 16
fn: 17
created: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-15
---
@ -110,23 +110,23 @@ The film magazine [[Take One]] named the company in its March-April 1973 issue.
The [[Boxoffice (magazine)|Boxoffice]] booking chart of the Canadian edition, dated February 4, 1974, lists the film under the distributor "Mature," with a booking date of October 15, 1973.[^14] Take One attributes the company to Bob Sumner, and Horsch attributes it to Lake.
A New York corporation named Mature Pictures, Inc. appears in the state registry under the alternate name Mature Pictures Incorporated. Its status is listed as inactive, with the dissolution type "Dissolution By Proclamation / Annulment Of Authority." Its registered address is in care of the law firm Kassner & Detsky at 350 Fifth Avenue.[^15]
A New York corporation named Mature Pictures, Inc. appears in the state registry under the alternate name Mature Pictures Incorporated. Its status is listed as inactive, with the dissolution type "Dissolution By Proclamation / Annulment Of Authority." Its registered address is in care of the law firm Kassner & Detsky at 350 Fifth Avenue.[^15] In *Walt Disney Productions v. Mature Pictures Corp.* (Southern District of New York, No. 75 Civ. 394, decided February 14, 1975), Judge Kevin Thomas Duffy granted [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] and the Walt Disney Music Company a preliminary injunction over the use of the "Mickey Mouse March" in a film titled *The Life and Times of the Happy Hooker* or *The Life and Times of Xaviera*. Kassner & Detsky, by Seymour S. Detsky, appeared for the defendants Mature Pictures Corp. and Robert Sumner.[^16]
### Scorpio '70
The [[American Film Institute]] catalog lists Sam Lake as the producer of *Scorpio '70* (1970), directed by [[Ron Sullivan]] from a script by Dario Finelli, with a writing credit to Lake "from an idea by." The catalog lists the distribution company as Sam Lake Enterprises.[^16]
The [[American Film Institute]] catalog lists Sam Lake as the producer of *Scorpio '70* (1970), directed by [[Ron Sullivan]] from a script by Dario Finelli, with a writing credit to Lake "from an idea by." The catalog lists the distribution company as Sam Lake Enterprises.[^17]
### Robert Sumner and Quality X
Alilunas wrote that Robert Sumner premiered *Deep Throat* at the [[World Theater]] in New York in 1972 "to record crowds," and that in spring 1977, as "president of Mature Pictures in New York," with his World Theater lease expiring, he put his film library on videotape, licensing titles from the [[Mitchell Brothers]], [[Alex de Renzy]] and [[Radley Metzger]] as well as his own. The initial investment was 75,000 dollars; the first stock was thirty cassettes at 110 dollars each, sold at the East World Theater. The label was Quality X, advertised in *Screw* from October 1977.[^4] By October 1978 the Sweetheart's Home Video Center stores of [[Arthur Morowitz]], in the lobbies of the World Theater and the Manhattan Twin, carried Quality X tapes supplied by Sumner.[^17] In 1979, Alilunas wrote, "Sumner's Mature Pictures" released [[Gerard Damiano]]'s *People* and *Misbehavin'* to theaters and on video at the same time, the first use of that release pattern.[^18]
Alilunas wrote that Robert Sumner premiered *Deep Throat* at the [[World Theater]] in New York in 1972 "to record crowds," and that in spring 1977, as "president of Mature Pictures in New York," with his World Theater lease expiring, he put his film library on videotape, licensing titles from the [[Mitchell Brothers]], [[Alex de Renzy]] and [[Radley Metzger]] as well as his own. The initial investment was 75,000 dollars; the first stock was thirty cassettes at 110 dollars each, sold at the East World Theater. The label was Quality X, advertised in *Screw* from October 1977.[^4] By October 1978 the Sweetheart's Home Video Center stores of [[Arthur Morowitz]], in the lobbies of the World Theater and the Manhattan Twin, carried Quality X tapes supplied by Sumner.[^18] In 1979, Alilunas wrote, "Sumner's Mature Pictures" released [[Gerard Damiano]]'s *People* and *Misbehavin'* to theaters and on video at the same time, the first use of that release pattern.[^19]
In a note based on his 2012 email correspondence with Revene, Alilunas wrote that the Swedish producer [[Per Sjöstedt]], investor for the director [[Joe Sarno]], kept connections to the New York adult-film trade "particularly with Sam Lake at Mature Pictures, where Sarno had made many of his early sexploitation films." Sjöstedt became assistant producer and production manager for Lake alongside the producer Robert Sumner, and Lake's connections "were deep, with links to Howard Farber and Arthur Morowitz's Distribpix." Sumner "also founded Quality-X Video," and the Sjöstedt connection led to the formation of [[Femme Productions]].[^3]
### The World Theater and Mature Enterprises
The [[Boston Globe]] obituary of the New York judge [[Joel J. Tyler]] reports that charges were filed in August 1972 against Mature Enterprises, the company that owned the New Mature World Theater, for promoting obscene material, and that the trial began in December 1972. The obituary says that the film tried was [[Deep Throat]], which had opened at that theater on June 12, 1972, and that Tyler fined Mature Enterprises 100,000 dollars, a sum later reduced on appeal.[^19]
The [[Boston Globe]] obituary of the New York judge [[Joel J. Tyler]] reports that charges were filed in August 1972 against Mature Enterprises, the company that owned the New Mature World Theater, for promoting obscene material, and that the trial began in December 1972. The obituary says that the film tried was [[Deep Throat]], which had opened at that theater on June 12, 1972, and that Tyler fined Mature Enterprises 100,000 dollars, a sum later reduced on appeal.[^20]
A game designer identified in video titles as "Remedy's Sam Lake" shares the name and is a different person.[^20]
A game designer identified in video titles as "Remedy's Sam Lake" shares the name and is a different person.[^21]
### Footnotes
@ -142,11 +142,12 @@ A game designer identified in video titles as "Remedy's Sam Lake" shares the nam
[^10]: GOTHAM RELEASING CORP. "Exec: Sam Lake, Pres.," 630 Ninth Ave., New York, *Motion Picture Exhibitor,* August-November 1960. https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/motionpictureexh64jaye_0_0637 The same listing, April-July 1964. https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/motionpictureexh71jaye_0_0302 Also September-December 1961 and September-December 1962 editions, https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/motionpictureexh68jaye_0_0460
[^11]: "Sam Lake Enterprises, Inc., 630 Ninth Ave., New York 36, N. Y.," and "Sam Lake, President," *The Film Daily Year Book of Motion Pictures 1963.* https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/1963filmdailyyea1963wids_0432
[^12]: "SAM LAKE of Sam Lake Enterprises Inc., New York, one of the foremost distributors of sex-exploitation pictures in the world," *CINE World,* nos. 6-7, April 1965. https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/cine-world-6-7_0022 Photograph caption identifying "U.S. Distributor Sam Lake," https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/cine-world-6-7_0014
[^13]: Morthland, John. "Porn Films: An In-Depth Report," *Take One,* vol. 3, no. 6 (March-April 1973), pp. 11-15. The passages quoted appear on page 15 and page 16 of the issue. https://archive.org/details/take-one-1973-03 and https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/take-one-1973-03_0016
[^13]: Morthland, John. "Porn Films: An In-Depth Report," *Take One,* vol. 3, no. 6 (March-April 1973), pp. 11-17. The Sumner passage appears on page 16 and the "highly visible" passage on page 17. https://archive.org/details/take-one-1973-03 and https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/take-one-1973-03_0016
[^14]: "Boxoffice Bookinguide," *Boxoffice* (Canadian edition), February 4, 1974, national booking chart, entry for *Erotic Memoirs/Male Chauvinist Pig* ("Mature 10-15-73"). https://archive.org/details/boxoffice-canadian-1974-02-04 and https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/boxoffice-canadian-1974-02-04_0018
[^15]: "MATURE PICTURES, INC.," New York (US) entity, status "Inactive," "Dissolution By Proclamation / Annulment Of Authority," registered address "%KASSNER & DETSKY, 350 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10001," previously known as "MATURE PICTURES INCORPORATED." OpenCorporates, accessed October 15, 2026. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ny/248644
[^16]: "Scorpio '70 (1970)," *AFI Catalog of Feature Films,* production and distribution credits (producer "Sam Lake, Pres."; writer "Sam Lake, From an idea by"; distribution "Sam Lake Enterprises"). https://catalog.afi.com/Film/20729-SCORPIO-'70
[^17]: Alilunas, *Smutty Little Movies,* p. 75.
[^18]: Alilunas, *Smutty Little Movies,* p. 77.
[^19]: "Obituary of Judge Joel J. Tyler," *The Boston Globe,* January 16, 2012 (charges filed against Mature Enterprises in August 1972; trial began December 1972; the New Mature World Theater; fine of $100,000 later reduced on appeal). https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2012/01/16/joel-tyler-judge-deep-throat-case/hbiQ0keQ0VW0y26CY035SL/story.html
[^20]: "Remedy's Sam Lake addresses Alan Wake fans," video title, Internet Archive item youtube-k5CRjoQKyY8. https://archive.org/details/youtube-k5CRjoQKyY8
[^16]: *Walt Disney Productions v. Mature Pictures Corp.*, 389 F. Supp. 1397 (S.D.N.Y. 1975) (No. 75 Civ. 394, Duffy, J., February 14, 1975; counsel Kassner & Detsky, Seymour S. Detsky, for defendants Mature Pictures Corp. and Robert Sumner). https://static.case.law/f-supp/389/cases/1397-01.json
[^17]: "Scorpio '70 (1970)," *AFI Catalog of Feature Films,* production and distribution credits (producer "Sam Lake, Pres."; writer "Sam Lake, From an idea by"; distribution "Sam Lake Enterprises"). https://catalog.afi.com/Film/20729-SCORPIO-'70
[^18]: Alilunas, *Smutty Little Movies,* p. 75.
[^19]: Alilunas, *Smutty Little Movies,* p. 77.
[^20]: "Obituary of Judge Joel J. Tyler," *The Boston Globe,* January 16, 2012 (charges filed against Mature Enterprises in August 1972; trial began December 1972; the New Mature World Theater; fine of $100,000 later reduced on appeal). https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2012/01/16/joel-tyler-judge-deep-throat-case/hbiQ0keQ0VW0y26CY035SL/story.html
[^21]: "Remedy's Sam Lake addresses Alan Wake fans," video title, Internet Archive item youtube-k5CRjoQKyY8. https://archive.org/details/youtube-k5CRjoQKyY8

4
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Georgina Spelvin.md
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@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ relations:
role: "performer"
fn: 2
created: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Georgina Spelvin is an American performer who appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in *[[The Pajama Game]]* and toured in musical productions through the 1950s and 1960s before starring, at 36, in [[Gerard Damiano]]'s *[[The Devil in Miss Jones]]* (1973), for which she had first been hired as the cook on the set; she had applied for that job because the anti-war film collective she had started needed money for the rent on its editing space.[^1] She lived and worked in [[New York City]] for two decades before moving to [[California]] in the mid-1970s, and in 2006 published a memoir, *The Devil Made Me Do It*.[^1]
@ -25,4 +25,4 @@ In February 1973 she appeared in *[[The Erotic Memoirs of a Male Chauvinist Pig]
[^1]: West, Ashley. "Georgina Spelvin: The Devil, Miss Jones and the New York Years," *The Rialto Report,* Podcast 11, May 19, 2013. https://www.therialtoreport.com/2013/05/19/georgina-spelvin/
[^2]: West, Ashley. "Unknowing Ray Horsch, Episode 2: Performance," *The Rialto Report,* Podcast 172, September 20, 2026 (republishing interviews recorded in 2013). https://www.therialtoreport.com/2026/09/20/ray-horsch-3/
[^3]: "How a pornographer's violent fantasies blurred fact and fiction as cops searched Olney house for missing women," *The Philadelphia Inquirer,* August 2, 2026. https://www.inquirer.com/news/a/raymond-eugene-horsch-olney-philadelphia-missing-women-history-20260802.html
[^4]: Morthland, John. "Porn Films: An In-Depth Report," *Take One,* vol. 3, no. 6 (March-April 1973), pp. 11-15. https://archive.org/details/take-one-1973-03
[^4]: Morthland, John. "Porn Films: An In-Depth Report," *Take One,* vol. 3, no. 6 (March-April 1973), pp. 11-17 (Sumner sentence at p. 16). https://archive.org/details/take-one-1973-03

26
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Jean-Michel Nihoul.md
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@ -14,14 +14,14 @@ relations:
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Marleen De Cokere]]"
role: "companion"
fn: 4
fn: 6
- type: director_of
with: "[[Achats Services Commerces]]"
start: 1994
role: "de facto manager"
fn: 1
created: 2026-04-28
updated: 2026-10-09
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Michel Nihoul, a Brussels businessman and fraudster, was arrested in August 1996 in the investigation of [[Marc Dutroux]] and for years was held to be the man who connected Dutroux to a protected network. The Belgian parliamentary commission of inquiry into the Dutroux affair devoted a section of its 1998 report to "the relational network of M. Nihoul."[^1]
@ -34,23 +34,29 @@ From 1981 he was a client of a sex club at 145 rue des Atrébates in Etterbeek,
Through the Confrérie des Maîtres Brasseurs, the free radio Radio Activité, of which he was the driving force, and his firm J.-M. Nihoul et Associés, he cultivated politicians and officials and sold interventions for parole, pardons, prison leave and residence permits, for which he said he had earned about 500,000 francs; a magistrate appointed him a real estate expert without qualifications. With the suspended lawyer [[Annie Bouty]] and her Cadreco association he arranged residence papers for foreigners, among them Nigerians. The commission had indications that at the end of the 1980s he organized the political campaigns of several young lawyers who later faced disciplinary or criminal proceedings. It could not establish whether his ties to politicians were as close as he claimed, noting that he boasted of having "le bras long comme le Danube," and it found no substance in his claim to be protected by a Brussels investigating judge.[^1]
The Belgian [[Chamber of Representatives]] commission's supplementary report of February 16, 1998 stated as its general conclusion that there were indications that both Dutroux and Nihoul, separately or together, had engaged in polycriminal activity (fraud, drug trafficking, abduction and rape of children followed by murders, trafficking in human beings, car trafficking) and that the networks they set up had benefited at various levels from an indirect protection arising from individual or collective erosion of the norm or corrupt conduct. The same conclusion stated that the commission had found no indication that these criminal circles enjoyed, within the police, the magistracy, the administration or the political world, protection that could by itself explain the failures, delays and anomalies of the investigations, and that the serious gaps arose chiefly from professional failings and structural defects of the criminal justice system.[^3]
The same report stated, on the Nihoul circle in particular, that it had not acquired proof that Nihoul and Annie Bouty had enjoyed protection in the fraud files, and that Nihoul's claim of protection by a Brussels investigating judge was found to be untrue.[^4]
### Informant
In 1995 and 1996 Nihoul was an informant of the gendarmerie's BSR in Dinant; the gendarmerie had registered him as a coded informant. In May 1995 he passed on information, obtained through [[Michel Lelievre|Michel Lelièvre]], about a stolen car and collected a 30,000-franc reward from the insurer Royale Belge; he later introduced Lelièvre to his handlers. The BSR took no action against Lelièvre in the first half of 1996, though he was wanted to serve a prison sentence and though, the commission found, there were indications that the BSR knew he and Dutroux had stolen a truck in 1995; Nihoul had asked his handler to leave Lelièvre alone. "In the end," the commission wrote, "it was the informant who directed his handlers and not the reverse." Its first report had listed eight indications of protection for Nihoul, among them witnesses who testified under oath that two associates from the entourage of a former minister protected him, and his hold as an informant over a policeman who failed to arrest Lelièvre before Lelièvre took part in the abductions of two girls aged 12 and 14. The commission concluded that "the Nihoul movement" had operated amid "the relaxation of norms and corrupting behavior" and in that sense had received and granted protection, "rarely in a very spectacular way and, most of the time, in the context of services between friends."[^1]
### ASCO and the Dutroux Case
[[Achats Services Commerces]] (ASCO) was founded on July 2, 1991, at Wasmes by the operator of Le Dolo, Nihoul's companion and a third Dolo client, went into voluntary liquidation on June 23, 1995, and was declared bankrupt by the commercial court of Mons on October 9, 1995; Nihoul was at least its de facto manager in 1994, and the commission linked the company to the reports of white Mercedes cars.[^1] He had met Dutroux a year before his arrest through Lelièvre, to whom he sold drugs. [[Michelle Martin]] told investigators that Dutroux had been in frequent contact with Nihoul around the abduction of a 14-year-old girl, and Dutroux said Nihoul was looking for girls for a Belgian prostitution network. Nihoul was led from the courthouse at Neufchâteau on August 16, 1996, to shouts of "à mort." His companion [[Marleen De Cokere]] was arrested in late September. His warrant in the Dutroux case was lifted in January 1997.[^3][^4] In an interview with *Der Spiegel* in 2001, in his two-room flat in Jette with De Cokere beside him, Nihoul said of children, "I never did anything with children. I love children," and that Dutroux had taken the girls "for his own consumption." The magazine reported that the investigation files showed Dutroux had asked his advice on getting into the trade in girls and that Nihoul had advised him to organize sadomasochistic parties, which Nihoul said he had understood to mean adults. He spoke of the group-sex parties he and De Cokere had organized, "but with style," attended by influential politicians and officials at Le Dolo and Faulx-les-Tombes, and said: "Ich habe die Regierung in der Hand" (I have the government in hand). For 20,000 marks more he offered "a sitting minister who is involved in a murder," and, for a six-figure sum, a photograph of the then Prince Albert with a naked sixteen-year-old taken on the second floor of the Mirano club twenty years earlier.[^5] [[Regina Louf]], the witness X1, alleged that he organized parties at which children were abused; the prosecutors-general closed the files opened on her testimony in April 1998.[^6]
[[Achats Services Commerces]] (ASCO) was founded on July 2, 1991, at Wasmes by the operator of Le Dolo, Nihoul's companion and a third Dolo client, went into voluntary liquidation on June 23, 1995, and was declared bankrupt by the commercial court of Mons on October 9, 1995; Nihoul was at least its de facto manager in 1994, and the commission linked the company to the reports of white Mercedes cars.[^1] He had met Dutroux a year before his arrest through Lelièvre, to whom he sold drugs. [[Michelle Martin]] told investigators that Dutroux had been in frequent contact with Nihoul around the abduction of a 14-year-old girl, and Dutroux said Nihoul was looking for girls for a Belgian prostitution network. Nihoul was led from the courthouse at Neufchâteau on August 16, 1996, to shouts of "à mort." His companion [[Marleen De Cokere]] was arrested in late September. His warrant in the Dutroux case was lifted in January 1997.[^5][^6] In an interview with *Der Spiegel* in 2001, in his two-room flat in Jette with De Cokere beside him, Nihoul said of children, "I never did anything with children. I love children," and that Dutroux had taken the girls "for his own consumption." The magazine reported that the investigation files showed Dutroux had asked his advice on getting into the trade in girls and that Nihoul had advised him to organize sadomasochistic parties, which Nihoul said he had understood to mean adults. He spoke of the group-sex parties he and De Cokere had organized, "but with style," attended by influential politicians and officials at Le Dolo and Faulx-les-Tombes, and said: "Ich habe die Regierung in der Hand" (I have the government in hand). For 20,000 marks more he offered "a sitting minister who is involved in a murder," and, for a six-figure sum, a photograph of the then Prince Albert with a naked sixteen-year-old taken on the second floor of the Mirano club twenty years earlier.[^7] [[Regina Louf]], the witness X1, alleged that he organized parties at which children were abused; the prosecutors-general closed the files opened on her testimony in April 1998.[^8]
