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8
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Harry Shlaudeman.md
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@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ tags:
summary: "Assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs who warned Kissinger of Operation Condor's assassination plans on August 3, 1976, received Landau's cable on the DINA passports, and saw no warning delivered before Letelier died."
location: "Washington, D.C."
created: 2026-09-21
updated: 2026-09-21
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Harry Shlaudeman was assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs under [[Henry A. Kissinger|Henry Kissinger]] in 1976.[^1]
@ -28,10 +28,14 @@ Ambassador [[George Landau]]'s cable of July 28 on the Paraguayan passports issu
### Horman
A memorandum to Shlaudeman of August 25, 1976, on the death of [[Charles Horman]] in [[Chile]] in 1973, read: "This case remains bothersome. The connotations for the Executive are not good." It concluded that "U.S. intelligence may have played an unfortunate part in Horman's death. At best, it was limited to providing or confirming information that helped motivate his murder by the GOC."[^3]
A memorandum to Shlaudeman of August 25, 1976, on the death of [[Charles Horman]] in [[Chile]] in 1973, read: "This case remains bothersome. The connotations for the Executive are not good." It concluded: "U.S. intelligence may have played an unfortunate part in Horman's death. At best, it was limited to providing or confirming information that helped motivate his murder by the GOC. At worst, U.S. intelligence was aware the GOC saw Horman in a rather serious light and U.S. officials did nothing to discourage the logical outcome of GOC paranoia."[^3][^4]
On July 15, 1976, [[Rudy Fimbres]] sent Shlaudeman a draft letter to Senator [[Edward Kennedy]] on the case, with a covering memorandum that said the draft "will not do." The memorandum stated that the department had "'withheld' for almost two years any reference to a Chilean memorandum which accused Teruggi, and Horman, of leftist activities," that the department had "failed to pursue the basis" for the Chilean allegations, and that the public claim to be pursuing every lead "is overdrawn." It reported that the Washington Post's [[Lewis Diuguid]] said he had a source who told him embassy superiors were informed early of Horman's fate and did not follow up. It also stated that "Vice Consul Anderson's participation in this matter will eventually be the subject of further probing." Fimbres recommended that Shlaudeman not sign the letter.[^5]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Dinges, John. *The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents*. New Press, 2004, pp. 159-166, 171-174, 180, 183.
[^2]: Dinges, John, and Saul Landau. *Assassination on Embassy Row*. McGraw-Hill, 1980, pp. 260-261, 383.
[^3]: Kornbluh, Peter. *The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability*. New Press, 2003, pp. 269, 343.
[^4]: Fimbres, Rudy, Robert Driscoll and William Robertson, memorandum to Assistant Secretary Harry Shlaudeman, Secret, August 25, 1976, NSA Chile in Their Hearts, document 9. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Dinges9FimbresDriscoll-ocr.pdf
[^5]: Fimbres, Rudy, memorandum to Ambassador Harry Shlaudeman, "The Charles Horman Case," July 15, 1976, NSA Chile in Their Hearts, document 8. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/dinges8fimbresmemoonKennletter-ocr.pdf

51
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/James Riady.md
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@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ tags:
summary: "Indonesian banker, son of Lippo Group founder Mochtar Riady, who interned at Stephens Inc., ran Worthen Bank's international division in Little Rock, and in 2001 paid the largest campaign finance fine in American history."
location: "Jakarta, Indonesia"
created: 2026-09-21
updated: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Stephens Inc.]]"
@ -23,7 +23,19 @@ relations:
with: "[[Department of Justice]]"
reverse: true
start: 2001-01-11
fn: 3
fn: 4
- type: investigated
with: "[[Corruption Eradication Commission]]"
reverse: true
start: 2018
role: "Meikarta permit bribery case; house search October 18, 2018; questioned as witness October 30, 2018"
fn: 11
- type: investigated
with: "[[Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs]]"
reverse: true
start: 1997
role: "1996 federal campaign finance investigation; Chinese intelligence finding"
fn: 9
---
James Tjahaja Riady is an [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] banker and the son of [[Mochtar Riady]], founder of the [[Lippo Group]]. His father met [[Jackson Stephens]] and [[Witt Stephens]] in 1976 while looking for a stake in an American bank, and the two families formed [[Stephens Finance Ltd.]] in [[Hong Kong]] in 1978. James Riady served an internship at [[Stephens Inc.]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]].[^1]
@ -34,20 +46,43 @@ The Stephens and Riady families both invested in the [[Worthen Bank|Worthen Bank
### Hubbell
On June 23, 1994, Riady had breakfast at the [[Hay-Adams Hotel]] with [[Webster Hubbell]], who had resigned from the [[Department of Justice]] in April, met President Clinton at ten with Huang and [[Mark Grobmyer]], and had lunch with Hubbell. On June 27 Hubbell wrote to a director of [[Hong Kong China Limited]], a Lippo company, offering his services for 100,000 dollars a year, and the money was in his account by that day. "Both Riady and Hubbell refuse to describe what services, if any, Hubbell performed," a House committee reported. Lippo also paid for a trip to [[Jakarta]] and [[Bali]] for Hubbell and his wife. An associate of Riady told a reporter: "Mr. Hubbell was our very close friend, when he left, we felt we should help him out. We didn't like to see him without a source of income." Hubbell wrote in his memoir: "it wasn't hush money." The former managing partner of the [[Rose Law Firm]], [[C. Joseph Giroir]], incorporated the [[Arkansas International Development Corporation]] with Lippo capital in April 1993 and gave close to 200,000 dollars in 1996 in connection with fundraisers organized by Huang.[^1]
On June 23, 1994, Riady had breakfast at the [[Hay-Adams Hotel]] with [[Webster Hubbell]], who had resigned from the [[Department of Justice]] in April, met President Clinton at ten with Huang and [[Mark Grobmyer]], and had lunch with Hubbell. On June 27 Hubbell wrote to a director of [[Hong Kong China Limited]], a Lippo company, offering his services for 100,000 dollars a year. The Independent Counsel's report records that Hong Kong China Limited wired 99,985 dollars into Hubbell's account on June 27, 1994.[^3] The House committee described the payment as "a lump sum of $100,000 for unknown services performed between June 27, 1994 and December 6, 1994."[^1] "Both Riady and Hubbell refuse to describe what services, if any, Hubbell performed," a House committee reported. Lippo also paid for a trip to [[Jakarta]] and [[Bali]] for Hubbell and his wife. An associate of Riady told a reporter: "Mr. Hubbell was our very close friend, when he left, we felt we should help him out. We didn't like to see him without a source of income." Hubbell wrote in his memoir: "it wasn't hush money." The former managing partner of the [[Rose Law Firm]], [[C. Joseph Giroir]], incorporated the [[Arkansas International Development Corporation]] with Lippo capital in April 1993 and gave close to 200,000 dollars in 1996 in connection with fundraisers organized by Huang.[^1]
### Plea
On January 11, 2001, Riady agreed to plead guilty in the federal court in Los Angeles to a felony charge of conspiring to defraud the [[United States]] by reimbursing campaign donors with foreign corporate funds, and to pay 8.61 million dollars, which the Justice Department called the largest fine in the history of campaign finance law. LippoBank pleaded guilty to 86 misdemeanor counts covering 1988 to 1994. Indonesia has no extradition treaty with the United States, and Riady surrendered voluntarily after about six sessions with prosecutors. He agreed to 400 hours of community service and to stay out of the country for two years. The benefits the charge said he sought included "[[Community Reinvestment Act]] exemptions for LippoBank," "a repeal of the [[Glass-Steagall Act]]," and "Most Favored Nation status for [[China]]."[^3]