At the trial in Arlon in 2004, Dutroux accused Nihoul of being his link to a ring kidnapping girls for prostitution, which Nihoul denied. Véronique Laurent, convicted of ordering the killing of her husband, [[Michel Piro]], testified that Nihoul had come to their bar, La Terrasse, four or five times.[^7] Only seven of the twelve jurors found him guilty of the abductions, and the professional judges acquitted him of every charge connected with the children; the court had returned the jury to consider a lesser charge of complicity in the kidnappings, on which it acquitted him, and the jury convicted him of membership of a gang that smuggled drugs and people into Belgium.[^8] On June 22, 2004, he was sentenced to five years for drug trafficking and criminal association. He left Saint-Gilles prison on parole on April 28, 2006, and retired with his companion to the Belgian coast, where he died on October 23, 2019.[^3][^8]
At the trial in Arlon in 2004, Dutroux accused Nihoul of being his link to a ring kidnapping girls for prostitution, which Nihoul denied. Véronique Laurent, convicted of ordering the killing of her husband, [[Michel Piro]], testified that Nihoul had come to their bar, La Terrasse, four or five times.[^9] Only seven of the twelve jurors found him guilty of the abductions, and the professional judges acquitted him of every charge connected with the children; the court had returned the jury to consider a lesser charge of complicity in the kidnappings, on which it acquitted him, and the jury convicted him of membership of a gang that smuggled drugs and people into Belgium.[^10] On June 22, 2004, he was sentenced to five years for drug trafficking and criminal association. He left Saint-Gilles prison on parole on April 28, 2006, and retired with his companion to the Belgian coast, where he died on October 23, 2019.[^5][^10]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Chambre des Représentants de Belgique. *Enquête parlementaire sur la manière dont l'enquête, dans ses volets policiers et judiciaires, a été menée dans l'affaire Dutroux-Nihoul et consorts,* rapport complémentaire, Doc. 713/8-96/97, February 16, 1998, section 4, "Le réseau relationnel de M. Nihoul," pp. 126-145, and the list of indications from the report of April 14, 1997 (Doc. 713/6-96/97, pp. 186-188). https://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/pdf_sections/comm/dutroux/49K0713008.pdf
[^2]: "Michel Nihoul: Lügner, Betrüger, Frauenheld, aber kein Pädophiler." dpa, *Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,* FAZ.NET, May 17, 2004.
[^3]: "Michel Nihoul est décédé." *La Libre Belgique,* October 23, 2019; translated from the French. https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/societe/michel-nihoul-est-decede-5db04ec39978e218e36b29be
[^4]: "Belgian pedophile case." United Press International, September 24, 1996. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/09/24/Belgian-pedophile-case/1297843537600/
[^5]: Smoltczyk, Alexander. "Im Netz der Dossiers." *Der Spiegel,* no. 42/2001, October 14, 2001; quotations translated from the German. https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/im-netz-der-dossiers-a-c9fe5b47-0002-0001-0000-000020353850
[^6]: Sénat de Belgique. Proposition visant à instituer une commission d'enquête parlementaire chargée d'enquêter sur l'éloignement de deux enquêteurs de la cellule d'enquête bruxelloise « Neufchâteau », déposée par M. Frans Lozie, Doc. 2-563/1, October 9, 2000.
[^7]: Hovine, Annick. "La cour d'assises fait la tournée des bars de Charleroi." *La Libre Belgique,* April 28, 2004.
[^8]: Associated Press. "Notorious child rapist-murderer convicted." NBC News, June 17, 2004. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/5233011 ; "'Most hated' Belgian in jail for life." Al Jazeera, June 22, 2004. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2004/6/22/most-hated-belgian-in-jail-for-life
[^3]: Belgian Chamber of Representatives, supplementary report, Doc. 713/8-96/97, February 16, 1998, section 6, "Conclusions generales," pp. 148-149, translated from the French. https://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/PDF/49/0713/49K0713008.pdf
[^4]: Belgian Chamber of Representatives, supplementary report, Doc. 713/8-96/97, February 16, 1998, section 5.2, "Conclusion: Nihoul et consorts ont-ils beneficie de protections?," p. 143, translated from the French. https://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/PDF/49/0713/49K0713008.pdf
[^5]: "Michel Nihoul est décédé." *La Libre Belgique,* October 23, 2019; translated from the French. https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/societe/michel-nihoul-est-decede-5db04ec39978e218e36b29be
[^6]: "Belgian pedophile case." United Press International, September 24, 1996. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/09/24/Belgian-pedophile-case/1297843537600/
[^7]: Smoltczyk, Alexander. "Im Netz der Dossiers." *Der Spiegel,* no. 42/2001, October 14, 2001; quotations translated from the German. https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/im-netz-der-dossiers-a-c9fe5b47-0002-0001-0000-000020353850
[^8]: Sénat de Belgique. Proposition visant à instituer une commission d'enquête parlementaire chargée d'enquêter sur l'éloignement de deux enquêteurs de la cellule d'enquête bruxelloise « Neufchâteau », déposée par M. Frans Lozie, Doc. 2-563/1, October 9, 2000.
[^9]: Hovine, Annick. "La cour d'assises fait la tournée des bars de Charleroi." *La Libre Belgique,* April 28, 2004.
[^10]: Associated Press. "Notorious child rapist-murderer convicted." NBC News, June 17, 2004. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/5233011 ; "'Most hated' Belgian in jail for life." Al Jazeera, June 22, 2004. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2004/6/22/most-hated-belgian-in-jail-for-life

41
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Marion Pettie.md
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@ -6,10 +6,17 @@ tags:
- Military
- The_Finders
- Washington_DC
summary: "Marion Pettie (1920-2003) was the founder and 'Game Caller' of The Finders communal group, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant with family CIA connections whose group was investigated for child trafficking in 1987 before the federal inquiry was closed after CIA acknowledged an interest."
summary: "Marion Pettie (1920-2003) was the founder and Game Caller of The Finders, a retired Air Force master sergeant whose group was investigated in 1987 before the inquiry closed."
born: 1920
died: 2003-10-24
location: "Washington, D.C. / Culpeper, Virginia"
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: founded
with: "[[The Finders]]"
start: 1971
role: founder and Game Caller
fn: 2
---
Marion David Pettie (1920-2003) was the founder and leader of [[The Finders]], a Washington D.C.-based communal group that came under federal investigation in February 1987 following the arrest of two members who were transporting six malnourished children in a van in Tallahassee, Florida. A retired [[U.S. Air Force]] Master Sergeant with documented family connections to the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and its proprietary airline [[Air America]], Pettie functioned within the group as the "Game Caller," the title used both by adult members and by the children under the group's care, for approximately three decades until the group's announced dissolution in 1987.[^1][^2]
@ -24,9 +31,11 @@ From at least the 1940s, Pettie hosted open-house gatherings at his Washington D
An anonymous three-page investigative memo of unknown provenance, circulated among researchers during the 1990s, alleged a more formal intelligence relationship. The memo claimed that in 1946 Pettie served as chauffeur to General [[Ira Eaker]], then commanding general of Army Air Forces in the Mediterranean Theater, and that newspaper publisher [[Charles Marsh]] subsequently arranged for Pettie to receive counterintelligence training. The memo further alleged that Colonel [[Leonard N. Weigner]] of the USAF directed Pettie to retire from active duty and surround himself with "kooks" in order to provide cover for intelligence recruitment and the infiltration of counterculture movements, with Major [[George Varga]] serving as Pettie's case officer until Varga's death in the 1970s.[^2]
Weigner died in September 1990. His Washington Post obituary confirmed a career in Air Force intelligence and the CIA.[^2] The memo's specific claims regarding Weigner as Pettie's handler and Marsh as a facilitator are unverified and not corroborated by any accessible primary source. The same body of conspiracy-press reporting further claims that under Varga's direction Pettie ran a network of recruited agents in Europe, including a Dr. [[Keith Arnold]] recruited in Paris in 1958 and taken to [[Moscow]] in 1959 or 1960, who later operated from [[Hong Kong]] under [[Rockefeller Foundation]] cover; these claims rest on the same uncorroborated sources.[^6]
Pettie's own account, as recorded in Tobe Terrell's memoir The Gamecaller, described his Air Force service as chauffeur work for the Secretary of the Air Force and said that General Ira Eaker offered him a chance to attend intelligence school in Germany.[^3]
Pettie consistently denied CIA employment in public statements. In the most direct formulation, given to journalist Eddie Dean in 1996: "The reason the CIA wouldn't hire me is that they wouldn't have the control factor over me."[^2] In a 1993 interview with U.S. News & World Report, however, Pettie confirmed that his wife [[Isabelle Pettie]] "once worked for the Central Intelligence Agency" and that his son [[George Pettie]] worked for Air America, the CIA proprietary airline that operated in Southeast Asia during the [[Vietnam War]].[^3]
Weigner died in September 1990. His Washington Post obituary confirmed a career in Air Force intelligence and the CIA.[^2] The memo's specific claims regarding Weigner as Pettie's handler and Marsh as a facilitator are unverified and not corroborated by any accessible primary source. The same body of conspiracy-press reporting further claims that under Varga's direction Pettie ran a network of recruited agents in Europe, including a Dr. [[Keith Arnold]] recruited in Paris in 1958 and taken to [[Moscow]] in 1959 or 1960, who later operated from [[Hong Kong]] under [[Rockefeller Foundation]] cover; these claims rest on the same uncorroborated sources.[^4]
Pettie consistently denied CIA employment in public statements. In the most direct formulation, given to journalist Eddie Dean in 1996: "The reason the CIA wouldn't hire me is that they wouldn't have the control factor over me."[^2] In a December 1993 interview with U.S. News & World Report, Pettie said that the CIA's interest in the Finders might stem from the fact that his "late wife once worked for the agency" ([[Isabelle Pettie]]) and that his son [[George Pettie]] had worked for "a CIA proprietary firm, Air America," the CIA proprietary airline that operated in Southeast Asia during the [[Vietnam War]]. He said the group had never been connected to the CIA and had never been involved in child abuse, pornography, Satanism or animal slaughter.[^5]
### The Finders and the Game Caller Role
@ -34,19 +43,19 @@ Pettie's communal gatherings evolved into The Finders, a group that coalesced in
He described no formal membership requirements: "Nobody signs anything." His stated personal philosophy, offered to Eddie Dean, was "to know everything and do nothing."[^2] The group blended Taoism with New Age and Human Potential Movement concepts, and members pooled finances into what [[Robert Gardner Terrell]] called the "Invisible Bank."[^1]
Beginning around 1980, children in the group were raised communally rather than by biological parents. Pettie described this practice as replicating what he believed were original Native American child-rearing traditions. Children were not enrolled in conventional schools and were removed from their parents for months during group-organized travel described as educational.[^4]
Beginning around 1980, children in the group were raised communally rather than by biological parents. Pettie described this practice as replicating what he believed were original Native American child-rearing traditions. Children were not enrolled in conventional schools and were removed from their parents for months during group-organized travel described as educational.[^6]
In his 1998 interview with Steamshovel Press, Pettie described a close 1960s connection to [[Timothy Leary]], saying Leary sent people to a communal property Pettie ran in the mountains near Culpeper called the [[Free State]] and that Leary gave him [[LSD]], which Pettie claimed he kept in his refrigerator without ever taking.[^6]
In his 1998 interview with Steamshovel Press, Pettie described a close 1960s connection to [[Timothy Leary]], saying Leary sent people to a communal property Pettie ran in the mountains near Culpeper called the [[Free State]] and that Leary gave him [[LSD]], which Pettie claimed he kept in his refrigerator without ever taking.[^4]
### The John Cox Connection
An unsigned investigative memo circulated in the mid-1990s, of unknown provenance, claimed that Pettie recruited computer specialist [[John J. Cox]], described as the founder of [[General Scientific Corporation]] in Rockville, Maryland, in 1979. The memo alleged Cox trained Finders members in computer programming and communications, and took members to Costa Rica and Panama in 1980-81. MPD Intelligence documents in the 2019 FBI Vault release offer a different account, describing The Finders as having "attempted to infiltrate" General Scientific rather than having been recruited through it. The company name appeared in a December 1993 Secretary of State query generated during the DOJ reinvestigation. The two accounts have not been reconciled in accessible sources.[^5]
An unsigned investigative memo circulated in the mid-1990s, of unknown provenance, claimed that Pettie recruited computer specialist [[John J. Cox]], described as the founder of [[General Scientific Corporation]] in Rockville, Maryland, in 1979. The memo alleged Cox trained Finders members in computer programming and communications, and took members to Costa Rica and Panama in 1980-81. MPD Intelligence documents in the 2019 FBI Vault release offer a different account, describing The Finders as having "attempted to infiltrate" General Scientific rather than having been recruited through it. The company name appeared in a December 1993 Secretary of State query generated during the DOJ reinvestigation. The two accounts have not been reconciled in accessible sources.[^7]
### The 1987 Investigation
The February 1987 arrests of [[Douglas Ammerman]] and [[James Michael Holwell]] in Tallahassee while transporting six malnourished children prompted searches of The Finders' Washington D.C. warehouse at 1307 Fourth Street NE and the Glover Park duplex. Investigators found extensive computer networks with satellite communications, files describing methods for obtaining children, and telex communications referencing international operations. U.S. Customs Special Agent [[Ramon J. Martinez]] documented the contents in reports dated February 7 and April 13, 1987.[^1][^5]
The February 1987 arrests of [[Douglas Ammerman]] and [[James Michael Holwell]] in Tallahassee while transporting six malnourished children prompted searches of The Finders' Washington D.C. warehouse at 1307 Fourth Street NE and the Glover Park duplex. Investigators found extensive computer networks with satellite communications, files describing methods for obtaining children, and telex communications referencing international operations. U.S. Customs Special Agent [[Ramon J. Martinez]] documented the contents in reports dated February 7 and April 13, 1987.[^1][^7]
An MPD report filed February 19, 1987 by Sgt. [[John H. Stitcher Jr.]] described a CIA official acknowledging Isabelle Pettie's CIA employment and stating that the investigation had been "treading on their toes," that the CIA had "had someone working on the case since it first broke," and that the agency had a "vested interest" in the group. The FBI's Foreign Counterintelligence Division classified MPD reports Secret and directed MPD not to brief the FBI's own Washington Field Office. A separate April 13, 1987 MPD Intelligence Division report concluded the group "is and has been utilized by the Central Intelligence Agency as a disinformation service." All charges against the two arrested men were eventually dropped.[^1][^5]
An MPD report filed February 19, 1987 by Sgt. [[John H. Stitcher Jr.]] described a CIA official acknowledging Isabelle Pettie's CIA employment and stating that the investigation had been "treading on their toes," that the CIA had "had someone working on the case since it first broke," and that the agency had a "vested interest" in the group. The FBI's Foreign Counterintelligence Division classified MPD reports Secret and directed MPD not to brief the FBI's own Washington Field Office. A separate April 13, 1987 MPD Intelligence Division report concluded the group "is and has been utilized by the Central Intelligence Agency as a disinformation service." All charges against the two arrested men were eventually dropped.[^1][^7]
### Post-1987 and Final Years
@ -54,18 +63,20 @@ By 1996, when journalist Eddie Dean interviewed Pettie in Culpeper, Virginia, Pe
A 1996 court appearance involved Pettie being unable to locate a briefcase containing approximately two million dollars in land deed documents. Robert Gardner Terrell announced the group's dissolution on March 11, 1987, though activity was observed at the former warehouse address as late as October 1991.[^1]
Pettie gave no extended public interviews after 1996. He died on October 24, 2003, in Culpeper, Virginia.[^2]
He died on October 24, 2003, in Culpeper, Virginia.[^2] Tobe Terrell's memoir dates his death to October 2003 and records that Terrell took Pettie the first draft of the book on his deathbed, where Pettie told him that what Terrell had written "sounds more like me than I sound like myself."[^3]
### Family
- Isabelle Pettie (wife, deceased by 1987): Confirmed CIA employee, approximately 1950-1971 per the Stitcher MPD report. Held passports to North Korea, North Vietnam, and the Soviet Union.[^5]
- George Pettie (son): Worked for Air America. Had broken contact with his father by 1985 and was operating a home inspection business in Northern Virginia at the time of the 1987 investigation. He described the circa-1971 Glover Park gatherings as "the beginning of a new life" for his father and followers.[^3]
- Isabelle Pettie (wife, deceased by 1987): Confirmed CIA employee, approximately 1950-1971 per the Stitcher MPD report. Held passports to North Korea, North Vietnam, and the Soviet Union.[^7]
- George Pettie (son): Worked for Air America. Had broken contact with his father by 1985 and was operating a home inspection business in Northern Virginia at the time of the 1987 investigation. He told the Washington Post on February 7, 1987 that his father, then 66, had retired from the Air Force in 1956 as a master sergeant, that the two had not spoken in two years, and that around 1971 Pettie gathered his followers at the W Street house: "That was the beginning of a new life for him."[^8]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). *Eye of the Chickenhawk*. United States: Thehotstar.
[^2]: Dean, Eddie. "Finders' Keeper." Washington City Paper, May 24, 1996. https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/287890/finders-keeper/.
[^3]: Witkin, Gordon, Peter Cary, and Angel Martinez. "Through a glass, very darkly: Cops, spies and a very odd investigation." U.S. News & World Report, December 27, 1993 / January 3, 1994.
[^4]: Fisher, Marc and John Mintz. "Finders Group Has Its Roots in Popular '60s Hippie Refuge." Washington Post, February 7, 1987.
[^5]: FBI Vault, "The Finders," FOIA case number 1372462-0, vault.fbi.gov/the-finders (released November 2019). Also: Martinez, Ramon J. U.S. Customs Service Reports, February 7, 1987 and April 13, 1987. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/ted-gunderson-fbi-the-finders.
[^6]: Kenn Thomas and Len Bracken, "The Finders' Keeper," Steamshovel Press #16, 1998; A.B.H. Alexander, "Sex, Drugs, the CIA, MIND CONTROL and Your Children," PROBE, c. 1996. These conspiracy-press sources make additional, largely uncorroborated claims about Pettie's intelligence role and cultural-infiltration activities.
[^3]: Terrell, Tobe. *The Gamecaller*. Old Rag Publishing, Gainesville, Florida, 2009. https://archive.org/details/TheGamecaller
[^4]: Kenn Thomas and Len Bracken, "The Finders' Keeper," Steamshovel Press #16, 1998; A.B.H. Alexander, "Sex, Drugs, the CIA, MIND CONTROL and Your Children," PROBE, c. 1996. These conspiracy-press sources make additional, largely uncorroborated claims about Pettie's intelligence role and cultural-infiltration activities.
[^5]: Witkin, Gordon, Peter Cary, and Angel Martinez. "Through a glass, very darkly: Cops, spies and a very odd investigation." U.S. News & World Report, December 27, 1993 / January 3, 1994.
[^6]: Fisher, Marc and John Mintz. "Finders Group Has Its Roots in Popular '60s Hippie Refuge." Washington Post, February 7, 1987.
[^7]: FBI Vault, "The Finders," FOIA case number 1372462-0, vault.fbi.gov/the-finders (released November 2019). Also: Martinez, Ramon J. U.S. Customs Service Reports, February 7, 1987 and April 13, 1987. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/ted-gunderson-fbi-the-finders.
[^8]: Fisher, Marc, and John Mintz. "Finders Group Has Its Roots in Popular '60s Hippie Refuge." Washington Post, February 7, 1987. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/02/07/finders-group-has-its-roots-in-popular-60s-hippie-refuge/2d6b5d9d-904f-4acd-a371-f560fca68b39/

4
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Martin Orne.md
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@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ born: 1927-10-16
died: 2000-02-11
location: Vienna, Austria
created: 2026-06-03
updated: 2026-06-04
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Martin Orne was a psychologist and psychiatrist born in Vienna, Austria, who emigrated to the [[United States]] after the Nazi annexation and completed his B.A. at [[Harvard University]] in 1948. He studied briefly at the [[University of Zurich]] on a Fulbright fellowship, working with [[Carl Jung]], then took his M.D. at [[Tufts University]] in 1955 and his Ph.D. in psychology at Harvard in 1958. In 1961 he founded the Institute for Experimental Psychiatry and directed it throughout his subsequent career. He joined the faculty of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in 1964, where he served as professor of psychiatry and psychology until his retirement in 1996, and edited the *International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis* from 1962 to 1992.[^1]
@ -61,4 +61,4 @@ He chaired the [[American Medical Association]] committee whose 1985 report in *
[^5]: Martin T. Orne, "The potential uses of hypnosis in interrogation," in Albert Biderman and Herbert Zimmer, eds., *The Manipulation of Human Behavior*. John Wiley and Sons, 1961. pp. 169-215.
[^6]: Martin T. Orne, "On the social psychology of the psychological experiment," *American Psychologist*, 1962, 17, 776-783; Martin T. Orne and Frederick J. Evans, "Social control in the psychological experiment: Antisocial behavior and hypnosis," *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, 1965, 1(3), 189-200; Martin T. Orne, "The simulation of hypnosis: Why, how, and what it means," *International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis*, 1971, 19, 183-210.
[^7]: Martin T. Orne, David F. Dinges, and Emily Carota Orne, "On the differential diagnosis of multiple personality in the forensic context," *International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis*, 1984, 32(2), 118-169. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207148408416005
[^8]: Martin T. Orne, "On the use and misuse of hypnosis in court," *International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis*, 1979, 27(4), 311-341; American Medical Association, "Scientific Status of Refreshing Recollection by the Use of Hypnosis," *JAMA*, 1985; False Memory Syndrome Foundation Newsletter, March/April 2000, 9(2).
[^8]: Martin T. Orne, "On the use and misuse of hypnosis in court," *International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis*, 1979, 27(4), 311-341; American Medical Association, "Scientific Status of Refreshing Recollection by the Use of Hypnosis," *JAMA*, 1985; False Memory Syndrome Foundation Newsletter, March/April 2000, 9(2). https://web.archive.org/web/2002/http://www.fmsfonline.org/fmsf00.304.html

118
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Michael Riconosciuto.md
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@ -49,28 +49,33 @@ relations:
start: 1991
end: 1993
role: "special counsel's inquiry into his INSLAW allegations"
fn: 14
fn: 19
- type: prosecuted
with: "[[Department of Justice]]"
reverse: true
start: 1991
end: 1992
role: "federal narcotics prosecution in Tacoma, Washington; convicted January 1992"
fn: 29
fn: 34
- type: represented
with: "[[Thomas Olmstead]]"
reverse: true
start: 1992
end: 1992
role: "trial counsel in Tacoma"
fn: 29
fn: 34
- type: represented
with: "[[John Rosellini]]"
reverse: true
start: 1991
end: 1991
role: "attorney after the March 1991 arrest, at the time of the April 1991 congressional interview"
fn: 24
fn: 29
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Ben Kalka]]"
start: 1982
role: "business ties at R & R Research, per Seymour"
fn: 14
---
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] is a computer scientist and convicted methamphetamine manufacturer who claimed to have modified [[PROMIS]] software for a joint venture between the [[Wackenhut Corporation]] and the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon]] band near Indio, California. He was a central source for [[Danny Casolaro]]'s investigation into what Casolaro called the [[The Octopus|Octopus]]. The Justice Department special counsel [[Nicholas J. Bua]] wrote that he "can fairly be described as the key witness against Brian," meaning [[Earl Brian]]. He was convicted in Tacoma, Washington, in January 1992 on drug charges that he said were a government frame-up.[^1]
@ -90,45 +95,53 @@ Riconosciuto told [[Spy]] magazine in 1992 that he "met with George Wackenhut an
The Bua report found that the former tribal chairman [[Arthur Welmas]] and his wife never saw or met Earl Brian at the reservation, and that [[Sam Cross]], the Indio police chief during those years, said he had been in the mobile trailer behind the casino and saw no computer equipment in it. John Philip Nichols told investigators the PROMIS allegations were fabricated, and the report noted that Nichols had a motive to call Riconosciuto a liar, but that "everything Nichols told us was consistent with the great weight of the evidence we obtained from other sources."[^13]
### Kalka and the 1982 sting
In a statement dated February 16, 1984, Riconosciuto wrote that Nichols directed him to have [[Philip Arthur Thompson]] recover "[all] of Kalka’s assets." The statement lists a semi-truck loaded with amphetamine production chemicals and a red Datsun with a portable refrigerator containing acid, both located in the [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] area.[^14] An audio tape on which Riconosciuto narrated, played by Zokosky to Seymour's source, said that [[Ben Kalka]] handled an LSD operation in [[Fresno]].[^15]
In a transcribed interview with Gunderson, Riconosciuto said that Kalka had paid the [[Hells Angels|Hell's Angels]] a quarter of a million dollars to kill him after December 1981, that Kalka was "a fugitive from justice" hiding in Colorado when [[Paul Morasca]] gathered the company's raw materials, and that he had persuaded Kalka to have the phenylacetic acid screened, during which he introduced a heavy-metal micro-tagging material.[^16] An INSLAW memorandum of July 18, 1990 states that Riconosciuto's intended Los Angeles attorney in the spring of 1982, [[Harland Braun]], had a conflict because he represented Kalka.[^17] A letter dated April 13, 1982, signed by Phyllis Riconosciuto and [[Jimmy Hughes]], arranged bodyguards for Riconosciuto until he entered FBI protective custody at the Oakland office.[^18]
### PROMIS claims and the House Judiciary investigation
Riconosciuto said that Brian made a copy of the proprietary PROMIS software available to him through Wackenhut, after acquiring it from [[Peter Videnieks]], a [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] contracting official. He said his modifications were intended to facilitate worldwide implementation of PROMIS in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including adaptations for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] in [[Canada]].[^5] Seymour treats this as the central element of the PROMIS software scandal.[^1]
Riconosciuto's first claims reached [[Bill Hamilton|William and Nancy Hamilton]], the owners of [[INSLAW]], in May 1990. On a conference call that a reporter for one of [[Lyndon LaRouche]]'s publications arranged, he told the Hamiltons that he and Brian were hired as consultants to Wackenhut Research, that he and Brian traveled to Iran in 1980 and paid a $40 million bribe to prevent the release of American hostages before the November 1980 election, and that he still had a copy of the PROMIS source code. The Bua report summarizes the Hamiltons' memoranda of that call, and says that four of his statements about PROMIS could be established with accuracy, three under oath and one in the Hamiltons' notes.[^14]
Riconosciuto's first claims reached [[Bill Hamilton|William and Nancy Hamilton]], the owners of [[INSLAW]], in May 1990. On a conference call that a reporter for one of [[Lyndon LaRouche]]'s publications arranged, he told the Hamiltons that he and Brian were hired as consultants to Wackenhut Research, that he and Brian traveled to Iran in 1980 and paid a $40 million bribe to prevent the release of American hostages before the November 1980 election, and that he still had a copy of the PROMIS source code. The Bua report summarizes the Hamiltons' memoranda of that call, and says that four of his statements about PROMIS could be established with accuracy, three under oath and one in the Hamiltons' notes.[^19]
On April 4, 1991, Riconosciuto gave a sworn statement to [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] investigators. The committee's report says he connected his work on PROMIS to Brian and Videnieks, and that during a luncheon attended by Brian, Videnieks, [[Jimmy Hughes]], and himself, the enhanced software was loaded into the trunk of his car.[^15] He also said he had two copies of a tape of his February 1991 conversation with Videnieks, and that DEA agents seized them at his arrest.[^15] He gave the committee access to a storage facility holding computer tapes and documents. A General Accounting Office analysis for the committee found that only one of five magnetic media could be read, that it held a corporate data file of accounts, and that a later review found one readable tape containing instructions for a word-processing modification and no PROMIS versions.[^16]
On April 4, 1991, Riconosciuto gave a sworn statement to [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] investigators. The committee's report says he connected his work on PROMIS to Brian and Videnieks, and that during a luncheon attended by Brian, Videnieks, Jimmy Hughes, and himself, the enhanced software was loaded into the trunk of his car.[^20] He also said he had two copies of a tape of his February 1991 conversation with Videnieks, and that DEA agents seized them at his arrest.[^20] He gave the committee access to a storage facility holding computer tapes and documents. A General Accounting Office analysis for the committee found that only one of five magnetic media could be read, that it held a corporate data file of accounts, and that a later review found one readable tape containing instructions for a word-processing modification and no PROMIS versions.[^21]
The Bua report traced a series of contradictions in his accounts. In his affidavit he said he had received a single copy of PROMIS from Brian. At trial he said he had received three versions from Nichols. In the affidavit he dated his PROMIS work to 1983 and 1984 in Indio, Silver Spring, Maryland, and Miami, Florida. At trial he placed it between late 1981 and early 1983, mentioned only Indio, and did not mention Maryland or Miami.[^17] The report noted that Inslaw did not sign its implementation contract until March 1982 and did not produce an enhanced version to DOJ until April 20, 1983, and that "it would have been physically impossible for anybody from DOJ to produce anything but a public domain version of PROMIS in November 1981."[^17]
The Bua report traced a series of contradictions in his accounts. In his affidavit he said he had received a single copy of PROMIS from Brian. At trial he said he had received three versions from Nichols. In the affidavit he dated his PROMIS work to 1983 and 1984 in Indio, Silver Spring, Maryland, and Miami, Florida. At trial he placed it between late 1981 and early 1983, mentioned only Indio, and did not mention Maryland or Miami.[^22] The report noted that Inslaw did not sign its implementation contract until March 1982 and did not produce an enhanced version to DOJ until April 20, 1983, and that "it would have been physically impossible for anybody from DOJ to produce anything but a public domain version of PROMIS in November 1981."[^22]
The Bua report called him "a totally unreliable witness in connection with the allegations he has made about the alleged theft of PROMIS software," and wrote that his "story about PROMIS reminds us of a historical novel; a tale of total fiction woven against the background of accurate historical facts."[^18] The report listed other claims for which it "came across no credible witness who could confirm any of this": work with the CIA, a radio detonator device used to overthrow the Allende government in Chile, patents on revolutionary devices, recovery of computer data from computers damaged in the overthrow of the Shah, handling of the October Surprise payments, and persuading organized crime members associated with Tony Accardo not to commit a murder. It also stated that "Most people who know Riconosciuto told us that he displays a high degree of familiarity with scientific and technical concepts," that NCIC records indicated burglary and bail jumping convictions from the early 1970s, and that during the almost year he was out of prison after his first call to the Hamiltons he never produced the 1099 forms, the photographs of him with Brian in Iran, or the version of PROMIS he said he would give them.[^19] The report states that Riconosciuto said [[Wayne Reeder]] arrived at the September 1981 demonstration with Brian. A 1991 Riverside County investigator's report that named Brian was prepared from Riconosciuto's jail interview and from license-plate records supplied by a former Indio officer. The Bua report found that the registration notes referred only to Reeder.[^20]
The Bua report called him "a totally unreliable witness in connection with the allegations he has made about the alleged theft of PROMIS software," and wrote that his "story about PROMIS reminds us of a historical novel; a tale of total fiction woven against the background of accurate historical facts."[^23] The report listed other claims for which it "came across no credible witness who could confirm any of this": work with the CIA, a radio detonator device used to overthrow the Allende government in Chile, patents on revolutionary devices, recovery of computer data from computers damaged in the overthrow of the Shah, handling of the October Surprise payments, and persuading organized crime members associated with Tony Accardo not to commit a murder. It also stated that "Most people who know Riconosciuto told us that he displays a high degree of familiarity with scientific and technical concepts," that NCIC records indicated burglary and bail jumping convictions from the early 1970s, and that during the almost year he was out of prison after his first call to the Hamiltons he never produced the 1099 forms, the photographs of him with Brian in Iran, or the version of PROMIS he said he would give them.[^24] The report states that Riconosciuto said [[Wayne Reeder]] arrived at the September 1981 demonstration with Brian. A 1991 Riverside County investigator's report that named Brian was prepared from Riconosciuto's jail interview and from license-plate records supplied by a former Indio officer. The Bua report found that the registration notes referred only to Reeder.[^25]
The House committee wrote that Riconosciuto "could not provide evidence other than his eyewitness account" of Brian's involvement in the PROMIS conversion at the reservation, that Brian "flatly contradicts" the claims in his own sworn statement, and that the committee was "not in a position to make findings of fact on Dr. Brian's role" but "would strongly recommend that further investigation be given" to it. In a footnote the committee recorded that a Riverside County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Report of October 10, 1991 placed Brian, with Riconosciuto and others, at the weapons demonstration at the Lake Cahuilla gun range in Indio on the evening of September 10, 1981, and that Welmas was quoted in the Washington Business Journal of March 30, 1992 as saying, "Brian must have been involved. His name was mentioned and discussed on a daily basis."[^21]
The House committee wrote that Riconosciuto "could not provide evidence other than his eyewitness account" of Brian's involvement in the PROMIS conversion at the reservation, that Brian "flatly contradicts" the claims in his own sworn statement, and that the committee was "not in a position to make findings of fact on Dr. Brian's role" but "would strongly recommend that further investigation be given" to it. In a footnote the committee recorded that a Riverside County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Report of October 10, 1991 placed Brian, with Riconosciuto and others, at the weapons demonstration at the Lake Cahuilla gun range in Indio on the evening of September 10, 1981, and that Welmas was quoted in the Washington Business Journal of March 30, 1992 as saying, "Brian must have been involved. His name was mentioned and discussed on a daily basis."[^26]
### The 1991 affidavit, arrest and congressional interview
The affidavit describes a February 1991 telephone call in which Videnieks told Riconosciuto that it would be beneficial to refuse a committee request for an interview. It also says that if he cooperated, he would be punished, with the indictment of Riconosciuto for savings and loan fraud and perjury among the punishments.[^22] Bua reports that Brian and Videnieks each "categorically and under oath denied" the allegations, and that both said they had never met Riconosciuto or each other and had never been to Indio. The report stated: "We found both men to be credible witnesses, both in their demeanor and in the substance of their statements."[^23]