On January 11, 2001, Riady agreed to plead guilty in the federal court in Los Angeles to a felony charge of conspiring to defraud the [[United States]] by reimbursing campaign donors with foreign corporate funds, and to pay 8.61 million dollars, which the Justice Department called the largest fine in the history of campaign finance law. LippoBank pleaded guilty to 86 misdemeanor counts covering 1988 to 1994. Indonesia has no extradition treaty with the United States, and Riady surrendered voluntarily after about six sessions with prosecutors. He agreed to 400 hours of community service and to stay out of the country for two years. The benefits the charge said he sought included "[[Community Reinvestment Act]] exemptions for LippoBank," "a repeal of the [[Glass-Steagall Act]]," and "Most Favored Nation status for [[China]]."[^4] The information described the reimbursement method for the August to October 1992 contributions. Contributions made by Huang in that period, shortly after Riady pledged $1 million in support of Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton's campaign for the Presidency, were reimbursed with wire transfers from a foreign Lippo Group entity into an account Riady maintained at LippoBank, and the money was then distributed to Huang in cash.[^4] The plea agreement recorded about a half dozen proffer sessions with prosecutors since August 2000, and barred Riady from making, reimbursing, or directing any future campaign contributions in U.S. elections.[^4]
### Leaving Worthen
The [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Government Reform and Oversight Committee]], drawing on the depositions of [[Vernon Weaver|Arthur Vernon Weaver]] and C. Joseph Giroir, gave the reason for the family's departure from Worthen: "The Riadys were bought out of Worthen by the Stephens family after the bank experienced a major defalcation by Bevil Bressler in 1986. After the defalcation, regulators investigated the quality of Worthen's assets and determined there were problems. Allegations were made against Worthen's loan practices and asset quality. Eventually, the Riadys traded their interest in the Worthen Bank for the Stephens' interest in the Hong Kong Chinese Bank, and also traded their interests in other joint ventures." Riady and Huang then "focused their attention on a bank they previously had purchased in San Francisco, California. Soon thereafter they established the Bank of Trade in Los Angeles, which later became LippoBank."[^4] Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation records show that the Bank of Trade, chartered in [[San Francisco]] in 1961, moved its main office to Los Angeles on October 31, 1989 and took the name Lippo Bank on January 18, 1990.[^5]
The [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Government Reform and Oversight Committee]], drawing on the depositions of [[Vernon Weaver|Arthur Vernon Weaver]] and C. Joseph Giroir, gave the reason for the family's departure from Worthen: "The Riadys were bought out of Worthen by the Stephens family after the bank experienced a major defalcation by Bevil Bressler in 1986. After the defalcation, regulators investigated the quality of Worthen's assets and determined there were problems. Allegations were made against Worthen's loan practices and asset quality. Eventually, the Riadys traded their interest in the Worthen Bank for the Stephens' interest in the Hong Kong Chinese Bank, and also traded their interests in other joint ventures." Riady and Huang then "focused their attention on a bank they previously had purchased in San Francisco, California. Soon thereafter they established the Bank of Trade in Los Angeles, which later became LippoBank."[^5] Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation records show that the Bank of Trade, chartered in [[San Francisco]] in 1961, moved its main office to Los Angeles on October 31, 1989 and took the name Lippo Bank on January 18, 1990.[^6]
### Contributions and White House access
In the 1992 cycle, the Senate committee identified 465,000 dollars in contributions from James and Aileen Riady to the Democratic National Committee and Democratic state party organizations. The committee wrote that Riady had moved back to Indonesia in 1990 and had not been a resident of the United States since that time, and that the legality of the contributions "remains in doubt" because he declined the committee's invitation to explore them when its staff were in Indonesia.[^7] The Senate committee also recorded that LippoBank was owned 99 percent by Riady.[^7]
The House committee counted at least 20 visits by Riady to the White House compound between April 1993 and September 1996, based on White House entry records. It noted that his name appeared on 25 scheduled admissions, and that he entered without a record on two occasions, June 25 and September 10, 1994.[^8]
### Chinese intelligence
The Senate committee's majority wrote that it had learned from recently acquired information that "James and Mochtar Riady have had a long-term relationship with a Chinese intelligence agency." The report described that relationship as based on mutual benefit, with the Riadys receiving help in finding business opportunities in exchange for large sums of money.[^9]
The minority views, in the response by Ranking Minority Member [[John Glenn]], stated that the non-public information received by the committee "supports the conclusion that the Riady's business dealings may have involved a relationship with a Chinese intelligence entity," but "does not support the implication that the Riadys were involved in foreign spy or other similar intelligence activity."[^10]
### Meikarta
On October 18, 2018, the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia (KPK) searched Riady's house as part of its investigation into the Meikarta permit bribery case. The KPK had already named the Bekasi regent and a Lippo Group operational director as suspects. The KPK then summoned Riady as a witness, and on October 30, 2018 he was questioned for about nine hours at the KPK office in Jakarta. He said that he personally did not know anything about the alleged bribery and was not involved in the case.[^11][^12]
### Footnotes
[^1]: House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, *Investigation of Political Fundraising Improprieties and Possible Violations of Law,* H. Rept. 105-829, 1998, vol. 2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-105hrpt829/html/CRPT-105hrpt829-vol2.htm ; Hubbell, Webster. *Friends in High Places*. William Morrow, 1997.
[^2]: Truell, Peter, and Larry Gurwin. *False Profits: The Inside Story of BCCI, the World's Most Corrupt Financial Empire*. Houghton Mifflin, 1992.
[^3]: Department of Justice, "James Riady Pleads Guilty, Will Pay Largest Fine in Campaign Finance History for Violating Federal Election Law," press release 01-17, January 11, 2001.
[^4]: House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, *Investigation of Political Fundraising Improprieties and Possible Violations of Law,* H. Rept. 105-829, 1998, vol. 2, footnotes 14-15. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-105hrpt829/html/CRPT-105hrpt829-vol2.htm
[^5]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, BankFind Suite, institution history for certificate 18453 (Lippo Bank), queried September 23, 2026. https://api.fdic.gov/banks/history?filters=CERT:18453&limit=50
[^3]: Independent Counsel, *Final Report of the Independent Counsel In Re: Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan Association,* vol. 3, part C, "Webster L. Hubbell's Billing Practices and Tax Filings," the passage on the June 27, 1994 letter and wire. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON/pdf/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON-3-2.pdf
[^4]: Department of Justice, "James Riady Pleads Guilty, Will Pay Largest Fine in Campaign Finance History for Violating Federal Election Law," press release 01-17, January 11, 2001.
[^5]: House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, *Investigation of Political Fundraising Improprieties and Possible Violations of Law,* H. Rept. 105-829, 1998, vol. 2, footnotes 14-15. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-105hrpt829/html/CRPT-105hrpt829-vol2.htm
[^6]: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, BankFind Suite, institution history for certificate 18453 (Lippo Bank), queried September 23, 2026. https://api.fdic.gov/banks/history?filters=CERT:18453&limit=50
[^7]: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, S. Rept. 105-167, 1998, chapter "John Huang's Years at Lippo," sections "Lippo Group," "LippoBank California," and "Lippo and Riady Political Contributions," footnote 37. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/1-13.htm
[^8]: House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, H. Rept. 105-829, vol. 2, 1998, Part A, section IV.A, footnotes 106 and 107. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-105hrpt829/html/CRPT-105hrpt829-vol2.htm
[^9]: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, S. Rept. 105-167, 1998, chapter "The China Connection," section "James and Mochtar Riady." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/2-18.htm
[^10]: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, S. Rept. 105-167, 1998, "Response to Majority Report," Part 9, by Ranking Minority Member John Glenn. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/6-9.htm
[^11]: Jakarta Post, "KPK to question James Riady over Meikarta case," October 19, 2018. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/10/19/kpk-to-question-james-riady-over-meikarta-case
[^12]: Jakarta Post, "James denies involvement in Meikarta case," October 31, 2018. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/10/31/james-denies-involvement-meikarta-case

193
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Jay Stratton.md
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@ -1,76 +1,189 @@
---
aliases:
- John F. Stratton Jr.