The affidavit describes a February 1991 telephone call in which Videnieks told Riconosciuto that it would be beneficial to refuse a committee request for an interview. It also says that if he cooperated, he would be punished, with the indictment of Riconosciuto for savings and loan fraud and perjury among the punishments.[^27] Bua reports that Brian and Videnieks each "categorically and under oath denied" the allegations, and that both said they had never met Riconosciuto or each other and had never been to Indio. The report stated: "We found both men to be credible witnesses, both in their demeanor and in the substance of their statements."[^28]
On March 21, 1991, Riconosciuto signed the affidavit for the Hamiltons, for use in INSLAW's bankruptcy adversary proceeding. On March 29, 1991, eight days later, DEA special agents arrested him on drug charges.[^24] A DEA agent's affidavit in the drug case, held on the archive.org item USAV.MichaelRiconosciuto, describes recorded deliveries of methamphetamine and methadone to a confidential informant beginning in February 1991, and surveillance of a residence at Lakebay, Washington, on March 29, 1991.[^25] The House report states that the Department of Justice proposed a courthouse in Seattle for the interview, and that the Department's attorney refused to give a sworn assurance that the interview would not be monitored or recorded. It also says the Department refused the committee's request to interview the DEA arresting agents, citing the ongoing prosecution, and refused access to its investigative files on him.[^24] The committee wrote that the timing of the arrest, coupled with Riconosciuto's allegation that tapes of a telephone conversation with Videnieks had been confiscated by DEA agents, "raises serious questions concerning whether the Department's prosecution of Mr. Riconosciuto was related to his cooperation with the committee." The same passage states that the arrest "diminishes his credibility as a witness," and that the committee "received sworn testimony and recovered documents which support aspects of Mr. Riconosciuto's story," tying Riconosciuto, Brian and Robert Booth Nichols to U.S. intelligence agencies and, in Nichols's case, possibly to organized crime.[^24]
On March 21, 1991, Riconosciuto signed the affidavit for the Hamiltons, for use in INSLAW's bankruptcy adversary proceeding. On March 29, 1991, eight days later, DEA special agents arrested him on drug charges.[^29] A DEA agent's affidavit in the drug case, held on the archive.org item USAV.MichaelRiconosciuto, describes recorded deliveries of methamphetamine and methadone to a confidential informant beginning in February 1991, and surveillance of a residence at Lakebay, Washington, on March 29, 1991.[^30] The House report states that the Department of Justice proposed a courthouse in Seattle for the interview, and that the Department's attorney refused to give a sworn assurance that the interview would not be monitored or recorded. It also says the Department refused the committee's request to interview the DEA arresting agents, citing the ongoing prosecution, and refused access to its investigative files on him.[^29] The committee wrote that the timing of the arrest, coupled with Riconosciuto's allegation that tapes of a telephone conversation with Videnieks had been confiscated by DEA agents, "raises serious questions concerning whether the Department's prosecution of Mr. Riconosciuto was related to his cooperation with the committee." The same passage states that the arrest "diminishes his credibility as a witness," and that the committee "received sworn testimony and recovered documents which support aspects of Mr. Riconosciuto's story," tying Riconosciuto, Brian and Robert Booth Nichols to U.S. intelligence agencies and, in Nichols's case, possibly to organized crime.[^29]
The Bua report addressed the arrest directly. It stated, "We are convinced beyond all doubt that there was absolutely no connection between Riconosciuto's prosecution and his allegations in the Inslaw matter." It described the case as beginning as a local Washington State drug investigation in which a small-time methamphetamine dealer cooperated with police, with the Seattle office of the DEA brought in after the supplier was found to be distributing on a large scale. It states that DEA recorded Riconosciuto delivering methamphetamine on videotape on more than one occasion, that he ran a large methamphetamine lab at the property where he lived, and that the trial judge commented at sentencing that he was "not sure whether Riconosciuto could tell fact from fiction."[^26] The report records Riconosciuto's testimony that the case was a set up, that the DEA had altered the videotapes, that the government had altered telephone records, and that his lab was only for mining metals.[^26] The Associated Press reported at the opening of the trial that his lawyer said the chemicals found at the property near Tonasket in Okanogan County were used to extract platinum from mining wastes, that the defense would offer expert testimony that recordings can be altered, and that former Attorney General [[Elliot Richardson]], counsel to Inslaw, and Hamilton were expected defense witnesses.[^27]
The Bua report addressed the arrest directly. It stated, "We are convinced beyond all doubt that there was absolutely no connection between Riconosciuto's prosecution and his allegations in the Inslaw matter." It described the case as beginning as a local Washington State drug investigation in which a small-time methamphetamine dealer cooperated with police, with the Seattle office of the DEA brought in after the supplier was found to be distributing on a large scale. It states that DEA recorded Riconosciuto delivering methamphetamine on videotape on more than one occasion, that he ran a large methamphetamine lab at the property where he lived, and that the trial judge commented at sentencing that he was "not sure whether Riconosciuto could tell fact from fiction."[^31] The report records Riconosciuto's testimony that the case was a set up, that the DEA had altered the videotapes, that the government had altered telephone records, and that his lab was only for mining metals.[^31] The Associated Press reported at the opening of the trial that his lawyer said the chemicals found at the property near Tonasket in Okanogan County were used to extract platinum from mining wastes, that the defense would offer expert testimony that recordings can be altered, and that former Attorney General [[Elliot Richardson]], counsel to Inslaw, and Hamilton were expected defense witnesses.[^32]
### Trial and sentence, 1992
At his trial in federal court in Tacoma in January 1992, Riconosciuto's defense was that he was being framed on the drug charges as punishment for his testimony about PROMIS. He testified at length about PROMIS and said he had supervised a lead programmer and programming teams working in a mobile trailer behind the Cabazon casino.[^28] He testified that in February 1991 he received a message from someone named Peter telling him to be at a restaurant wearing a yellow shirt, that the people there were unknown to him except for one man he recognized as "Norm," that they placed a call and handed him the phone, and that one of them said, "It's no wonder, this is Videnieks." He testified that Videnieks told him he "was making some people nervous" and that there might be problems for him in connection with a savings and loan matter. Asked on direct examination how many times he had met Videnieks he answered "At least a dozen occasions," and that the first place was "In Indio, California." He also testified that the DEA had seized two copies of his tape of the February call and that he was "not sure" where the original was.[^28]
At his trial in federal court in Tacoma in January 1992, Riconosciuto's defense was that he was being framed on the drug charges as punishment for his testimony about PROMIS. He testified at length about PROMIS and said he had supervised a lead programmer and programming teams working in a mobile trailer behind the Cabazon casino.[^33] He testified that in February 1991 he received a message from someone named Peter telling him to be at a restaurant wearing a yellow shirt, that the people there were unknown to him except for one man he recognized as "Norm," that they placed a call and handed him the phone, and that one of them said, "It's no wonder, this is Videnieks." He testified that Videnieks told him he "was making some people nervous" and that there might be problems for him in connection with a savings and loan matter. Asked on direct examination how many times he had met Videnieks he answered "At least a dozen occasions," and that the first place was "In Indio, California." He also testified that the DEA had seized two copies of his tape of the February call and that he was "not sure" where the original was.[^33]
On January 19, 1992, the Associated Press reported that a jury had convicted Riconosciuto, then 44, on seven drug counts: possession of more than 100 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, and two counts of distributing methadone. He was acquitted on three other counts. The AP reported a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and quoted assistant U.S. attorney Mark Bartlett as saying, "We're very happy." Riconosciuto and his lawyer, [[Thomas Olmstead]], branded four videotapes as fake, and the videotapes showed drugs being delivered to a government informer. The charges covered November 1989 to April 1991.[^29] The AP also reported that two of the videotapes showed a man who appeared to be Riconosciuto accepting 5,000 dollars in marked bills from an informer in a kitchen at Lakebay on the Kitsap Peninsula, that agents testified he was arrested with the bills and that his wallet held a 100 dollar bill from an earlier marked delivery, that one of his fingerprints was on a mug in a tape, that the defense called no witnesses, and that Judge Bryan had denied a defense motion for a mistrial based on a claim that one tape shown to the jury was stolen from Riconosciuto in 1989.[^29] The Bua report records that the trial judge sentenced Riconosciuto to 360 months, "the lowest available sentence under the applicable sentencing guidelines."[^28]
On January 19, 1992, the Associated Press reported that a jury had convicted Riconosciuto, then 44, on seven drug counts: possession of more than 100 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, and two counts of distributing methadone. He was acquitted on three other counts. The AP reported a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and quoted assistant U.S. attorney Mark Bartlett as saying, "We're very happy." Riconosciuto and his lawyer, [[Thomas Olmstead]], branded four videotapes as fake, and the videotapes showed drugs being delivered to a government informer. The charges covered November 1989 to April 1991.[^34] The AP also reported that two of the videotapes showed a man who appeared to be Riconosciuto accepting 5,000 dollars in marked bills from an informer in a kitchen at Lakebay on the Kitsap Peninsula, that agents testified he was arrested with the bills and that his wallet held a 100 dollar bill from an earlier marked delivery, that one of his fingerprints was on a mug in a tape, that the defense called no witnesses, and that Judge Bryan had denied a defense motion for a mistrial based on a claim that one tape shown to the jury was stolen from Riconosciuto in 1989.[^34] The Bua report records that the trial judge sentenced Riconosciuto to 360 months, "the lowest available sentence under the applicable sentencing guidelines."[^33]
The Bua report also records that Riconosciuto, with two others, filed a lawsuit challenging the authority of the investigation. It says the lawsuit alleged, among other things, that Bua was involved in organized crime murders and that one of the FBI agents assigned to the case had murdered Danny Casolaro. The report states that the district court dismissed the suit as patently frivolous, in [[Riconosciuto v. Bua]], No. 92 C 6217 (N.D. Ill.).[^30]
The Bua report also records that Riconosciuto, with two others, filed a lawsuit challenging the authority of the investigation. It says the lawsuit alleged, among other things, that Bua was involved in organized crime murders and that one of the FBI agents assigned to the case had murdered Danny Casolaro. The report states that the district court dismissed the suit as patently frivolous, in [[Riconosciuto v. Bua]], No. 92 C 6217 (N.D. Ill.).[^35]
The federal drug case is docketed as United States v. Riconosciuto, No. 3:91-cr-01034, in the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Washington|Western District of Washington]], filed April 1, 1991. A judgment on revocation (Doc. 220) was filed on August 18, 2017.[^36] In a 1997 hearing officer's report in the INSLAW congressional reference proceeding, Hearing Officer Miller described Riconosciuto as "convicted of manufacturing and selling methamphetamine" while discussing the confidential sources that Bill Hamilton had relied on.[^37]
### Appeals and later cases
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence in an unpublished memorandum decided October 27, 1993. The appeal challenged the admission of evidence from searches conducted without warrants, the government's destruction of evidence, and the drug quantity used at sentencing. The memorandum describes searches of his property outside Tonasket, Washington, in early April 1993, and of a shack in Home, Washington, on April 10, 1993.[^31]
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence in an unpublished memorandum decided October 27, 1993. The appeal challenged the admission of evidence from searches conducted without warrants, the government's destruction of evidence, and the drug quantity used at sentencing. The memorandum describes searches of his property outside Tonasket, Washington, in early April 1993, and of a shack in Home, Washington, on April 10, 1993.[^38]
The Bua report states that Riconosciuto "was involved with hallucinogenic drugs at least as far back as 1972, when he was convicted on a PCP charge," and that in that case his defense was that someone had planted the PCP on him.[^32] Separately, the Court of Appeals of Washington affirmed a grand larceny conviction against him in December 1974. The opinion records his contention that a federal investigation of an alleged conspiracy to manufacture drugs involving him was underway.[^33]
The Bua report states that Riconosciuto "was involved with hallucinogenic drugs at least as far back as 1972, when he was convicted on a PCP charge," and that in that case his defense was that someone had planted the PCP on him.[^39] Separately, the Court of Appeals of Washington affirmed a grand larceny conviction against him in December 1974. The opinion records his contention that a federal investigation of an alleged conspiracy to manufacture drugs involving him was underway.[^40]
In a news release of September 27, 1994 announcing the Department's review of the Bua report, the Department of Justice stated that two primary sources relied on by INSLAW "were not credible: Michael Riconosciuto, currently serving a 30-year sentence on methamphetamine charges, and Ari Ben-Menashe."[^34]
In a news release of September 27, 1994 announcing the Department's review of the Bua report, the Department of Justice stated that two primary sources relied on by INSLAW "were not credible: Michael Riconosciuto, currently serving a 30-year sentence on methamphetamine charges, and Ari Ben-Menashe."[^41]
In 2017 Riconosciuto filed a federal habeas petition in the Central District of California against the warden and the U.S. Probation and Parole office. Judge John A. Kronstadt dismissed the petition for lack of jurisdiction on February 16, 2017.[^35]
In 2017 Riconosciuto filed a federal habeas petition in the Central District of California against the warden and the U.S. Probation and Parole office. Judge John A. Kronstadt dismissed the petition for lack of jurisdiction on February 16, 2017.[^42]
### Nichols, Casolaro and the Octopus
@ -144,15 +157,15 @@ He also claimed participation in a [[National Security Council|NSC]]-sanctioned
Riconosciuto claimed to have handled gold transfers, money laundering, "virtual dead drops," and altered ACH daily reconciliations for underworld figures, including Robert Booth Nichols, [[Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela|Gilbert Rodriguez]], and [[Jose Santacruz Londono]] of the Cali Drug Cartel. He sought to provide this information to [[Financial Crimes Enforcement Network|FinCEN]] in exchange for witness protection.[^1]
Regarding the [[October Surprise]], Riconosciuto claimed that he and Brian traveled to [[Iran]] in 1980 and paid $40 million to Iranian officials to delay the release of U.S. hostages until after [[Ronald Reagan]]'s inauguration. The Bua report found no credible evidence for that trip and states that Brian's office records placed him in New York on September 10, 1981.[^36] Seymour wrote that the claim created what Riconosciuto described as a "domino effect" in Washington and generated additional investigations and media attention.[^1]
Regarding the [[October Surprise]], Riconosciuto claimed that he and Brian traveled to [[Iran]] in 1980 and paid $40 million to Iranian officials to delay the release of U.S. hostages until after [[Ronald Reagan]]'s inauguration. The Bua report found no credible evidence for that trip and states that Brian's office records placed him in New York on September 10, 1981.[^43] Seymour wrote that the claim created what Riconosciuto described as a "domino effect" in Washington and generated additional investigations and media attention.[^1]
Riconosciuto claimed to have been in direct communication with [[Michael Hand]], co-founder of [[Nugan Hand Bank]], before and after Hand's disappearance, and handled money transfers for Hand when he fled [[Australia]].[^1]
Beyond PROMIS, Riconosciuto was involved in advanced technological projects, including theoretical work on railguns for the U.S. Army, and research into "energy transfer phenomena" with [[William Frash]] and [[Patrick Moriarty]], his father's business partner, aiming to develop technology that would "supercede all existing world patents in the field."[^1] At trial he testified that his group ran a pilot plant at its facility in [[Hercules, California]], and that the work included [[Hercules Research]].[^37] [[Harry Fair|Dr. Harry Fair]] of Picatinny Arsenal described him as a "potential national resource" after a May 1981 railgun blackboard exercise.[^1] In the 1984 Gunderson interview Riconosciuto said Hercules Research began with scrap and residue platinum catalyst left in an acid plant at Hercules, from which he said the group generated 130,000 dollars, and that it then worked tailings piles in the northern Sacramento River area to recover platinum group metals; he described a project at Hercules he called the "Special Project" as a direct energy related weapons project based on Interprobe technology and technology developed at Hercules Research.[^38]