- John "Jay" Stratton
category: "UFO & Anomalous Phenomena"
tags:
- Person
- UFO
- UAP
- UAPTaskForce
- AAWSAP
- AATIP
- DefenseIntelligenceAgency
- OfficeOfNavalIntelligence
- RadianceTechnologies
- SkinwalkerRanch
- IntelligenceAndGovernment
- NavalIntelligence
- Elizondo
relations:
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]"
role: "Defense Intelligence Senior Executive post from which he retired, per the Radiance release of May 12, 2022; the Knapp report of February 2023 says the Naval Intelligence leadership loaned him to the Defense Intelligence Agency"
end: 2022
fn: 1
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Defense Intelligence Agency]]"
start: 2009
role: "AAWSAP and AATIP investigator and recruiter of Elizondo; in Elizondo's account helped create AAWSAP, wrote the report on the 2004 Nimitz encounter and the OPLAN Interloper proposal"
fn: 7
role: "AAWSAP and AATIP, per the account of Luis Elizondo; Fravor's 2023 statement places him in the ATIP program in 2009"
fn: 10
- type: director_of
with: "[[UAP Task Force]]"
role: "first director, per Elizondo, after the Secretary of Defense announced the task force"
fn: 10
role: "first director, per the Radiance release of May 12, 2022 and the Elizondo account; the Knapp report of May 23, 2022 says he was transferred out of the job in January 2021"
end: 2021
fn: 20
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Radiance Technologies]]"
start: 2022-05-12
role: "subject matter expert for intelligence strategy, member of the chief executive's strategy team, per the company release of May 12, 2022"
fn: 3
updated: 2026-10-09
summary: "In early 2009, Jay Stratton, along with a colleague, approached Luis Elizondo to recruit him for a highly classified program at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)."
fn: 1
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]]"
start: 2009
role: "recruiter of Elizondo and author of the AAWSAP report on the 2004 Nimitz encounter, per the Elizondo account"
fn: 10
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Luis Elizondo]]"
start: 2009
role: "colleague in AAWSAP, AATIP and the UAP Task Force, per the Elizondo account and the Fravor statement of 2023"
fn: 10
- type: investigated
with: "[[Tic Tac]]"
role: "lead investigator of the November 2004 Nimitz encounter, per the Elizondo account, which says the investigation preceded his own involvement"
fn: 14
created: 2025-08-20
updated: 2026-10-15
summary: "John F. Stratton Jr., known as Jay, was the first director of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, according to his 2022 employer release and speaker biography."
---
[[Jay Stratton]] is a former US Navy intelligence officer who played a crucial role in the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AATIP) and later became the first director of the [[UAP Task Force]]. He was instrumental in recruiting [[Luis Elizondo]] into the UAP investigation effort and was a key investigator and strategist throughout the process.[^1]
John F. Stratton Jr., known as Jay Stratton, is a former [[U.S. Navy|US Navy]] intelligence senior executive (a civilian member of the Senior Executive Service at the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], previously at the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]]) and a veteran of the [[United States Army]] and [[United States Air Force Reserve]], who was the first director of the [[UAP Task Force]], a Navy-led unit that the [[Pentagon]] set up in 2020 to collect and analyze reports of [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena|unidentified aerial phenomena]].[^1] His speaker biography states that he retired in early 2022 after more than 32 years of military and federal service.[^2] He grew up in East Texas and, according to a 2026 interview, joined the Army while still in high school.[^3]
This page is not about [[Julius A. Stratton]], the MIT physicist, provost and president (1901 to 1994) who was known to colleagues as "Jay." The UAP Task Force's Jay Stratton is identified in a 2022 release as "John F. Stratton Jr.," who had "recently retired" from a Defense Intelligence Senior Executive post with the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]].[^2][^3]
This page is not about [[Julius A. Stratton]], the MIT physicist, provost and president (1901 to 1994) who was known to colleagues as "Jay."[^4] The 2022 company release identifies the task force's first director as "John F. Stratton Jr."[^1]
### Recruitment of Luis Elizondo
### Career and titles
In early 2009, Jay Stratton, along with a colleague, approached Luis Elizondo to recruit him for a highly classified program at the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] (DIA). Stratton, who Elizondo pegged as a fellow special operator, explained that the program, initially known as [[AAWSAP]], was focused on "unconventional technologies" and required a senior intelligence officer to handle counterintelligence and security.[^1]
A Navy senior executive biography (PDF created June 21, 2021) states that Stratton "entered Senior Executive Service in September 2018," had "over thirty-two years of experience" with the United States Army, the United States Air Force Reserve and the federal civil service, and was then "Senior Analyst, Nimitz Operational Intelligence Center" of the Office of Naval Intelligence, "responsible for delivering comprehensive intelligence to Navy leadership." It lists earlier posts as Director of Intelligence (J2) at the Joint Warfare Analysis Center; Deputy Director Executive Support in the office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (N2N6); Director Air Warfare/SPEAR at the Nimitz Operational Intelligence Center; Chief of Air and Space Warfare, Defense Warning Office, Defense Intelligence Agency; Aerospace Engineer at ONI; Aerospace Engineer (Flight Test) at [[Naval Air Systems Command]]; and Senior Weapons Systems Engineer at [[ManTech International]]. Reserve assignments include Senior Intelligence Officer of the 459th Air Refueling Wing, Chief Space Technology at the [[Defense Technology Security Administration]], Detachment Commander with the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, and Military Advisor to the President's Special Advisor for Middle East Regional Security at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. He holds a Bachelor of Science from [[Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]] and a master's degree from [[Air University]], and the biography lists the DIA Director's Award, the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] Meritorious Unit Commendation and the ODNI Meritorious Unit Commendation among his awards.[^5]
### Role in AATIP
The 2022 release states that Stratton was "recently retired" from a Defense Intelligence Senior Executive post with the Office of Naval Intelligence and had "over 32 years in the national intelligence community."[^1] The publisher's synopsis of his memoir says he "served the U.S. on the battlefield and as a senior member of the National Intelligence Community" and "specialized in emerging and disruptive aerospace technologies."[^6] His speaker biography calls him "a highly decorated intelligence officer." It lists postings at the [[Office of the Secretary of Defense]], the [[Joint Staff]], [[United States Strategic Command]], Naval Air Systems Command and two U.S. embassies, and service in the United States Army and the United States Air Force Reserve. It states that he was "a Senior Advisor for the White House's [[Office of Science and Technology Policy]]," that he worked on UAP for "over 16 years," and that at retirement he held "the civilian equivalent rank of a 2 star General or Admiral."[^2]
Stratton was a core member of the AATIP team and a key investigator. He was the lead investigator of the 2004 [[Tic Tac]] involving the [[USS Nimitz]] Carrier Strike Group, writing a detailed report on the event that became a cornerstone of the program's research. He was also responsible for drafting OPLAN Interloper, an ambitious plan to use a carrier strike group as bait to lure UAP for observation and data collection.[^1]
[[George Knapp]] of [[KLAS-TV]] wrote in February 2023 that "From 2008 until 2021, nearly everything related to UFO activity came across Jay Stratton's desk," and that Stratton "worked at the highest levels of Naval Intelligence, which loaned him to the Defense Intelligence Agency."[^7] [[The Black Vault]], writing about the 2020 emails discussed below, identifies him as "an Office of Naval Intelligence Senior Analyst from the Nimitz Operational Intelligence Center and former Director of the UAP Task Force."[^8]
When AATIP faced internal opposition and lost its funding, Stratton worked with Elizondo to move the remnants of the program under Elizondo's portfolio of national programs to ensure its survival. He also successfully secured an additional $10 million in funding from Senator [[Harry Reid]], though the funds were later absconded by another DoD program.[^1]
Sources differ on when he left the task force. Knapp reported on May 23, 2022 (posted 9:12 PM Pacific time) that "In January 2021 ... Stratton was surprisingly transferred out of the job," and that Stratton "has never spoken publicly about his work and is not commenting now."[^9] The speaker biography gives early 2022 as the date of his retirement.[^2]
### UAP Task Force
### Recruitment and AAWSAP
After Elizondo's resignation from the Pentagon, Stratton remained in the government and was tasked by Navy intelligence leadership to build a whole-of-government interagency task force to continue the UAP investigation. This effort, which he built from the ground up, became the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, and Stratton was named its first director. In this role, he continued to push the UAP issue forward within the government, briefing members of Congress and the [[White House]] [[National Security Council]], and laying the groundwork for future legislative action.[^1]
[[Luis Elizondo]]'s account places the first contact in early 2009. He describes Stratton as "a serious male in his midthirties," whom Elizondo regarded as a fellow special operator. He writes that Stratton and a colleague, who appears under the pseudonym [[Rosemary Caine]], arrived at his Arlington office wearing blue credentials identifying them as government intelligence officials, and asked for his counterintelligence and security experience for "a highly classified program led out of our office at DIA." Stratton said he had helped create the program under the name [[AAWSAP]], which Elizondo says was focused on "unconventional technologies" and needed a senior intelligence officer to handle counterintelligence and security.[^10]
### Charter and the 2021 briefing title
[[Dave Fravor]]'s written statement to the House Oversight subcommittee on July 26, 2023 says: "It was not until 2009, until Jay Stratton had contacted me to investigate. Unbeknownst to all, he was part of the ATIP program in the Pentagon led by Lue Elizondo."[^11]
The charter of the task force, dated September 1, 2020 and issued by the [[Naval Intelligence Activity]], states that "Leadership of the Task Force will be designated by the Director of the Naval Intelligence Activity."[^4] The title slide of a briefing for the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]] dated May 17, 2021 carries the title Director, UAP Task Force, Naval Intelligence Activity, without printing a name.[^5]
The [[All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office]] historical record report of March 2024 describes the program's funding and origin. It states that "At the direction of Senate Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] (D-NV), the Defense Appropriations Acts of Fiscal Years 2008 and 2010 appropriated $22 million for the DIA," and that "DIA established AAWSAP in 2009, which was also known AATIP."[^12] The report says that the contract went to a private sector organization, that "a DIA employee set up and managed the contract," and that "AAWSAP/AATIP was terminated in 2012 upon the completion of its deliverables due to DIA and DoD concerns about the project."[^12] It states that "Unlike AAWSAP, AATIP was never an official DoD program," and that after the program ended the AATIP name was used by "some individuals associated with an informal, unofficial UAP community of interest within DoD."[^12] The report also records a letter of June 24, 2009, in which "Senator Reid sent a letter to then Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn III requesting that AAWSAP/AATIP be made a DoD Special Access Program." Lynn declined "based on the recommendation of then-Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, James R. Clapper, Jr., that such a designation was not justified."[^12]
Elizondo also writes that Stratton secured an additional $10 million for the program from Reid, and that the money was later taken by another Defense Department program.[^13] He writes that when the program lost its funding and faced internal opposition, Stratton worked with him to move its remnants under Elizondo's portfolio of national programs.[^13]
### The Nimitz encounter and Interloper
Elizondo writes that Stratton "investigated the incident before I joined the team" and "had written a detailed AAWSAP/AATIP report" on the November 2004 encounter involving the [[USS Nimitz]] that became known as the [[Tic Tac]]. He writes that pilots later told Stratton they had been debriefed by intelligence officers and saw no follow-up.[^14]
Fravor's 2023 statement addresses the same incident: "What is shocking to us is that the incident was never investigated. None of my crew were ever questioned. The tapes were never taken and after a couple days it turned into a great story with friends."[^11]
Elizondo writes that Stratton drafted the operation plan "Interloper," an ambitious plan to use a carrier strike group as bait to lure UAP for observation and data collection, which he calls "a classic 'honey pot,'" with dates, call signs, ship names and radar data, and that the Joint Staff declined to give it a compartment designation in 2016. He also credits Stratton with proposing the term "unidentified aerial phenomena" in place of UFO.[^15] Knapp's February 2023 report makes the same attribution, saying that Stratton "decided to abandon the acronym UFO in favor of UAP."[^7]
### Leadership of the UAP Task Force
On August 14, 2020 the [[Department of Defense]] announced that [[David L. Norquist]], the Deputy Secretary of Defense, had approved the task force on August 4. The release states that "The Department of the Navy, under the cognizance of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, will lead the UAPTF."[^16] The charter, dated September 1, 2020, states that "Leadership of the Task Force will be designated by the Director of the [[Naval Intelligence Activity]]."[^17]
A briefing for the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]] dated May 17, 2021 carries the title slide "Director; UAP Task Force Naval Intelligence Activity."[^18] The [[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]] assessment of June 25, 2021 states that "The Director, UAPTF, is the accountable official for ensuring the timely collection and consolidation of data on UAP."[^19]
Elizondo writes that after Navy intelligence leadership tasked Stratton with building a whole-of-government interagency task force, which he built from the ground up, with members from the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the [[National Reconnaissance Office]], [[NASA]] and the [[Federal Aviation Administration]], the Secretary of Defense announced the task force "after a couple of years" and named Stratton its first director. He writes that Stratton continued to push the UAP issue forward, briefing members of Congress and the [[White House]] [[National Security Council]] and laying the groundwork for future legislative action, and that the [[Legacy Program]] "started quietly pushing back on Jay."[^20]
Knapp's June 2022 report on [[Travis Taylor]] quotes Taylor saying that "Jay Stratton, the director of the UAP Task Force asked me if I would be interested in being the chief scientist." The report adds that Stratton "worked with AAWSAP, then its successor program AATIP. Later, he took charge of a third effort, the UAP Task Force, long before Congress formally created that team."[^21]
In his written statement of July 26, 2023, [[David Grusch]] said that "In 2019, the UAP Task Force Director asked me to identify all special access programs and controlled access programs," and that he was "a member of the UAP Task Force from 2019 to 2021."[^22]
The AARO report describes the task force's record in one paragraph. It says the task force "helped standardize, destigmatize, and increase the volume of UAP reporting," and that its "methods and processes directly led to the identification of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) high altitude balloons." The report attributes the balloon claim to "AARO discussions with UAPTF leadership."[^23]
At the May 17, 2022 hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, [[Ronald Moultrie]] was asked about AATIP and said: "I am familiar with Blue Book. I am familiar with AATIP. I haven't seen other documented studies that have been done by DOD in that regard."[^24]
### The triangular photograph
In December 2020 [[The Debrief]] reported a photograph of a triangular object rising from the ocean, attributed to an F/A-18 pilot. Emails of December 3 and 4, 2020, released under FOIA case 21-F-0299, include a message from the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations office to [[Susan Gough]] that reads "Jay [Stratton] tells me the photo is part of the active investigation, so it would probably be withheld from release for that reason."[^6]
In December 2020 [[The Debrief]] reported a photograph of a triangular object rising from the ocean, attributed to an F/A-18 pilot. Emails of December 3 and 4, 2020, released under FOIA case 21-F-0299, include a message from the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations office to [[Susan Gough]] that reads "Jay [Stratton] tells me the photo is part of the active investigation, so it would probably be withheld from release for that reason."[^8] The Black Vault wrote that the message "appeared to confirm the existence of the triangle UAP photograph."[^8]
In a statement to [[The Black Vault]], Stratton said: "At the time of this email exchange, the story in The Debrief, and the claim that an F/A-18 pilot had provided a photograph of a triangle emerging from the ocean, I was handling multiple cases." He added: "We had photographs from F/A-18 pilots, instances of UAP that appeared triangular/pyramidal, and other unrelated cases." The Black Vault reported that no such photograph "was ever received by the UAPTF." Asked why he did not correct the record, Stratton said: "Keep in mind that's an email on an unclassified system. I don't recall if I corrected it on a separate system at the time, but generally, there was no formal process for publicly addressing inaccuracies related to potentially classified reporting."[^6]