Beyond PROMIS, Riconosciuto was involved in advanced technological projects, including theoretical work on railguns for the U.S. Army, and research into "energy transfer phenomena" with [[William Frash]] and [[Patrick Moriarty]], his father's business partner, aiming to develop technology that would "supercede all existing world patents in the field."[^1] At trial he testified that his group ran a pilot plant at its facility in [[Hercules, California]], and that the work included [[Hercules Research]].[^44] [[Harry Fair|Dr. Harry Fair]] of Picatinny Arsenal described him as a "potential national resource" after a May 1981 railgun blackboard exercise.[^1] In the 1984 Gunderson interview Riconosciuto said Hercules Research began with scrap and residue platinum catalyst left in an acid plant at Hercules, from which he said the group generated 130,000 dollars, and that it then worked tailings piles in the northern Sacramento River area to recover platinum group metals; he described a project at Hercules he called the "Special Project" as a direct energy related weapons project based on Interprobe technology and technology developed at Hercules Research.[^45]
### Clearances and the Aquino question
In an undated transcript of an interview with Gunderson (the interviewer is initialed "T.G."), the speaker, initialed "M.R.," discusses members of the Church of Set and of [[Michael Aquino]]'s circle. He says that the reaction to Aquino he received from "Dr. Malkin" was "Well, his clearance isn't all that high."[^39] In the same passage the speaker says that nearly everyone in Aquino's group was psy-ops or intelligence related.[^39] The transcript's cover line begins with the name "Michael," and the first notes in the file are headed "NOTES OF PHONE CONV. 12/29/87." Records found do not establish whether "Dr. Malkin" is [[Myron S. Malkin]], the former NASA Space Shuttle director and former Defense Department official, whose name appears in an undated (year not printed) Cabazon Arms letter.[^40]
In an undated transcript of an interview with Gunderson (the interviewer is initialed "T.G."), the speaker, initialed "M.R.," discusses members of the Church of Set and of [[Michael Aquino]]'s circle. He says that the reaction to Aquino he received from "Dr. Malkin" was "Well, his clearance isn't all that high."[^46] In the same passage the speaker says that nearly everyone in Aquino's group was psy-ops or intelligence related.[^46] The transcript's cover line begins with the name "Michael," and the first notes in the file are headed "NOTES OF PHONE CONV. 12/29/87." Records found do not establish whether "Dr. Malkin" is [[Myron S. Malkin]], the former NASA Space Shuttle director and former Defense Department official, whose name appears in an undated (year not printed) Cabazon Arms letter.[^47]
### Witness protection attempts
@ -173,30 +186,37 @@ Following his arrest, Riconosciuto attempted multiple times to trade information
[^11]: John Connolly, "Inside the Shadow CIA," *Spy*, September 1992, pp. 46 to 54. The bracketed description of Ammarell is the magazine's. https://www.prop1.org/legal/prisons/92wack.htm
[^12]: Unsigned, undated letter, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Correspondence," beginning "The cooperation I have received from the Wackenhut Corporation." The spelling "Amarell" is as printed in the letter. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^13]: Bua report, printed pp. 59 to 60 (Welmas and his wife; Cross; Nichols's denial and the "motive" passage, quoting "everything Nichols told us was consistent with the great weight of the evidence we obtained from other sources"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^14]: Bua report, printed pp. 42 to 43 (the four accurately recorded statements, one in the Hamiltons' notes; the May 18, 1990 call and the Iran and Wackenhut Research claims; "the key witness against Brian"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it, summarizing the Hamiltons' memoranda. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^15]: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, *The INSLAW Affair: Investigative Report*, H. Rept. 102-857, 102d Cong., 2d sess., September 10, 1992, "2. Sworn Statement of Michael Riconosciuto," pp. 50 to 52 (the affidavit and tape statements on p. 51; the luncheon statement in n. 131 and the storage-facility and GAO passages on p. 52), as the committee summarized the April 4, 1991 sworn statement. The committee also described him as "a self-described computer expert who in the past has been involved with contract computer and munitions work for U.S. intelligence agencies," brought to its attention in June 1990 (p. 50). Official findings and committee summaries of a witness's statements. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^16]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, p. 52 and nn. 131 to 135, citing the General Accounting Office report of November 12, 1991 and the follow-up report of March 23, 1992 on the Riconosciuto media. Official findings as reported by the committee. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^17]: Bua report, printed pp. 49 to 51 (affidavit and trial inconsistencies; the affidavit's "1983 and 1984" statement; the trial testimony of "late 1981" to "early 1983"; the April 20, 1983 delivery and March 1982 contract). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^18]: Bua report, printed p. 73 (conclusion). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^19]: Bua report, printed pp. 70 to 73 (the list of unconfirmed claims, the 1099 forms and photographs, NCIC records, "high degree of familiarity with scientific and technical concepts"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^20]: Bua report, printed pp. 62 to 63 (the Gilbert report and Baird's registration notes) and p. 66 (Reeder and Westley). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^21]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, section "2. Possible Connection Between Earl Brian, Michael Riconosciuto, Robert Booth Nichols and the Cabazon Indian Reservation," pp. 72 to 73 and nn. 218 to 222, citing the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Report of October 10, 1991, pp. 2 to 4, and the *Washington Business Journal*, March 30, 1992. Official findings of the committee. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^22]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, p. 51 and n. 126 (affidavit paragraph on the February 1991 call), and Bua report, printed p. 46 (punishments in the affidavit, including the savings and loan and perjury indictments). Official summaries of a witness's sworn claims. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^23]: Bua report, printed pp. 53 to 54 (Brian and Videnieks, "categorically and under oath denied all the allegations made by Riconosciuto about them"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^24]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, "D. Department Interferes With Michael Riconosciuto's Sworn Statement to the Committee," pp. 100 to 101 (arrest of March 29, 1991; attorney John Rosellini; the courthouse proposal; the refusal of a sworn non-monitoring statement; the refusal to interview the DEA agents; the timing quotation). Official findings of the committee, placed as its position. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^25]: Affidavit of a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in *United States v. Michael James Riconosciuto*, federal court, Washington, 1991, nine pages, archive.org item USAV.MichaelRiconosciuto. https://archive.org/details/USAV.MichaelRiconosciuto. Only the dates and places stated above are drawn from the document.
[^26]: Bua report, printed pp. 66 to 68 ("We are convinced beyond all doubt"; DEA videotapes; the lab; "not sure whether Riconosciuto could tell fact from fiction"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^27]: Associated Press, "Defendant Says Government Drug Charges Are Part Of Vendetta," January 2, 1992, Seattle Times archive. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920102/1468169/defendant-says-government-drug-charges-are-part-of-vendetta
[^28]: Bua report, printed pp. 47 to 48 and 53 (trial testimony on PROMIS, the trailer, the yellow shirt and "It's no wonder, this is Videnieks," the tape and "not sure"; the meetings with Videnieks, printed p. 53; sentence of 360 months, "the lowest available sentence under the applicable sentencing guidelines"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^29]: Associated Press, "Jury Says Guilty," January 19, 1992, Seattle Times archive (the headline continues with the claim of a frame-up and the 20-year term). https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920119/1471110/jury-says-guilty
[^30]: Bua report, printed p. 69 (the lawsuit, Riconosciuto v. Bua, No. 92 C 6217 (N.D. Ill.), dismissed as patently frivolous). The allegations are as the report describes them. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^31]: *United States v. Riconosciuto*, No. 92-30200 (9th Cir. October 27, 1993) (unpublished memorandum; submitted August 31, 1993), reported at 9 F.3d 1555. The memorandum is not precedential and affirms the judgment. https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/009/9.F3d.1555.92-30200.html
[^32]: Bua report, printed pp. 68 and 71 to 72 (PCP charge in the early 1970s; "at least as far back as 1972, when he was convicted on a PCP charge"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^33]: *State v. Riconosciuto*, 12 Wash. App. 350, 529 P.2d 1134 (Wash. Ct. App., Div. One, December 23, 1974), No. 2623-1, judgment affirmed. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1172527/state-v-riconosciuto/
[^34]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, news release of September 27, 1994 on the review of the Bua report in the INSLAW matter. Official position of the Department. https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/Pre_96/September94/555.txt.html
[^35]: *Riconosciuto v. Langford*, No. 2:17-cv-01088-JAK-AJW (C.D. Cal.), judgment of February 16, 2017, dismissing the petition for a writ of habeas corpus for lack of jurisdiction; respondents the warden and U.S. Probation and Parole. https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.cacd.670148
[^36]: Bua report, printed pp. 40 to 41 (no credible evidence on the Iran hostage allegations) and p. 66 (Brian's New York office and expense records for September 10, 1981). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^37]: Bua report, printed p. 53 (Riconosciuto's trial testimony on the pilot plant in Hercules, California, Hercules Research and the Interprobe joint venture). Testimony as the report summarizes it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^38]: Gunderson interview transcripts, Danny Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516), archive.org item casolaro-notebooks (the Hercules Research, platinum catalyst and "Special Project" passages). https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. The speaker's own account.
[^39]: Ted Gunderson and Michael Riconosciuto interview notes, file "Folder 7 Acc5516," archive.org item casolaro-notebooks. Undated passage. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks.
[^40]: Letter over the name of Arthur Welmas, headed "CABAZON INDIAN SECURITY /WSI JOINT VENTURE," Indio, California, dated "May 1" (year not printed), Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Correspondence." https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^14]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, pp. 344-345, reproducing Riconosciuto's statement of February 16, 1984.
[^15]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, p. 340.
[^16]: Transcript of a recorded interview of Michael Riconosciuto by Ted Gunderson, Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516). https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^17]: INSLAW, Inc., Memorandum to the Record, July 18, 1990, pp. 7-8, Casolaro papers. https://archive.org/details/ddosecrets_casolaro_files
[^18]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, pp. 404-405.
[^19]: Bua report, printed pp. 42 to 43 (the four accurately recorded statements, one in the Hamiltons' notes; the May 18, 1990 call and the Iran and Wackenhut Research claims; "the key witness against Brian"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it, summarizing the Hamiltons' memoranda. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^20]: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, *The INSLAW Affair: Investigative Report*, H. Rept. 102-857, 102d Cong., 2d sess., September 10, 1992, "2. Sworn Statement of Michael Riconosciuto," pp. 50 to 52 (the affidavit and tape statements on p. 51; the luncheon statement in n. 131 and the storage-facility and GAO passages on p. 52), as the committee summarized the April 4, 1991 sworn statement. The committee also described him as "a self-described computer expert who in the past has been involved with contract computer and munitions work for U.S. intelligence agencies," brought to its attention in June 1990 (p. 50). Official findings and committee summaries of a witness's statements. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^21]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, p. 52 and nn. 131 to 135, citing the General Accounting Office report of November 12, 1991 and the follow-up report of March 23, 1992 on the Riconosciuto media. Official findings as reported by the committee. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^22]: Bua report, printed pp. 49 to 51 (affidavit and trial inconsistencies; the affidavit's "1983 and 1984" statement; the trial testimony of "late 1981" to "early 1983"; the April 20, 1983 delivery and March 1982 contract). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^23]: Bua report, printed p. 73 (conclusion). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^24]: Bua report, printed pp. 70 to 73 (the list of unconfirmed claims, the 1099 forms and photographs, NCIC records, "high degree of familiarity with scientific and technical concepts"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^25]: Bua report, printed pp. 62 to 63 (the Gilbert report and Baird's registration notes) and p. 66 (Reeder and Westley). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^26]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, section "2. Possible Connection Between Earl Brian, Michael Riconosciuto, Robert Booth Nichols and the Cabazon Indian Reservation," pp. 72 to 73 and nn. 218 to 222, citing the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Report of October 10, 1991, pp. 2 to 4, and the *Washington Business Journal*, March 30, 1992. Official findings of the committee. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^27]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, p. 51 and n. 126 (affidavit paragraph on the February 1991 call), and Bua report, printed p. 46 (punishments in the affidavit, including the savings and loan and perjury indictments). Official summaries of a witness's sworn claims. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^28]: Bua report, printed pp. 53 to 54 (Brian and Videnieks, "categorically and under oath denied all the allegations made by Riconosciuto about them"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^29]: U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, "D. Department Interferes With Michael Riconosciuto's Sworn Statement to the Committee," pp. 100 to 101 (arrest of March 29, 1991; attorney John Rosellini; the courthouse proposal; the refusal of a sworn non-monitoring statement; the refusal to interview the DEA agents; the timing quotation). Official findings of the committee, placed as its position. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^30]: Affidavit of a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in *United States v. Michael James Riconosciuto*, federal court, Washington, 1991, nine pages, archive.org item USAV.MichaelRiconosciuto. https://archive.org/details/USAV.MichaelRiconosciuto. Only the dates and places stated above are drawn from the document.
[^31]: Bua report, printed pp. 66 to 68 ("We are convinced beyond all doubt"; DEA videotapes; the lab; "not sure whether Riconosciuto could tell fact from fiction"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^32]: Associated Press, "Defendant Says Government Drug Charges Are Part Of Vendetta," January 2, 1992, Seattle Times archive. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920102/1468169/defendant-says-government-drug-charges-are-part-of-vendetta
[^33]: Bua report, printed pp. 47 to 48 and 53 (trial testimony on PROMIS, the trailer, the yellow shirt and "It's no wonder, this is Videnieks," the tape and "not sure"; the meetings with Videnieks, printed p. 53; sentence of 360 months, "the lowest available sentence under the applicable sentencing guidelines"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^34]: Associated Press, "Jury Says Guilty," January 19, 1992, Seattle Times archive (the headline continues with the claim of a frame-up and the 20-year term). https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920119/1471110/jury-says-guilty
[^35]: Bua report, printed p. 69 (the lawsuit, Riconosciuto v. Bua, No. 92 C 6217 (N.D. Ill.), dismissed as patently frivolous). The allegations are as the report describes them. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^36]: United States v. Riconosciuto, No. 3:91-cr-01034 (W.D. Wash.), docket record filed April 1, 1991, including Doc. 220, judgment on revocation filed August 18, 2017. CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6144038/united-states-v-riconosciuto/
[^37]: INSLAW, Inc. v. United States, 39 Fed. Cl. 307 (1997), congressional reference proceeding, hearing officer's report (Miller, H.O.). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/6763932/inslaw-inc-v-united-states/
[^38]: *United States v. Riconosciuto*, No. 92-30200 (9th Cir. October 27, 1993) (unpublished memorandum; submitted August 31, 1993), reported at 9 F.3d 1555. The memorandum is not precedential and affirms the judgment. https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/009/9.F3d.1555.92-30200.html
[^39]: Bua report, printed pp. 68 and 71 to 72 (PCP charge in the early 1970s; "at least as far back as 1972, when he was convicted on a PCP charge"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^40]: *State v. Riconosciuto*, 12 Wash. App. 350, 529 P.2d 1134 (Wash. Ct. App., Div. One, December 23, 1974), No. 2623-1, judgment affirmed. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1172527/state-v-riconosciuto/
[^41]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, news release of September 27, 1994 on the review of the Bua report in the INSLAW matter. Official position of the Department. https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/Pre_96/September94/555.txt.html
[^42]: *Riconosciuto v. Langford*, No. 2:17-cv-01088-JAK-AJW (C.D. Cal.), judgment of February 16, 2017, dismissing the petition for a writ of habeas corpus for lack of jurisdiction; respondents the warden and U.S. Probation and Parole. https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.cacd.670148
[^43]: Bua report, printed pp. 40 to 41 (no credible evidence on the Iran hostage allegations) and p. 66 (Brian's New York office and expense records for September 10, 1981). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^44]: Bua report, printed p. 53 (Riconosciuto's trial testimony on the pilot plant in Hercules, California, Hercules Research and the Interprobe joint venture). Testimony as the report summarizes it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^45]: Gunderson interview transcripts, Danny Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516), archive.org item casolaro-notebooks (the Hercules Research, platinum catalyst and "Special Project" passages). https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. The speaker's own account.