### Stratton in Elizondo's account
Elizondo described Stratton in early 2009 as "a serious male in his midthirties," who "helped create something called the AAWSAP," and who with a colleague he calls "[[Rosemary Caine]]" arrived at his Arlington office wearing blue credentials identifying them as government intelligence officials.[^7] He wrote that Stratton "investigated the incident before I joined the team" and "had written a detailed AAWSAP/AATIP report" on the Nimitz encounter of November 2004, and that pilots later told Stratton they had been debriefed by intelligence officers and saw no follow-up.[^8] He wrote that Stratton drafted the operation plan "Interloper," "a classic 'honey pot,'" with dates, call signs, ship names and radar data, which the Joint Staff declined to give a compartment designation in late 2016, and that Stratton proposed the term unidentified aerial phenomena in place of UFO.[^9] After the resignation, Elizondo wrote, Stratton fielded briefing requests from members of Congress, Navy intelligence leadership tasked him with building a whole-of-government task force with members from the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], the [[National Reconnaissance Office]], [[NASA]] and the Federal Aviation Administration, the Secretary of Defense announced the UAP Task Force "after a couple of years" and named Stratton its first director, and the [[Legacy Program]] then "started quietly pushing back on Jay."[^10]
In a statement to The Black Vault, Stratton said that at the time "I was handling multiple cases," and that "We had photographs from F/A-18 pilots, instances of UAP that appeared triangular/pyramidal, and other unrelated cases." He added: "No such photo was ever provided to us by an F/A-18 pilot showing a triangle emerging from the water." Asked why he had not corrected the record, he said: "Keep in mind that's an email on an unclassified system. I don't recall if I corrected it on a separate system at the time, but generally, there was no formal process for publicly addressing inaccuracies related to potentially classified reporting."[^8] The Black Vault reported that no such photograph "was ever received by the UAPTF."[^8] The article's author, [[Tim McMillan]], told the same outlet: "I remain confident in the accuracy of the information shared."[^8]
### Radiance Technologies
[[Radiance Technologies]] announced on May 12, 2022 the hiring of Stratton, as "John F. Stratton Jr.," for the position of subject matter expert for intelligence strategy. The release states that he was "recently retired" from his role as Defense Intelligence Senior Executive with the Office of Naval Intelligence, with more than 32 years in the national intelligence community, that as a member of the chief executive's strategy team he would lead and develop efforts in scientific and technical intelligence, and that "Most recently, he was the first Director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force (UAPTF)." It quotes Radiance president [[Tim Tinsley]] and quotes Stratton: "I am very excited to join Radiance Technologies."[^3]
[[Radiance Technologies]] announced on May 12, 2022 that Stratton had joined as "SME for Intel Strategy," as a member of the chief executive's strategy team, where he would lead and develop efforts in scientific and technical intelligence. The release quotes the company president, [[Tim Tinsley]]: "Jay's extensive experience in the Intelligence Community will be valuable in identifying and cultivating new strategic teaming opportunities within both industry and government." It quotes Stratton: "I am very excited to join Radiance Technologies."[^1]
[[George Knapp]] of [[KLAS-TV]] reported on May 23, 2022 (posted 9:12 PM Pacific time) that "In January 2021 ... Stratton was surprisingly transferred out of the job" at the Task Force, and that Stratton "has never spoken publicly about his work and is not commenting now."[^11] In a report posted October 13, 2022, Knapp wrote that Stratton urged Radiance to hire [[Travis Taylor]], and quoted Taylor: "Jay and I are working on growing the capabilities, doing reverse engineering of foreign materials."[^12] [[Liberation Times]] reported on December 3, 2023, in an article in which the attorney [[Daniel Sheehan]] alleged that the CIA supplies Radiance with non-human materials, that "multiple sources" had told it the allegation was untrue and that Stratton and Taylor "are long-time advocates for more transparency on this topic and are in no way involved in any coverup." Details are on Radiance Technologies.[^13]
In an October 13, 2022 report, Knapp wrote that Stratton urged Radiance to hire Taylor, and quoted Taylor: "Jay and I are working on growing the capabilities, doing reverse engineering of foreign materials."[^25]
In a December 2022 article in Reason, [[Mick West]] wrote that "In 2022, government contractor Radiance Technologies hired both the task force's director, John F. Stratton Jr., and its informal chief scientist, Travis S. Taylor, presumably for something at least speculatively government- and UAP-related."[^26]
On December 3, 2023, [[Liberation Times]] published an article in which the attorney [[Daniel Sheehan]] alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency supplies Radiance with non-human materials. The article reported that "multiple sources" had told it the allegation was untrue, and that Stratton and Taylor "are long-time advocates for more transparency on this topic and are in no way involved in any coverup."[^27]
### Skinwalker Ranch
George Knapp wrote in February 2023 that Stratton and his colleague [[James Lacatski]], a DIA rocket scientist, "set out to create an office" to analyze reports of unknown craft, that Lacatski, "reading about a UFO hotspot named 'Skinwalker Ranch,'" visited the property and pitched a formal investigation of it, and that "Reid agreed to fund it, and Bigelow landed the contract."[^7] The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office report records that the contract went to a private sector organization.[^12]
Elizondo credits Stratton with coining the term "hitchhiker effect" for the tendency of phenomena at [[Skinwalker Ranch]] to follow investigators home and disturb them and their families long after they leave the property.[^28]
In a 2026 KLAS report on his memoir, Knapp wrote that Stratton "spent a lot of time at Skinwalker Ranch in Utah and said he took home devious 'hitchhikers.'" The report continues: "According to Stratton, these hitchhikers never left him and continue to bother him in his own home almost two decades later."[^29]
### Memoir and public statements
The publisher's synopsis states that Stratton, "presented with a video of a mysterious advanced aerospace vehicle over a sensitive nuclear weapon site," cofounded AAWSAP, that he "learned that there is a deeply hidden UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program that has been covering up the existence of non-human intelligent life for eighty years," and that the book describes "close encounters that profoundly altered his understanding of humanity's place in the universe and took a disturbing toll on him and his family." The audiobook is read by Stratton and [[Hal Puthoff]].[^6]
In a PEOPLE interview published October 13, 2026, Stratton said that on an autumn day in 2005 a colleague brought him a classified-system video, recorded by security forces near a nuclear missile silo, of a black triangular craft with lights at each corner that accelerated out of view, and that this "was the moment that changed my world." The article says a representative of Stratton stated that the memoir was vetted by 21 agencies and departments before release. Stratton said that from 2010 his wife and sons were visited at their home by glowing orbs and "shadowy figures," and that "Once I retired, it pretty much stopped." PEOPLE reported that the book describes a nuclear submarine used to lure a craft for monitoring, and that military contractors hold at least a dozen recovered craft, and it quotes the book on a source's account: "there was indeed a crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947," with "everything" recovered, "the crash and non-human bodies." The article notes that the Pentagon publicly denied a multi-decade UAP cover-up in 2024. Stratton appears in the 2025 documentary *The Age of Disclosure*, produced by [[Dan Farah]].[^30]
The [[Hollywood Reporter]] reported on June 3, 2026 that Stratton's memoir, *Out of the Shadows: Revealing the Truth About Non-Human Intelligent Life*, will be published by the HarperCollins imprint [[William Morrow]] on October 13, and that his book deal was first announced in 2024. The publisher's synopsis, as quoted in the report, says that "While serving at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Stratton learned of UAP incursions over nuclear weapon sites, leading him to co-found the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP)." It also says that Stratton "discovered an 80-year coverup of the existence of non-human intelligent life."[^31]
[[Deadline]] reported the same month that "For over 16 years, Stratton investigated UAP and non-human intelligent life on behalf of the federal government," and that the film and television rights are held by Dan Farah. A related Deadline report says that [[Terence Winter]] is adapting the memoir for television.[^32]
A [[NewsNation]] report on the memoir described Stratton as "a former director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, a predecessor to the current All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office," and stated that "There's no indication what Stratton plans to reveal."[^33]
A KLAS report by George Knapp and John Forest, posted before the release, says that Knapp interviewed Stratton "at a UAP conference in Alabama," and gives the release date as mid-October.[^29]
Stratton was the guest on the February 7, 2023 episode of [[Weaponized]], hosted by [[Jeremy Corbell]] and George Knapp, titled "The Pentagon's Top UFO Hunter." The episode runs 1 hour 37 minutes.[^34]
[[Garry Nolan]] of [[Stanford University]] told Stanford magazine in 2023 that Stratton gave pilots who feared exposure to UAP propulsion systems Nolan's name, and the article quotes Stratton: "He has just been one of the guys in my Rolodex."[^35]
### Press and critics
The Black Vault, citing a New York Post report, quoted an anonymous former Defense Department official who described the task force as "a complete and utter waste of money" and its former director, Jay Stratton, as "a complete nutjob."[^36]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024.