[^46]: Ted Gunderson and Michael Riconosciuto interview notes, file "Folder 7 Acc5516," archive.org item casolaro-notebooks. Undated passage. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks.
[^47]: Letter over the name of Arthur Welmas, headed "CABAZON INDIAN SECURITY /WSI JOINT VENTURE," Indio, California, dated "May 1" (year not printed), Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Correspondence." https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks

10
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Robert Booth Nichols.md
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@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ relations:
role: "director, senior vice president, chairman of the investment committee, per Seymour"
fn: 4
created: 2024-04-25
updated: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Robert Booth Nichols was born in the [[United States]] on March 3, 1943.[^1] He was a principal source for the journalist [[Danny Casolaro]] in the investigation Casolaro called [[The Octopus]], and the subject of a [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] organized-crime investigation from 1987.[^2][^3]
@ -66,9 +66,11 @@ Nichols testified in 1993, in his suit against the Los Angeles Police Department
Telephone records show that Casolaro and Nichols "spoke regularly and at length" in the last months of Casolaro's life, and the two had dinner at a restaurant in Virginia in the early summer of 1991. Nichols told committee investigators he had been "a sounding board" for Casolaro and would not give a sworn statement.[^3] On September 30, 1991, he told Detective Sergeant Swartwood of the Martinsburg police that he thought Casolaro had been murdered and that Riconosciuto "was probably involved in some way." Bua's report noted a January 1993 *Spy* article suggesting that Nichols had Casolaro killed for fear of being exposed as a would-be FBI informant against the Mafia, and found "no evidence that he had anything to do with Mr. Casolaro's death. Furthermore, he was in London on the day that Mr. Casolaro died."[^8] According to Seymour, Nichols had warned Casolaro to drop the investigation and went to Martinsburg to press him in person, Casolaro had confronted him shortly before his death about [[Michael Abbell]] and the Cali cartel, and Nichols later wrote a manuscript, "Danny Casolaro's Octopus."[^4]
In a telephone interview with the FBI on January 11, 1994, Nichols said that when Casolaro drove him to [[Dulles International Airport]] in the summer of 1991, Casolaro was on the telephone there with [[Joseph Cuellar]], trying to have Cuellar introduce him to Peter Videnieks. Nichols also said that Casolaro described his first meeting with Cuellar as strange, because Cuellar had initiated the conversation at a bar in Northern Virginia.[^11] The 1994 Justice Department review states that Casolaro met Cuellar "by chance" at "The Sign of the Whale" in Arlington, Virginia, and that Cuellar had gone there to meet friends celebrating his return from [[Operation Desert Storm]].[^12]
### The Bayou Fee
In the spring of 2004 Nichols offered [[Samuel Israel III]], manager of the Bayou hedge funds, access to what British investigators later described as programs with "all of the hallmarks of fraudulent prime bank note programs." After more than 150 million dollars of Bayou money passed through a London account of the "Humanitarian Coalition Aid Foundation" and back in April 2004, Nichols and Israel signed a "Financial and Security Consultancy Agreement" on July 11, 2004, and on July 19 Israel wired ten million dollars to accounts in Germany, Liechtenstein, Singapore and the [[United Kingdom]] in the name of or controlled by Nichols, about eight million of which ended in a London account in the names of Nichols and his wife, Ellen. The Bayou funds' liquidating entity sued the couple in 2008 to recover the fee as a fraudulent transfer; they answered that he had received it "for value, in good faith and without knowledge of the alleged voidability of the transfer." Nichols was deposed on video at the [[U.S. Attorney's office]] in Manhattan on December 16, 2008, and the case was closed on April 28, 2010.[^1][^11] At the time his address was in Honolulu.[^1]
In the spring of 2004 Nichols offered [[Samuel Israel III]], manager of the Bayou hedge funds, access to what British investigators later described as programs with "all of the hallmarks of fraudulent prime bank note programs." After more than 150 million dollars of Bayou money passed through a London account of the "Humanitarian Coalition Aid Foundation" and back in April 2004, Nichols and Israel signed a "Financial and Security Consultancy Agreement" on July 11, 2004, and on July 19 Israel wired ten million dollars to accounts in Germany, Liechtenstein, Singapore and the [[United Kingdom]] in the name of or controlled by Nichols, about eight million of which ended in a London account in the names of Nichols and his wife, Ellen. The Bayou funds' liquidating entity sued the couple in 2008 to recover the fee as a fraudulent transfer; they answered that he had received it "for value, in good faith and without knowledge of the alleged voidability of the transfer." Nichols was deposed on video at the [[U.S. Attorney's office]] in Manhattan on December 16, 2008, and the case was closed on April 28, 2010.[^1][^13] At the time his address was in Honolulu.[^1]
### Footnotes
@ -82,4 +84,6 @@ In the spring of 2004 Nichols offered [[Samuel Israel III]], manager of the Bayo
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua,* March 1993 (Riconosciuto's credibility), and section "Involvement of Robert Booth Nichols," pp. 157-159 and note 58 (p. 159), citing *Booth Nichols v. City of Los Angeles,* No. NCC 31322B, trial transcript, March 11, 1993. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^9]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal.* TrineDay, 2010, chapter 22.
[^10]: Connolly, John. "The Story That Killed Danny Casolaro." *Spy,* January 1993. https://archive.org/details/SpyMagazine
[^11]: Nichols, Robert Booth. Videotaped deposition, December 16, 2008, *United States v. Samuel Israel III,* 05 Cr. 1039 (S.D.N.Y.), and *Bayou Management, LLC v. Nichols.* https://archive.org/details/robert-booth-nichols ; docket, *Bayou Management, LLC v. Nichols,* 1:08-cv-06036 (S.D.N.Y.), filed July 2, 2008, terminated April 28, 2010, CourtListener.
[^11]: Federal Bureau of Investigation memorandum summarizing a telephone interview with Robert Booth Nichols conducted January 11, 1994, DOCID 70098626, release pp. 113-114. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, pp. 160-161. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^13]: Nichols, Robert Booth. Videotaped deposition, December 16, 2008, *United States v. Samuel Israel III,* 05 Cr. 1039 (S.D.N.Y.), and *Bayou Management, LLC v. Nichols.* https://archive.org/details/robert-booth-nichols ; docket, *Bayou Management, LLC v. Nichols,* 1:08-cv-06036 (S.D.N.Y.), filed July 2, 2008, terminated April 28, 2010, CourtListener.

5
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Bill Turner.md
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@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ tags:
- Person
- Journalist
summary: "Turner later admitted to police that he met with Casolaro but initially refused to specify the time or describe the contents of the papers."
updated: 2026-10-15
---
[[Bill Turner]] was a friend and confidante of investigative journalist [[Danny Casolaro]]. He met with Casolaro in the parking lot of the Sheraton Hotel in Martinsburg, Virginia, on August 9, 1991, the day before Casolaro's death, to deliver some papers. These papers allegedly included two sealed packages that Turner had been keeping in his safe for Casolaro, and a packet of Hughes Aircraft papers belonging to Turner, who had been let go from Hughes for whistleblowing.[^1]
@ -14,6 +15,10 @@ Turner stated he was "scared shitless" about information he had seen connecting
[[Bill Hamilton]], president of [[INSLAW]], later stated that he had received an affidavit from Bill Turner on "highly classified computer printouts on off-shore accounts that he claimed Casolaro intended to use the night he died in a planned meeting with [[Peter Videnieks]] and [[Joseph Cuellar]] and others."[^1]
A Justice Department copy of the Casolaro review records that Turner told the Hamiltons, who relayed the account to the reviewers, that Casolaro planned to meet in Martinsburg with Peter Videnieks, Joseph Cuellar, an unidentified person from Senator [[Robert Byrd]]'s office, an unidentified IRS employee and the attorney [[Robert Altman]]. The review states of this claim and of a report by a caller to the [[Unsolved Mysteries]] hotline that [[Clark Clifford]] and Altman were seen driving in Martinsburg on the day of the death in a late-model Chevrolet Caprice: "We have no reason to believe either of these claims."[^2] INSLAW's February 14, 1994 addendum to its rebuttal of the Bua report states that Casolaro told Turner that the Friday evening meeting in Martinsburg had been arranged by Cuellar, whom it described, according to Turner, as a U.S. Army Special Forces covert intelligence officer.[^3]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Casolaro review passage on William Turner's account and the hotline report, DOCID 70098622, release p. 108. https://archive.org/details/DOJReportOnDanielJCasolaro
[^3]: Richardson, Elliot L., et al. *Addendum to INSLAW's Analysis and Rebuttal of the Bua Report*, February 14, 1994, p. 24. https://archive.org/details/AddendumToInslawsAnalysisAndRebuttalOfTheBuaReport

76
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Margaret Thatcher.md
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@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ aliases:
- Mrs. Thatcher
summary: "Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990; the vault records her governments' Cold War, Al-Yamamah and Iraq arms-export, intelligence, Falklands and Libya decisions."
created: 2026-05-14
updated: 2026-10-12
updated: 2026-10-15
born: 1925-10-13
died: 2013-04-08
location: "Grantham, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom"
@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ relations:
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Mark Thatcher]]"
role: "son"
fn: 39
fn: 41
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Falklands War]]"
role: "Prime Minister"
@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ relations:
role: "Prime Minister during the 1985 negotiation of the first agreement"
start: 1985-04
end: 1985-09
fn: 33
fn: 35
- type: member_of
with: "[[House of Lords]]"
role: "Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven"
@ -120,45 +120,47 @@ Asked on November 7, 1986, whether she had had discussions with [[Shimon Peres]]
On October 24, 1986, the Foreign Secretary, [[Geoffrey Howe]], told the Commons that the trial of [[Nezar Hindawi]] had ended that day. Hindawi "was found guilty of attempting to place a bomb on an El Al aircraft at Heathrow on 17 April and was sentenced to 45 years' imprisonment." Howe said that "There is conclusive evidence of Syrian official involvement with Hindawi," and that "We have therefore decided to break diplomatic relations with Syria." The Syrian ambassador was told to close his [[Syrian Embassy in London|embassy]] and leave the country within 14 days.[^30]
[[Ari Ben-Menashe]] wrote in 1992 that the closure of the embassy followed from a plan conceived by [[Rafael Eitan|Rafi Eitan]] to implicate the embassy in terrorism: "As a result, Margaret Thatcher closed down the Syrian Embassy in London."[^31] Diplomatic relations were restored on November 28, 1990, when [[Douglas Hurd]] told the Commons that Britain was resuming relations with Syria "with immediate effect."[^32]
### Al-Yamamah
Al-Yamamah ("the Dove" in Arabic) was the series of government-to-government arms agreements between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, with [[British Aerospace]] (later [[BAE Systems]]) as prime contractor. The first agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding signed at Lancaster House in September 1985 by the Secretary of State for Defence, [[Michael Heseltine]], and the Saudi Defence Minister, Prince [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz]]; it is dated September 26, 1985, and covered 72 Tornado aircraft and 30 Hawk trainers, among other equipment.[^31][^32] Two further, more detailed agreements followed in 1986 and 1988, and the programme was extended in 1993 by an order for 48 more Tornados.[^31][^32]
Al-Yamamah ("the Dove" in Arabic) was the series of government-to-government arms agreements between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, with [[British Aerospace]] (later [[BAE Systems]]) as prime contractor. The first agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding signed at Lancaster House in September 1985 by the Secretary of State for Defence, [[Michael Heseltine]], and the Saudi Defence Minister, Prince [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz]]; it is dated September 26, 1985, and covered 72 Tornado aircraft and 30 Hawk trainers, among other equipment.[^33][^34] Two further, more detailed agreements followed in 1986 and 1988, and the programme was extended in 1993 by an order for 48 more Tornados.[^33][^34]
Foreign Office files released to the [[National Archives]] and reported in 2016 record that Thatcher stopped in [[Riyadh]] in April 1985 on her way back from South Asia and met King [[Fahd]]. Heseltine approved the stop-over on the basis that it would allow her to complete the sale, and Prince [[Bandar bin Sultan]], then Saudi ambassador to the United States, invited her. A briefing document stated that it "seems unlikely that Prince Bandar would seek to engineer such a meeting unless something positive was likely to come out of it." The official record of the meeting was billed as one about regional developments and does not mention the aircraft. After the visit Thatcher wrote to Fahd: "I was glad that we were able to discuss a further matter privately over lunch. I look forward to receiving your majesty's personal envoy soon, in order that we may conclude this matter successfully."[^33]
Foreign Office files released to the [[National Archives]] and reported in 2016 record that Thatcher stopped in [[Riyadh]] in April 1985 on her way back from South Asia and met King [[Fahd]]. Heseltine approved the stop-over on the basis that it would allow her to complete the sale, and Prince [[Bandar bin Sultan]], then Saudi ambassador to the United States, invited her. A briefing document stated that it "seems unlikely that Prince Bandar would seek to engineer such a meeting unless something positive was likely to come out of it." The official record of the meeting was billed as one about regional developments and does not mention the aircraft. After the visit Thatcher wrote to Fahd: "I was glad that we were able to discuss a further matter privately over lunch. I look forward to receiving your majesty's personal envoy soon, in order that we may conclude this matter successfully."[^35]
The Guardian published in October 2006 documents that had been released to the National Archives in May of that year and were withdrawn by the Ministry of Defence after the paper approached it. One was a January 1986 telegram from [[Colin Chandler]], head of the Ministry's arms sales unit, who was in Riyadh with BAE executives. The Guardian reported from it that the price of each Tornado had been raised by 32 percent, from £16.3 million to £21.5 million, and that the total was to reach £5 billion against the £3.5 billion to £4 billion stated in the Memorandum. The same release contained a Ministry of Defence briefing prepared for Thatcher that described Prince Sultan as "not highly intelligent," and Foreign Office correspondence of 1985 sending Thatcher's chief aide at Number 10, [[Charles Powell]], a copy of an Arab magazine that alleged £600 million in secret commissions, with advice that officials "should simply refuse all comment."[^31] Lord Gilmour, who had been a minister under Thatcher, told BBC2's Newsnight, as the Guardian quoted him: "You either got the business and bribed, or you didn't bribe and didn't get the business."[^31]
The Guardian published in October 2006 documents that had been released to the National Archives in May of that year and were withdrawn by the Ministry of Defence after the paper approached it. One was a January 1986 telegram from [[Colin Chandler]], head of the Ministry's arms sales unit, who was in Riyadh with BAE executives. The Guardian reported from it that the price of each Tornado had been raised by 32 percent, from £16.3 million to £21.5 million, and that the total was to reach £5 billion against the £3.5 billion to £4 billion stated in the Memorandum. The same release contained a Ministry of Defence briefing prepared for Thatcher that described Prince Sultan as "not highly intelligent," and Foreign Office correspondence of 1985 sending Thatcher's chief aide at Number 10, [[Charles Powell]], a copy of an Arab magazine that alleged £600 million in secret commissions, with advice that officials "should simply refuse all comment."[^33] Lord Gilmour, who had been a minister under Thatcher, told BBC2's Newsnight, as the Guardian quoted him: "You either got the business and bribed, or you didn't bribe and didn't get the business."[^33]
In 1992 the [[National Audit Office]] reported on the Saudi Arabian Airforce Project. Its examination of project receipts and payments passing through the Ministry of Defence "found no evidence of commission payments being made to third parties." On February 27, 1992, in a private session of the [[Public Accounts Committee]], whose chairman was [[Robert Sheldon]], the Ministry's permanent secretary, Sir [[Michael Quinlan]], said: "The whole project operates under a seal of confidentiality. There is a very great sensitivity about the project on the part of the Saudi Arabian Government. Open Government is alien to them." Asked for an assurance that no public funds had gone the wrong way, Quinlan answered: "Yes, I can give you the assurance that there is no basis to support any suggestion that commission payments have been made using public funds."[^34] The report was not published. The Guardian reported in March 2024, after finding the papers in Sheldon's archive at the [[London School of Economics]], that only ten copies were printed and that only Sheldon and his deputy read it. The Guardian also reported that a Ministry memorandum disclosed at a later criminal trial showed that in 1988 the Ministry's head of arms sales had helped set up regular quarterly payments to Prince Bandar from Al-Yamamah funds, which BAE made on the Ministry's instruction. BAE said all payments were made with the express approval of the United Kingdom government, and the Ministry said the funds remained the property of the Saudi government.[^35]
In 1992 the [[National Audit Office]] reported on the Saudi Arabian Airforce Project. Its examination of project receipts and payments passing through the Ministry of Defence "found no evidence of commission payments being made to third parties." On February 27, 1992, in a private session of the [[Public Accounts Committee]], whose chairman was [[Robert Sheldon]], the Ministry's permanent secretary, Sir [[Michael Quinlan]], said: "The whole project operates under a seal of confidentiality. There is a very great sensitivity about the project on the part of the Saudi Arabian Government. Open Government is alien to them." Asked for an assurance that no public funds had gone the wrong way, Quinlan answered: "Yes, I can give you the assurance that there is no basis to support any suggestion that commission payments have been made using public funds."[^36] The report was not published. The Guardian reported in March 2024, after finding the papers in Sheldon's archive at the [[London School of Economics]], that only ten copies were printed and that only Sheldon and his deputy read it. The Guardian also reported that a Ministry memorandum disclosed at a later criminal trial showed that in 1988 the Ministry's head of arms sales had helped set up regular quarterly payments to Prince Bandar from Al-Yamamah funds, which BAE made on the Ministry's instruction. BAE said all payments were made with the express approval of the United Kingdom government, and the Ministry said the funds remained the property of the Saudi government.[^37]