[^2]: Paul E. Gray, "Julius Adams Stratton, 1901 to 1994," Biographical Memoirs, National Academy of Sciences, opening paragraph ("Jay, as he was known by nearly all who worked with him"); and MIT News, "President Emeritus Julius Adams Stratton dies at 93," June 29, 1994 (death June 22, 1994). https://www.nasonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/stratton-julius.pdf ; https://news.mit.edu/1994/stratton-0629
[^3]: "John F. Stratton Jr. Joins Radiance Technologies as SME for Intel Strategy," Radiance Technologies, PR Newswire, May 12, 2022, read in the Internet Archive capture of the same date. https://web.archive.org/web/20220512145721/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-f-stratton-jr-joins-radiance-technologies-as-sme-for-intel-strategy-301546258.html
[^4]: Naval Intelligence Activity, "Charter for Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force," Ser NW20S0068, September 1, 2020, in the Department of the Navy final response in FOIA case DON-2021-003140, April 22, 2025. https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/navy/DON-2021-003140.pdf
[^5]: Naval Intelligence Activity, "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" briefing for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, May 17, 2021, title slide. https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/UAPTFHPSCIBriefRedacted.pdf
[^6]: The Black Vault, "FOIA-Released Emails Mention Alleged Triangular UAP Photo; Former UAP Task Force Director Speaks Out," FOIA case 21-F-0299. https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/foia-released-emails-mention-alleged-triangular-uap-photo-former-uap-task-force-director-speaks-out/
[^7]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 5 to 14.
[^8]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 71 to 73.
[^9]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 143, 147 and 186 (Interloper at pp. 143 and 186; the term UAP at p. 186).
[^10]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 211 and 223 (task force and first director at p. 223).
[^11]: George Knapp, "More UFO hearings? Congress might consider hearing from these 2 men," 8 News Now (KLAS), posted May 23, 2022, 9:12 PM Pacific time, https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/more-ufo-hearings-congress-might-consider-hearing-from-these-2-men/
[^12]: George Knapp, "Is this company working with alien technology in Nevada?" KLAS 8 News Now, posted October 13, 2022 (Pacific time). https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/is-this-company-working-with-alien-technology-in-nevada/
[^13]: Christopher Sharp, "Daniel Sheehan Exposes Five Powerful Republicans Blocking UFO Disclosure Act, As The Clock Ticks Down," Liberation Times, December 3, 2023. https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/daniel-sheehan-exposes-five-powerful-republicans-blocking-ufo-disclosure-act-as-the-clock-ticks-down
[^1]: "John F. Stratton Jr. Joins Radiance Technologies as SME for Intel Strategy," Radiance Technologies release, PR Newswire, May 12, 2022, read in the Internet Archive capture of the same date. https://web.archive.org/web/20220512145721/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-f-stratton-jr-joins-radiance-technologies-as-sme-for-intel-strategy-301546258.html
[^2]: Speaker biography of John F. "Jay" Stratton Jr., FanCons, reproduced in the Anomaly Archives file for Stratton, John F. https://fancons.com/guests/bio/7662/jay-stratton ; https://anomalyarchives.org/collections/file/stratton-john-f
[^3]: Johnny Dodd, "Pentagon's UFO Hunter Reveals Himself and What He Learned, Including the Video He Can't Forget (Exclusive)," *PEOPLE*, October 13, 2026. https://people.com/confessions-of-the-governments-top-alien-hunter-12171214
[^4]: Paul E. Gray, "Julius Adams Stratton, 1901 to 1994," *Biographical Memoirs*, National Academy of Sciences, opening paragraph ("Jay, as he was known by nearly all who worked with him"); and MIT News, "President Emeritus Julius Adams Stratton dies at 93," June 29, 1994 (death June 22, 1994). https://www.nasonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/stratton-julius.pdf ; https://news.mit.edu/1994/stratton-0629
[^5]: Department of the Navy Senior Executive biography, "John F. Stratton Jr," Office of Naval Intelligence, PDF created June 21, 2021, in the Internet Archive capture of June 23, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240623122451id_/https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/About/Senior-Executives/Biographies/Stratton%2C%20J.pdf
[^6]: William Morrow (HarperCollins), product page for *Out of the Shadows: Revealing the Truth About Non-Human Intelligent Life* by Jay Stratton, publisher synopsis and contributor credits. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/out-of-the-shadows-jay-stratton
[^7]: George Knapp, "Former intelligence official breaks silence on gov't UFO investigations," KLAS-TV (8 News Now), February 2023, as quoted in the Anomaly Archives file for Stratton. https://anomalyarchives.org/collections/file/stratton-john-f
[^8]: The Black Vault, "FOIA-Released Emails Mention Alleged Triangular UAP Photo; Former UAP Task Force Director Speaks Out," FOIA case 21-F-0299, reproducing emails of December 3 and 4, 2020 and Stratton's statement. https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/foia-released-emails-mention-alleged-triangular-uap-photo-former-uap-task-force-director-speaks-out/
[^9]: George Knapp, "More UFO hearings? Congress might consider hearing from these 2 men," 8 News Now (KLAS), posted May 23, 2022, 9:12 PM Pacific time. https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/more-ufo-hearings-congress-might-consider-hearing-from-these-2-men/
[^10]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 5 to 14.
[^11]: House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, hearing "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency," July 26, 2023, Serial No. 118-53, statement of Commander David Fravor and questioning. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53022/html/CHRG-118hhrg53022.htm
[^12]: All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, "Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I," cleared for open publication March 6, 2024, pp. 22 to 23. https://media.defense.gov/2024/Mar/08/2003409233/-1/-1/0/DOPSR-2024-0263-AARO-HISTORICAL-RECORD-REPORT-VOLUME-1-2024.PDF
[^13]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024).
[^14]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 71 to 73.
[^15]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 143, 147 and 186 (Interloper at pp. 143 and 186; the term UAP at p. 186).
[^16]: Department of Defense, "Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force," press release, August 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/2021/https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2314065/establishment-of-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-task-force/
[^17]: Naval Intelligence Activity, "Charter for Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force," Ser NW20S0068, September 1, 2020, in the Department of the Navy final response in FOIA case DON-2021-003140, April 22, 2025. https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/navy/DON-2021-003140.pdf
[^18]: Naval Intelligence Activity, "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" briefing for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, May 17, 2021, title slide. https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/UAPTFHPSCIBriefRedacted.pdf
[^19]: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," June 25, 2021, p. 2. https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf
[^20]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024), pp. 211 and 223 (task force and first director at p. 223).