The [[Serious Fraud Office]] launched an investigation into allegations of corruption against BAE on July 29, 2004, one aspect of which concerned Al-Yamamah. By autumn 2006 it intended to examine Swiss bank accounts, and the judgment of the House of Lords records that the Saudi authorities responded with an explicit threat to withdraw from bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, to withdraw cooperation on the United Kingdom's strategic objectives in the Middle East and to end negotiations then in progress for the purchase of Typhoon aircraft. The ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir [[Sherard Cowper-Coles]], told the Director that "British lives on British streets were at risk." The Prime Minister, [[Tony Blair]], sent the Attorney General a personal minute on December 8, 2006.[^36]
The [[Serious Fraud Office]] launched an investigation into allegations of corruption against BAE on July 29, 2004, one aspect of which concerned Al-Yamamah. By autumn 2006 it intended to examine Swiss bank accounts, and the judgment of the House of Lords records that the Saudi authorities responded with an explicit threat to withdraw from bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, to withdraw cooperation on the United Kingdom's strategic objectives in the Middle East and to end negotiations then in progress for the purchase of Typhoon aircraft. The ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir [[Sherard Cowper-Coles]], told the Director that "British lives on British streets were at risk." The Prime Minister, [[Tony Blair]], sent the Attorney General a personal minute on December 8, 2006.[^38]
On December 14, 2006, the Attorney General, [[Lord Goldsmith]], told the Lords that the Director of the Serious Fraud Office had decided to discontinue the investigation "following representations that have been made both to the Attorney General and the Director concerning the need to safeguard national and international security." He said he had obtained "the views of the Prime Minister and the Foreign and Defence Secretaries," who had expressed "the clear view that continuation of the investigation would cause serious damage to UK/Saudi security, intelligence and diplomatic co-operation."[^37] [[The Corner House]] and Campaign Against Arms Trade challenged the decision. The Divisional Court quashed it on the ground that the Director had yielded to a threat. On July 30, 2008, the House of Lords allowed the Director's appeal in [[R (Corner House Research) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office]], holding the decision lawful. [[Lord Bingham]] wrote that what determined the decision was "the Director's judgment that the public interest in saving British lives outweighed the public interest in pursuing BAE to conviction."[^36]
On December 14, 2006, the Attorney General, [[Lord Goldsmith]], told the Lords that the Director of the Serious Fraud Office had decided to discontinue the investigation "following representations that have been made both to the Attorney General and the Director concerning the need to safeguard national and international security." He said he had obtained "the views of the Prime Minister and the Foreign and Defence Secretaries," who had expressed "the clear view that continuation of the investigation would cause serious damage to UK/Saudi security, intelligence and diplomatic co-operation."[^39] [[The Corner House]] and Campaign Against Arms Trade challenged the decision. The Divisional Court quashed it on the ground that the Director had yielded to a threat. On July 30, 2008, the House of Lords allowed the Director's appeal in [[R (Corner House Research) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office]], holding the decision lawful. [[Lord Bingham]] wrote that what determined the decision was "the Director's judgment that the public interest in saving British lives outweighed the public interest in pursuing BAE to conviction."[^38]
On March 1, 2010, BAE Systems pleaded guilty in the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia]] to conspiring to defraud the United States by making false statements about its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance program and to violating the Arms Export Control Act, and was fined $400 million by Judge John D. Bates. The Department of Justice stated that BAE took the role of prime contractor to the United Kingdom government in the mid-1980s after the formal understanding with Saudi Arabia, that its "support services" resulted in substantial benefits to a foreign public official of Saudi Arabia who was in a position of influence over sales of fighter jets, and that BAE undertook no adequate review or verification of more than $5 million in invoices submitted by one employee from May 2001 to early 2002.[^38]
On March 1, 2010, BAE Systems pleaded guilty in the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia]] to conspiring to defraud the United States by making false statements about its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance program and to violating the Arms Export Control Act, and was fined $400 million by Judge John D. Bates. The Department of Justice stated that BAE took the role of prime contractor to the United Kingdom government in the mid-1980s after the formal understanding with Saudi Arabia, that its "support services" resulted in substantial benefits to a foreign public official of Saudi Arabia who was in a position of influence over sales of fighter jets, and that BAE undertook no adequate review or verification of more than $5 million in invoices submitted by one employee from May 2001 to early 2002.[^40]
### Mark Thatcher
On January 24, 1996, [[George Galloway]] told the Commons that commissions on the Al-Yamamah arms sales had been paid through middlemen, and named [[Mark Thatcher]] and [[Wafic Said]] among them. He described Mark Thatcher as "the son of the then Prime Minister, who gave 10 Downing street as his address at the time," who "was later given his own house and other lavish benefits by Wafic Said." Galloway also named [[Douglas Leese]] among the intermediaries and described [[Jonathan Aitken]] as Said's business partner.[^39] The writer [[Paul Foot]] wrote in 1998 that it had become "common knowledge" that Mark Thatcher enriched himself by £12 million from the Al-Yamamah deals, that Thatcher himself never denied it or sued anyone for mentioning it, and that no one, including the authors of a book on the subject, could produce a single hard fact to prove it.[^40] The Guardian wrote in 2006 that all those involved had always denied the allegations.[^31]
On January 24, 1996, [[George Galloway]] told the Commons that commissions on the Al-Yamamah arms sales had been paid through middlemen, and named [[Mark Thatcher]] and [[Wafic Said]] among them. He described Mark Thatcher as "the son of the then Prime Minister, who gave 10 Downing street as his address at the time," who "was later given his own house and other lavish benefits by Wafic Said." Galloway also named [[Douglas Leese]] among the intermediaries and described [[Jonathan Aitken]] as Said's business partner.[^41] The writer [[Paul Foot]] wrote in 1998 that it had become "common knowledge" that Mark Thatcher enriched himself by £12 million from the Al-Yamamah deals, that Thatcher himself never denied it or sued anyone for mentioning it, and that no one, including the authors of a book on the subject, could produce a single hard fact to prove it.[^42] The Guardian wrote in 2006 that all those involved had always denied the allegations.[^33]
[[Ari Ben-Menashe]] wrote that Mark Thatcher introduced [[Gerald Bull]] to [[Pieter Van Der Westhuizen]] in 1983, and that Van Der Westhuizen connected Bull with [[ARMSCOR]] for the "supergun" project. Ben-Menashe wrote that Mark Thatcher was present at a late-1986 meeting in [[Santiago]], [[Chile]], with [[Carlos Cardoen]], [[Robert Gates]], Senator [[John Tower]] and Van Der Westhuizen. He also wrote that Mark Thatcher presented himself to Ben-Menashe in Santiago in 1988 as a private businessman with no connection to the British government, despite his mother's position, and that Mark Thatcher was involved in the sale of 48 [[Chieftain tanks]] to Chile after the [[Falklands War]].[^41]
Ari Ben-Menashe wrote that Mark Thatcher introduced [[Gerald Bull]] to [[Pieter Van Der Westhuizen]] in 1983, and that Van Der Westhuizen connected Bull with [[ARMSCOR]] for the "supergun" project. Ben-Menashe wrote that Mark Thatcher was present at a late-1986 meeting in [[Santiago]], [[Chile]], with [[Carlos Cardoen]], [[Robert Gates]], Senator [[John Tower]] and Van Der Westhuizen. He also wrote that Mark Thatcher presented himself to Ben-Menashe in Santiago in 1988 as a private businessman with no connection to the British government, despite his mother's position, and that Mark Thatcher was involved in the sale of 48 [[Chieftain tanks]] to Chile after the [[Falklands War]].[^43]
On January 13, 2005, in the Cape High Court in [[Cape Town]], Mark Thatcher pleaded guilty under a plea agreement to attempting to contravene section 2 of South Africa's Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act by agreeing to charter a helicopter, for which he paid $275,000. The text of the agreement stated: "The accused began to suspect that the helicopter might in fact be intended for use in ... mercenary activity [in the west African region]. Despite his misgivings the accused decided to invest money in the charter of the helicopter." His lawyers stated that he was not charged with any involvement in the attempted coup in [[Equatorial Guinea]]. Judge Abe Motala imposed a fine of three million rand, or five years in prison, and a further four-year sentence suspended for five years. Zimbabwe had jailed [[Simon Mann]], a friend of Mark Thatcher and a former British special services officer, with 65 other suspected mercenaries in September 2004.[^42][^43]
On January 13, 2005, in the Cape High Court in [[Cape Town]], Mark Thatcher pleaded guilty under a plea agreement to attempting to contravene section 2 of South Africa's Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act by agreeing to charter a helicopter, for which he paid $275,000. The text of the agreement stated: "The accused began to suspect that the helicopter might in fact be intended for use in ... mercenary activity [in the west African region]. Despite his misgivings the accused decided to invest money in the charter of the helicopter." His lawyers stated that he was not charged with any involvement in the attempted coup in [[Equatorial Guinea]]. Judge Abe Motala imposed a fine of three million rand, or five years in prison, and a further four-year sentence suspended for five years. Zimbabwe had jailed [[Simon Mann]], a friend of Mark Thatcher and a former British special services officer, with 65 other suspected mercenaries in September 2004.[^44][^45]
### Matrix Churchill and the Scott Inquiry
[[Matrix Churchill]], a machine-tool company based in Coventry, exported precision tooling to Iraq under export licenses approved by the [[Department of Trade and Industry]], despite MI6 awareness that the machinery would be used for weapons production. Three Matrix Churchill directors were prosecuted in 1992 for breaching export controls. The Arms-to-Iraq affair was the British corollary to the same illicit weapons procurement networks that characterized Western support for [[Saddam Hussein]] during the [[Iran-Iraq War]]. On November 18, 1992, the Prime Minister, [[John Major]], answered (holding answer of November 17) a Commons question on whether the papers supplied to defence counsel would be placed in the Library: "No. The papers were supplied to the defence for the purposes of the trial. Lord Justice Scott will have access to them."[^44]
[[Matrix Churchill]], a machine-tool company based in Coventry, exported precision tooling to Iraq under export licenses approved by the [[Department of Trade and Industry]], despite MI6 awareness that the machinery would be used for weapons production. Three Matrix Churchill directors were prosecuted in 1992 for breaching export controls. The Arms-to-Iraq affair was the British corollary to the same illicit weapons procurement networks that characterized Western support for [[Saddam Hussein]] during the [[Iran-Iraq War]]. On November 18, 1992, the Prime Minister, [[John Major]], answered (holding answer of November 17) a Commons question on whether the papers supplied to defence counsel would be placed in the Library: "No. The papers were supplied to the defence for the purposes of the trial. Lord Justice Scott will have access to them."[^46]
The trial collapsed after ministers' public interest immunity certificates kept intelligence documents from the defense. The allegation that ministers had signed the certificates to suppress intelligence documents that would have exonerated the defendants was made in the media. The government's account, given by [[Ian Lang]] to the Commons on February 15, 1996, recorded the charges "made and repeated in the media that the Ministers who signed the PII certificates were seeking to deprive defendants in a criminal trial of the means by which to clear themselves." Lang said that [[Richard Scott|Sir Richard Scott]] "concludes, after more than three years of painstaking investigation, that all Ministers who signed PII certificates did so without any impropriety."[^45]
The trial collapsed after ministers' public interest immunity certificates kept intelligence documents from the defense. The allegation that ministers had signed the certificates to suppress intelligence documents that would have exonerated the defendants was made in the media. The government's account, given by [[Ian Lang]] to the Commons on February 15, 1996, recorded the charges "made and repeated in the media that the Ministers who signed the PII certificates were seeking to deprive defendants in a criminal trial of the means by which to clear themselves." Lang said that [[Richard Scott|Sir Richard Scott]] "concludes, after more than three years of painstaking investigation, that all Ministers who signed PII certificates did so without any impropriety."[^47]
The [[Scott Inquiry]], commissioned by Major in November 1992 after the end of the Matrix Churchill trial, reported on February 15, 1996, after Thatcher had left office.[^45][^46] Lang quoted the report's finding that "following the ceasefire in 1988, but not before, Government policy towards the export of non-lethal military goods changed in a way that he believes should have been drawn to the attention of the House." He added that Scott "expressly accepts that they were sincere in doing so," while not agreeing "that they were correct in their belief."[^45]
The [[Scott Inquiry]], commissioned by Major in November 1992 after the end of the Matrix Churchill trial, reported on February 15, 1996, after Thatcher had left office.[^47][^48] Lang quoted the report's finding that "following the ceasefire in 1988, but not before, Government policy towards the export of non-lethal military goods changed in a way that he believes should have been drawn to the attention of the House." He added that Scott "expressly accepts that they were sincere in doing so," while not agreeing "that they were correct in their belief."[^47]
### Stoke Lodge and the Elm Guest House allegations
The writer S. Dovey wrote that civic functions at [[Stoke Lodge]], the residence of the Australian High Commissioner in Kensington, were attended by Thatcher, [[Peter Morrison]], [[Peter Hayman]] and Brittan. Dovey also wrote that the chauffeur firm used by the residence employed men later convicted of child abuse and murder, and that reporting on a June 1982 police raid of the [[Elm Guest House]] may have stopped after intervention by Attorney General [[Michael Havers]].[^47]
The writer S. Dovey wrote that civic functions at [[Stoke Lodge]], the residence of the Australian High Commissioner in Kensington, were attended by Thatcher, [[Peter Morrison]], [[Peter Hayman]] and Brittan. Dovey also wrote that the chauffeur firm used by the residence employed men later convicted of child abuse and murder, and that reporting on a June 1982 police raid of the [[Elm Guest House]] may have stopped after intervention by Attorney General [[Michael Havers]].[^49]
### Resignation and later life
On November 22, 1990, Thatcher addressed the Commons in the debate on the motion of confidence in her government.[^48] She faced a leadership challenge from Heseltine in which she could not win the second ballot. She resigned as Prime Minister on November 28, 1990, and was succeeded by Major. She was elevated to the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven in 1992. She died on April 8, 2013, at The Ritz hotel in London, following a stroke, aged 87.[^1]
On November 22, 1990, Thatcher addressed the Commons in the debate on the motion of confidence in her government.[^50] She faced a leadership challenge from Heseltine in which she could not win the second ballot. She resigned as Prime Minister on November 28, 1990, and was succeeded by Major. She was elevated to the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven in 1992. She died on April 8, 2013, at The Ritz hotel in London, following a stroke, aged 87.[^1]
### Footnotes
@ -192,21 +194,23 @@ On November 22, 1990, Thatcher addressed the Commons in the debate on the motion
[^28]: Thatcher, Margaret, written answer on Mr. M. Vanunu, House of Commons, November 7, 1986, HC Deb vol. 103, col. 632W. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written_answers/1986/nov/07/mr-m-vanunu
[^29]: Thatcher, Margaret, written answer on Mr. Mordechai Vanunu, House of Commons, November 27, 1986, HC Deb vol. 106, col. 299W. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written_answers/1986/nov/27/mr-mordechai-vanunu
[^30]: Howe, Sir Geoffrey, statement on Anglo-Syrian relations, House of Commons, October 24, 1986, HC Deb vol. 102, cols. 1504-14. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1986/oct/24/anglo-syrian-relations
[^31]: Leigh, David, and Rob Evans, "The secret Whitehall telegram that reveals truth behind controversial Saudi arms deal," *The Guardian,* October 27, 2006. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/oct/28/bae.whitehall
[^32]: Lewis, Mike, and Katherine Templar. *UK Personnel Supporting the Saudi Armed Forces: Risk, Knowledge and Accountability.* 2018, citing the Memorandum of Understanding for the Provision of Equipment and Services for the Royal Saudi Air Force, September 26, 1985, and UK National Archives file FCO 8/6055. https://www.mikelewisresearch.com/RSAFfinal.pdf
[^33]: "Thatcher held secret Saudi talks to win huge arms deal, archives show," *Middle East Eye,* August 25, 2016 (reporting on Foreign Office files released to the National Archives). https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/thatcher-held-secret-saudi-talks-win-huge-arms-deal-archives-show
[^34]: Ministry of Defence Appropriation Accounts 1990-91, Class I, Vote 2, Defence Procurement: The Saudi Arabian Airforce Project (National Audit Office report, 1992), and summary minutes of the private session of the Committee of Public Accounts, February 27, 1992 (Sir Michael Quinlan, Ministry of Defence), in the papers of Robert Sheldon, London School of Economics, as published by The Guardian. https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/24502904/collected-files-sheldon-papers-reduced.pdf
[^35]: "Suppressed report on UK-Saudi arms deal discovered in archive," *The Guardian,* March 24, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/24/al-yamamah-arms-deal-report-discovery-anti-corruption-mod-nao-britain-saudi-arabia
[^36]: *R (on the application of Corner House Research and others) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office* [2008] UKHL 60 (House of Lords, July 30, 2008), on appeal from [2008] EWHC 714 (Admin). https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/2008/60.html
[^37]: Goldsmith, Lord (Attorney General), statement "BAE Systems: Al Yamamah Contract," House of Lords, December 14, 2006, HL Deb cols. 1711-8. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/61214-0014.htm
[^38]: U.S. Department of Justice, "BAE Systems PLC Pleads Guilty and Ordered to Pay $400 Million Criminal Fine," press release, March 1, 2010 (*United States v. BAE Systems plc,* D.D.C., Crim. No. 10-035, Judge John D. Bates). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/bae-systems-plc-pleads-guilty-and-ordered-pay-400-million-criminal-fine
[^39]: Galloway, George, speech on Saudi Arabia, House of Commons, January 24, 1996, HC Deb vol. 270, cols. 453-62. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/jan/24/saudi-arabia
[^40]: Foot, Paul, "Prince and Pimp," *London Review of Books,* vol. 20, no. 1, January 1, 1998. https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n01/paul-foot/prince-and-pimp
[^41]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network.* Sheridan Square Press, 1992 (TrineDay reprint, 2015).