[^21]: George Knapp, "I-Team: Physicist reveals he's a UFO hunter for the Pentagon," KLAS-TV (8 News Now), posted June 21, 2022 according to The Black Vault's account of the report. https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/i-team-ufo-scientist-speaks-publicly-for-the-first-time-on-decades-of-work/amp
[^22]: David Grusch, statement, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, hearing of July 26, 2023 (Serial No. 118-53). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53022/html/CHRG-118hhrg53022.htm
[^23]: All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, "Report on the Historical Record ... Volume I," March 2024, p. 24 and note 70. https://media.defense.gov/2024/Mar/08/2003409233/-1/-1/0/DOPSR-2024-0263-AARO-HISTORICAL-RECORD-REPORT-VOLUME-1-2024.PDF
[^24]: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation, hearing "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," May 17, 2022, transcript, remarks of Ronald S. Moultrie. https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114761/documents/HHRG-117-IG05-Transcript-20220517.pdf
[^25]: George Knapp, "Is this company working with alien technology in Nevada?" 8 News Now (KLAS), posted October 13, 2022 (Pacific time). https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/is-this-company-working-with-alien-technology-in-nevada/
[^26]: Mick West, "The Military-UFO Complex," Reason, December 2022, as quoted in the Anomaly Archives file for Stratton. https://anomalyarchives.org/collections/file/stratton-john-f
[^27]: Christopher Sharp, "Daniel Sheehan Exposes Five Powerful Republicans Blocking UFO Disclosure Act, As The Clock Ticks Down," Liberation Times, December 3, 2023. https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/daniel-sheehan-exposes-five-powerful-republicans-blocking-ufo-disclosure-act-as-the-clock-ticks-down
[^28]: Luis Elizondo, *Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs* (New York: William Morrow, 2024).
[^29]: George Knapp and John Forest, "Jay Stratton to release new book on non-human intelligent life Oct. 13," KLAS-TV (8 News Now), 2026, undated copy. https://www.8newsnow.com/mystery-wire/jay-stratton-uap-book-release/amp/
[^30]: Johnny Dodd, *PEOPLE*, October 13, 2026 (see note 32).
[^31]: Lexy Perez, "Jay Stratton Memoir to Reveal UAP Secrets and Non-Human Life Truths," *The Hollywood Reporter*, June 3, 2026. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/jay-stratton-memoir-out-of-the-shadows-release-1236612113/
[^32]: Matt Grobar, "Jay Stratton Memoir: Release Date, Title Unveiled," *Deadline*, June 3, 2026. https://deadline.com/2026/06/jay-stratton-memoir-release/
[^33]: "High-ranking Pentagon insider to release UFO memoir," NewsNation, undated copy. https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/pentagon-insider-ufo-memoir/amp
[^34]: "The Pentagon's Top UFO Hunter - Guest: John 'Jay' Stratton," *Weaponized with Jeremy Corbell & George Knapp*, episode of February 7, 2023, 1 hour 37 minutes, episode listing. https://podwise.ai/episodes/1312011
[^35]: Sam Scott, "First Contact," *Stanford* magazine, July 2023. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/first-contact
[^36]: The Black Vault, "FOIA Release Reveals Secret Charter Behind Creation of Pentagon's UAP Task Force," citing a New York Post report. https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/foia-release-reveals-secret-charter-behind-creation-of-pentagons-uap-task-force/

119
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Joshua Caleb Sutter.md
View file

@ -12,13 +12,32 @@ tags:
- FBIInformant
- AryanNations
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-22
summary: "Joshua Caleb Sutter was a paid FBI informant from 2003 through at least 2021 whose handler directed him to infiltrate Atomwaffen Division while he simultaneously operated Martinet Press, publishing O9A texts that AWD required members to read."
updated: 2026-10-15
summary: "Joshua Caleb Sutter was a paid FBI informant from 2003 through at least 2021 who infiltrated Atomwaffen Division while he operated Martinet Press, publishing O9A texts that AWD required members to read."
born: 1981
location: "Lexington, South Carolina"
relations:
- type: informant_for
with: "[[FBI]]"
start: 2003
role: "paid informant from approximately 2003, per the government's response in United States v. Cole (Dkt. 200); handler Special Agent Bill Moser, Columbia field office"
fn: 17
- type: spouse_of
with: "[[Jillian Hoy]]"
start: 2008
role: "Lexington County, South Carolina marriage licence, per Bellingcat (June 2023); Vice wrote that he married after his 2004 release"
fn: 9
- type: founded
with: "[[Martinet Press]]"
role: "co-founded with Jillian Hoy, per Rolling Stone (June 2022)"
fn: 6
- type: head_of
with: "[[Tempel ov Blood]]"
role: "co-leader with Jillian Hoy, per the Mapping Militants Project; Master of the Tempel, per communications surfaced by Nate Thayer"
fn: 10
---
[[Joshua Caleb Sutter]] (born 1981, also known under the alias Wulfran Hall) is an American neo-Nazi, Satanist, and leader of the [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A) American nexion [[Tempel ov Blood]], who was simultaneously a paid [[FBI]] informant from 2003 to at least 2021. During that period the FBI paid him more than $140,000 for work that included infiltrating [[Atomwaffen Division]] from the inside, while Sutter used those funds in part to operate [[Martinet Press]], a publishing house he ran with his wife [[Jillian Hoy]] that produced the O9A texts subsequently distributed to AWD members and, through [[Terrorgram]] channels, into the broader accelerationist radicalization ecosystem feeding the [[764 Network|764]] network. His identity as an FBI informant was publicly confirmed in 2021 through court documents obtained and published by investigative journalist [[Ali Winston]] in the federal case against Atomwaffen Division leader [[Kaleb Cole]].[^1]
[[Joshua Caleb Sutter]] (born 1981, also known under the alias Wulfran Hall) is an American neo-Nazi, Satanist, and leader of the [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A) American nexion [[Tempel ov Blood]], who was simultaneously a paid [[FBI]] informant from 2003 to at least 2021. During that period the FBI paid him more than $140,000 for work that included infiltrating [[Atomwaffen Division]] from the inside, while Sutter ran [[Martinet Press]], a publishing house he operated with his wife [[Jillian Hoy]] that produced the O9A texts subsequently distributed to AWD members and, through [[Terrorgram]] channels, into the broader accelerationist radicalization ecosystem feeding the [[764 Network|764]] network. His identity as an FBI informant was publicly confirmed in 2021 through court documents obtained and published by investigative journalist [[Ali Winston]] in the federal case against Atomwaffen Division leader [[Kaleb Cole]].[^1]
### Original Criminal Case
@ -32,9 +51,9 @@ Sutter was born in 1981, the son of a white supremacist activist. He became invo
### FBI Recruitment and Informant Work
During or shortly after his 2003 arrest, Sutter agreed to become an FBI informant. He served a brief period of federal prison time in Georgia, then was released early in 2004 as a direct result of his cooperation. At trial in September 2021, Sutter testified under oath about his recruitment. His exact words, as obtained by USA TODAY from trial transcripts: "It was proposed that I could act in a deep-cover capacity. I was instructed to continue the relationships that I had in the right wing."[^4] This language confirms that the FBI did not retask him out of the far right; it explicitly directed him to maintain and deepen those relationships.
During or shortly after his 2003 arrest, Sutter agreed to become an FBI informant. He served a brief period of federal prison time in Georgia, then was released early in 2004 as a direct result of his cooperation. At trial in September 2021, Sutter testified under oath about his recruitment. His exact words, as obtained by USA TODAY from trial transcripts: "It was proposed that I could act in a deep-cover capacity. I was instructed to continue the relationships that I had in the right wing."[^4][^5] USA Today reported that immediately after his release in 2004 Sutter went to work for the FBI, doing "surveillance, attending in-person meetings and traveling around the country."[^5] Asked at trial what he did for a living, he answered "Publishing."[^5]
His primary FBI handler was Special Agent [[Bill Moser]] of the [[FBI Columbia Field Office]] in [[Columbia, South Carolina]]. Moser directed Sutter to join [[Atomwaffen Division]] and later directed his participation in AWD events including the [[2018 AWD Death Valley Hate Camp]] (February 2018) and the [[2019 AWD Nuclear Congress]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] (September 2019).[^5] Rolling Stone reporting confirmed Moser as handler. No other named FBI agents associated with Sutter's informant work have been publicly confirmed.