[^42]: "Thatcher admits role in coup plot," *Al Jazeera,* January 13, 2005. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/1/13/thatcher-admits-role-in-coup-plot
[^43]: "Thatcher's son pleads guilty in coup plot," Associated Press, January 13, 2005. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6818757
[^44]: Major, John, written answer on Matrix Churchill, House of Commons, November 18, 1992, HC Deb vol. 214, cols. 216-7W. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written_answers/1992/nov/18/matrix-churchill
[^45]: Lang, Ian, statement on the Scott Report, House of Commons, February 15, 1996, HC Deb vol. 271, cols. 1139-64. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/feb/15/scott-report
[^46]: Scott, Sir Richard. *Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions.* HC 115, HMSO, February 15, 1996. Quoted in the Lang statement (Lang, February 15, 1996, above).
[^47]: Dovey, S. *Eye of the Chickenhawk.* 2023.
[^48]: Thatcher, Margaret, speech in the debate on "Confidence in Her Majesty's Government," House of Commons, November 22, 1990, HC Deb vol. 181, cols. 439-518. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/nov/22/confidence-in-her-majestys-government
[^31]: Ari Ben-Menashe, *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network* (Sheridan Square Press, 1992; TrineDay, 2015), pp. 121 to 124 (Thatcher sentence at p. 124).
[^32]: HC Deb 28 November 1990, "Middle East," statement by Douglas Hurd. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/nov/28/middle-east-2
[^33]: Leigh, David, and Rob Evans, "The secret Whitehall telegram that reveals truth behind controversial Saudi arms deal," *The Guardian,* October 27, 2006. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/oct/28/bae.whitehall
[^34]: Lewis, Mike, and Katherine Templar. *UK Personnel Supporting the Saudi Armed Forces: Risk, Knowledge and Accountability.* 2018, citing the Memorandum of Understanding for the Provision of Equipment and Services for the Royal Saudi Air Force, September 26, 1985, and UK National Archives file FCO 8/6055. https://www.mikelewisresearch.com/RSAFfinal.pdf
[^35]: "Thatcher held secret Saudi talks to win huge arms deal, archives show," *Middle East Eye,* August 25, 2016 (reporting on Foreign Office files released to the National Archives). https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/thatcher-held-secret-saudi-talks-win-huge-arms-deal-archives-show
[^36]: Ministry of Defence Appropriation Accounts 1990-91, Class I, Vote 2, Defence Procurement: The Saudi Arabian Airforce Project (National Audit Office report, 1992), and summary minutes of the private session of the Committee of Public Accounts, February 27, 1992 (Sir Michael Quinlan, Ministry of Defence), in the papers of Robert Sheldon, London School of Economics, as published by The Guardian. https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/24502904/collected-files-sheldon-papers-reduced.pdf
[^37]: "Suppressed report on UK-Saudi arms deal discovered in archive," *The Guardian,* March 24, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/24/al-yamamah-arms-deal-report-discovery-anti-corruption-mod-nao-britain-saudi-arabia
[^38]: *R (on the application of Corner House Research and others) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office* [2008] UKHL 60 (House of Lords, July 30, 2008), on appeal from [2008] EWHC 714 (Admin). https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/2008/60.html
[^39]: Goldsmith, Lord (Attorney General), statement "BAE Systems: Al Yamamah Contract," House of Lords, December 14, 2006, HL Deb cols. 1711-8. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/61214-0014.htm
[^40]: U.S. Department of Justice, "BAE Systems PLC Pleads Guilty and Ordered to Pay $400 Million Criminal Fine," press release, March 1, 2010 (*United States v. BAE Systems plc,* D.D.C., Crim. No. 10-035, Judge John D. Bates). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/bae-systems-plc-pleads-guilty-and-ordered-pay-400-million-criminal-fine
[^41]: Galloway, George, speech on Saudi Arabia, House of Commons, January 24, 1996, HC Deb vol. 270, cols. 453-62. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/jan/24/saudi-arabia
[^42]: Foot, Paul, "Prince and Pimp," *London Review of Books,* vol. 20, no. 1, January 1, 1998. https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n01/paul-foot/prince-and-pimp
[^43]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network.* Sheridan Square Press, 1992 (TrineDay reprint, 2015).
[^44]: "Thatcher admits role in coup plot," *Al Jazeera,* January 13, 2005. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/1/13/thatcher-admits-role-in-coup-plot
[^45]: "Thatcher's son pleads guilty in coup plot," Associated Press, January 13, 2005. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6818757
[^46]: Major, John, written answer on Matrix Churchill, House of Commons, November 18, 1992, HC Deb vol. 214, cols. 216-7W. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written_answers/1992/nov/18/matrix-churchill
[^47]: Lang, Ian, statement on the Scott Report, House of Commons, February 15, 1996, HC Deb vol. 271, cols. 1139-64. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/feb/15/scott-report
[^48]: Scott, Sir Richard. *Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions.* HC 115, HMSO, February 15, 1996. Quoted in the Lang statement (Lang, February 15, 1996, above).
[^49]: Dovey, S. *Eye of the Chickenhawk.* 2023.
[^50]: Thatcher, Margaret, speech in the debate on "Confidence in Her Majesty's Government," House of Commons, November 22, 1990, HC Deb vol. 181, cols. 439-518. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/nov/22/confidence-in-her-majestys-government

12
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Peter Videnieks.md
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@ -112,6 +112,12 @@ Joseph Cuellar, an Army Reserve major, met Casolaro by chance at a bar in Arling
Casolaro's notes, a Justice Department memorandum records, reflect a telephone call he made to Videnieks on June 13, 1991. Videnieks refused to talk and referred him to his lawyer, Charles Ruff. Videnieks recalled a call from a reporter whose name sounded like "Kessler," which he said could have been "Casolaro," and said he could not remember whether he had ever spoken with Casolaro.[^38]
In a February 1994 FBI interview, Joseph Cuellar said that Casolaro pressed him repeatedly to introduce him to Videnieks, that the woman Cuellar was dating at the time also telephoned him to add pressure, and that he then telephoned Videnieks and passed on Casolaro's interest. According to Cuellar, Videnieks indicated that he might meet Casolaro but was "done with that and there was no need to go into it anymore."[^39]
A work list of further steps in the same Justice Department file, which described its items as overinclusive, names Cuellar as item 16, "Joe Cuellar (source)," and Videnieks as item 17, "Peter Videnieks (possible source)," and notes that Videnieks was represented by counsel, Charles Ruff.[^40]
In floor remarks on March 20, 1991 on the supplemental appropriations bills that included Desert Shield and Desert Storm funding, Senator Robert Byrd thanked "my chief of staff, Barbara Videnieks."[^41] INSLAW's February 14, 1994 addendum to its rebuttal of the Bua report stated that Cuellar described himself to Casolaro as one of Videnieks's closest friends and told Casolaro that Videnieks had agreed to meet, and that Casolaro had gone to Martinsburg for a meeting with sources whom he described to an associate as a relative of Barbara Videnieks plus one other person from Byrd's office.[^42]
The review recorded that Videnieks denied any involvement in Casolaro's death and said he had been at a summer cottage in New York state from August 5 to August 11, 1991. His personnel records showed leave in that period, a credit card receipt showed a purchase at a bookstore in Oneonta, New York, on August 9, and his telephone records showed a call from the cottage to his brother on August 9 at 8:35 p.m. The review found no reason to question his account that he was in New York on August 10, 1991, and was unaware of evidence linking him to the death.[^35] The review also recorded that a Kentucky salvage dealer told Martinsburg police that Videnieks and Brian had played a high-stakes poker game at a Sheraton in Martinsburg around the time of Casolaro's death. The police could not corroborate the account, and the review found the witness lacked credibility.[^35]
### Trial testimony and later accounts
@ -159,4 +165,8 @@ Seymour wrote that Videnieks offered rewards for non-cooperation with the House
[^35]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, pp. 159-160. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^36]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 161. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^37]: U.S. Department of Justice. Review of the *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua*, September 27, 1994, p. 162. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^38]: U.S. Department of Justice, memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 42 (printed p. 26), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^38]: U.S. Department of Justice, memorandum on the BCCI and INSLAW special prosecutor contacts, undated, [1994], release p. 43 (printed p. 27), DOCID 70002067. https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-Casolaro
[^39]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Metropolitan Field Office, memorandum to Steven E. Zipperstein, February 2, 1994, DOCID 70098626, release p. 107. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^40]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, undated "Casolaro Review" work list, DOCID 70098626, release pp. 44-45. https://archive.org/details/JohnC.DwyerNotesOnInslaw
[^41]: *Congressional Record*, vol. 137, Senate, March 20, 1991, p. 6823, remarks of Senator Robert C. Byrd on the supplemental appropriations bills. https://archive.org/details/sim_congressional-record-proceedings-and-debates_march-13-1991-march-21-1991_137-redacted
[^42]: Richardson, Elliot L., et al. *Addendum to INSLAW's Analysis and Rebuttal of the Bua Report*, February 14, 1994, p. 24 and n.5. https://archive.org/details/AddendumToInslawsAnalysisAndRebuttalOfTheBuaReport

6
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Peter Zokosky.md
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@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ relations:
with: "[[Meridian International Logistics]]"
role: "board member; asked later to be taken off the board (Zokosky to Seymour, 2001)"
fn: 1
updated: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-15
---
[[Peter Zokosky]] was an arms manufacturer and a key figure in various covert operations and business ventures, often associated with [[Robert Booth Nichols]] and [[Michael Riconosciuto]]. He was a former president of [[Armtec]], a company that produced combustible cartridge cases for the Army, and was under a non-compete agreement with them until August 1981. Zokosky also served as a consultant to the [[Great Britain|British Government]] on shell casings.[^1]
@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Seymour wrote in her 1992 VORTEX account that Michael Riconosciuto had once been
### Role in "The Octopus" Investigation
Peter Zokosky was a key source for [[Cheri Seymour]]'s investigation into "[[The Octopus]]." He provided Seymour with a copy of the "Special Operations [Surveillance] Report" on the Lake Cahuilla meeting, which he had obtained from a friend in [[Washington, D.C.]], the document the special counsel had traced to Gilbert's 1991 interview with Riconosciuto. He also provided an audio-taped conversation with Michael Riconosciuto narrating the murders of [[Paul Morasca]] and [[Mary Quick]], and their connection to drug operations. Zokosky stated that Paul Morasca was killed due to a "narcotics deal" gone awry and his involvement in laundering drug profits.[^1]
Peter Zokosky was a key source for [[Cheri Seymour]]'s investigation into "[[The Octopus]]." He provided Seymour with a copy of the "Special Operations [Surveillance] Report" on the Lake Cahuilla meeting, which he had obtained from a friend in [[Washington, D.C.]], the document the special counsel had traced to Gilbert's 1991 interview with Riconosciuto. He also provided an audio-taped conversation with Michael Riconosciuto narrating the murders of [[Paul Morasca]] and [[Mary Quick]], and their connection to drug operations. The tape referred to the murder of Morasca in [[San Francisco]] and of Quick in [[Fresno]], and said that [[Ben Kalka]] handled an LSD operation in Fresno.[^4] Zokosky stated that Paul Morasca was killed due to a "narcotics deal" gone awry and his involvement in laundering drug profits.[^1] Seymour recorded Zokosky's assessment of Riconosciuto as unreliable, a pathological liar with grains of truth in the tales he spins.[^5]
Zokosky was initially defensive about [[Danny Casolaro]]'s death, stating he believed Casolaro committed suicide, though his wife, [[Regina Zokosky]], indicated he had previously said otherwise. He allowed Cheri Seymour and [[Kelly O'Meara]] to review a manuscript written by Robert Booth Nichols about Danny Casolaro's death, titled "Danny Casolaro's Octopus."[^1]
@ -54,3 +54,5 @@ He was an investor in the Cabazon Indian Reservation and a skeet range, though h
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal.* TrineDay, 2010. The special counsel's report records the Picatinny meeting date as disputed and found no support for the presence of Contra leaders or Earl Brian at Lake Cahuilla.
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.,* March 1993, pp. 56-64.
[^3]: Seymour, Cheri. "VORTEX," diary dated February 24, 1992, p. 11. https://archive.org/details/VORTEXDocument
[^4]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010, p. 340.
[^5]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010, p. 344.

4
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Philip Arthur Thompson.md
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@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ relations:
role: "defense counsel, Cloer murder trial"
fn: 25
created: 2025-08-05
updated: 2026-10-07
updated: 2026-10-15
---
[[Philip Arthur Thompson]] (spelled Phillip Arthur Thompson in court records), also known as PAT, "Jason" and Jason Smith, was convicted of robbing and kidnapping two [[United Parcel Service]] drivers in [[Burlingame, California]] in December 1980,[^1] and, on April 8, 2008, of the first degree murder of [[Betty Cloer]] in [[El Dorado County]] in 1971.[^2] [[Michael Riconosciuto]] named him as the killer of [[Paul Morasca]], and [[Cheri Seymour]] wrote that he worked as an informant for [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent [[Robert Barnes]].[^3]
@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ The Third District affirmed the conviction in an unpublished opinion filed Decem
[^15]: Thomas and Keith, *The Octopus*, text near pp. 28-36, citing Jonathan Littman and Taylor, "Bizarre Murders Puzzle Cops," San Francisco Chronicle, December 30, 1991. https://archive.org/details/the-octopus
[^16]: Ted L. Gunderson to Hon. Victor Dahman, October 6, 1983, Danny Casolaro papers, Misc. Docs file. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^17]: "Statement of Michael J. Riconosciuto," February 16, 1984, Danny Casolaro papers, Misc. Docs file. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^18]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, ch. 17, "The Inslaw Affair," p. 344. https://archive.org/details/TheInslawAffair
[^18]: Seymour, *The Last Circle*, ch. 17, "The Inslaw Affair," pp. 344-345. https://archive.org/details/TheInslawAffair
[^19]: John Hussar, "Crime probes tied to Nichols associates," Desert Sun (Palm Springs), March 21, 1985, p. 1 (reprint). https://www.maebrussell.com/Inslaw/Desert%20Sun%203-21-85.html
[^20]: "Transcript of Meeting," Alan D. Boyack, Ted Gunderson and Michael James Riconosciuto, May 5, 1991, Tacoma, Washington, pp. 19-21. https://archive.org/details/CasolaroTranscriptBoyackGundersonRiconsosciuto
[^21]: Cheri Seymour, "VORTEX" summary dated February 24, 1992, attached to her affidavit notarized in Mariposa County, October 1992. https://archive.org/details/VORTEXDocument