His primary FBI handler was Special Agent [[Bill Moser]] of the [[FBI Columbia Field Office]] in [[Columbia, South Carolina]]. Moser directed Sutter to join Atomwaffen Division and later directed his participation in AWD events including the [[2018 AWD Death Valley Hate Camp]] (February 2018) and the [[2019 AWD Nuclear Congress]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] (September 2019).[^6] Rolling Stone reported Moser as handler, from Sutter's testimony at Cole's trial.[^6]
From 2003 to at least 2021, Sutter received a total of more than $140,000 from the FBI, including $78,133.20 plus an expense advance of $4,378.60 beginning February 7, 2018, a period that court documents in the Cole case noted "almost entirely coincides with his work on the investigation into Mr. Cole" and the broader Atomwaffen Division probe.[^1]
@ -42,35 +61,35 @@ From 2003 to at least 2021, Sutter received a total of more than $140,000 from t
Sutter's informant history before the AWD period involved two distinct operational strands.
The first was within Aryan Nations. Sutter had served as the "Minister for Islamic Liaison" for Aryan Nations, a role in which he claimed to pursue alliances with international Islamist movements. After his 2003 conviction, he was positioned to report on [[August Kreis III]], then director of a South Carolina Aryan Nations faction. Sutter and Kreis worked together out of Sutter's Lexington home. According to contemporaneous reporting, Sutter talked Kreis into publicly pledging support to [[al-Qaeda]], a stunt that drew FBI investigation to Kreis.[^2] Kreis was subsequently charged in 2011 with VA benefits fraud (collecting nearly $193,000 in military pension benefits he was not eligible to receive) and sentenced to six months served in [[U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina|U.S. District Court in Columbia, S.C.]][^6]
The first was within Aryan Nations. Sutter had served as the "Minister for Islamic Liaison" for Aryan Nations, a role in which he claimed to pursue alliances with international Islamist movements. After his 2003 conviction, he was positioned to report on [[August Kreis III]], then director of a South Carolina Aryan Nations faction. Sutter and Kreis worked together out of Sutter's Lexington home. According to contemporaneous reporting, Sutter talked Kreis into publicly pledging support to [[al-Qaeda]], a stunt that drew FBI investigation to Kreis.[^2] Kreis was subsequently charged in 2011 with VA benefits fraud (collecting nearly $193,000 in military pension benefits he was not eligible to receive) and sentenced to six months served in [[U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina|U.S. District Court in Columbia, S.C.]][^7]
The second strand was the [[Rural People's Party]] (RPP), a pro-[[North Korea|DPRK]]/[[Juche]] front group that Sutter founded and ran from his Lexington home. The RPP promoted North Korea, idolized the [[Kim dynasty]], and distributed DPRK propaganda. According to secondary reporting, the FBI purchased Sutter's family home and used it as the base for this operation, which was directed at surveilling and targeting pro-DPRK Americans.[^7] Sutter was also described as the main propagandist for the [[Songun Politics Study Group USA]], a separate DPRK-affiliated network, before later migrating to [[Hindu esotericism]] and then to O9A.[^5]
The second strand was the [[Rural People's Party]] (RPP), a pro-[[North Korea|DPRK]]/[[Juche]] front group that Sutter founded and ran from his Lexington home. The RPP promoted North Korea, idolized the [[Kim dynasty]], and distributed DPRK propaganda. According to secondary reporting, the FBI purchased Sutter's family home and used it as the base for this operation, which was directed at surveilling and targeting pro-DPRK Americans.[^8] Sutter was also described as the main propagandist for the [[Songun Politics Study Group USA]], a separate DPRK-affiliated network, before later migrating to [[Hindu esotericism]] and then to O9A.[^6]
### Tempel ov Blood and Martinet Press
After his 2004 release, Sutter married Jillian Hoy, who served as director of Martinet Press, a publishing house specializing in occult neo-Nazi literature. Through Martinet Press, Sutter authored and published the central texts of the American O9A tradition, including:
Vice wrote that after his 2004 release Sutter returned to South Carolina and married Jillian Hoy, whom it called "the director of Martinet Press," a publishing house specializing in occult neo-Nazi literature.[^1] Bellingcat reported that a search of Lexington County, South Carolina marriage licences showed the marriage in 2008, on a licence record with the name and date blurred.[^9] Rolling Stone wrote that Sutter co-founded Martinet Press with Hoy.[^6] The Mapping Militants Project profile of Tempel ov Blood states that the group "is co-led by Joshua Caleb Sutter and his wife Jillian Hoy, who are based in South Carolina."[^10] Through Martinet Press, Sutter authored and published the central texts of the American O9A tradition, including:
*[[Iron Gates]]* (2014, 406 pp.): A novel set seventy years after a nuclear war, depicting a gang of Satanists committing acts of extreme violence including infanticide, cannibalism, rape, sodomy, torture, and pedophilia, framed as spiritual instruction for O9A adherents. The book is available in its full text through the Internet Archive. It became required reading for Atomwaffen Division members under [[John Cameron Denton]] and was distributed through Terrorgram channels into the broader accelerationist network.[^8]
*[[Iron Gates]]* (2014): A novel set seventy years after a nuclear war, depicting a gang of Satanists committing acts of extreme violence including infanticide, cannibalism, rape, sodomy, torture, and pedophilia, framed as spiritual instruction for O9A adherents. The book is available in its full text through the Internet Archive. It became required reading for Atomwaffen Division members under [[John Cameron Denton]] and was distributed through Terrorgram channels into the broader accelerationist network.[^11]
*Liber 333*: An O9A text published by Martinet Press.
*Bluebird*: An O9A text published by Martinet Press.
Sutter used FBI informant payments to fund Martinet Press operations. The financial flow, as documented through the Cole court filings, means that the U.S. government materially subsidized the production and distribution of the O9A texts that radicalized Atomwaffen Division members and, through the subsequent distribution pipeline, contributed to the broader accelerationist ecosystem.[^1]
The FBI paid Sutter more than $140,000 from 2003 onward while he ran Martinet Press, according to the defense motion.[^1]
Whether the FBI explicitly authorized founding Tempel ov Blood and operating Martinet Press has not been confirmed in any available public document. The FBI declined to comment on Sutter's publishing activities when asked by Rolling Stone.[^5]
The FBI declined to respond to questions from Rolling Stone about Sutter's role as a paid informant, Martinet Press' role in spreading O9A ideology, or whether it had been contacted by foreign law enforcement regarding either Sutter or the Tempel ov Blood.[^6]
### Infiltrating Atomwaffen Division
Sutter joined Atomwaffen Division in the spring of 2017, operating under the online alias "swissdiscipline." His entry into AWD came after AWD's Texas leader Denton, fascinated by Tempel ov Blood's combination of National Socialism and Satanic occultism, invited ToB members into the group. Sutter rapidly became an important figure within AWD's leadership structure, and through him, at least nine Tempel ov Blood members held key positions in the organization at the peak of this relationship.[^5]
Sutter joined Atomwaffen Division in the spring of 2017, operating under the online alias "swissdiscipline." His entry into AWD came after AWD's Texas leader Denton, fascinated by Tempel ov Blood's combination of National Socialism and Satanic occultism, invited ToB members into the group. Sutter rapidly became an important figure within AWD's leadership structure, and through him, at least nine Tempel ov Blood members held key positions in the organization at the peak of this relationship.[^6]
Sutter attended AWD's "Hate Camp" paramilitary training sessions in 2017 and 2018. These camps combined firearms training, physical conditioning, and ideological instruction. He organized the [[2019 AWD Nuclear Congress]] in [[Las Vegas]], Nevada in September 2019, AWD's national leadership gathering, using his FBI-provided funds to cover member travel and lodging. [[James Mason]], the author of *[[Siege]]*, made his first documented in-person appearance with AWD at the Nuclear Congress, delivering speeches calling for murder and lone-wolf attacks.[^5]
Sutter attended AWD's "Hate Camp" paramilitary training sessions in 2017 and 2018. These camps combined firearms training, physical conditioning, and ideological instruction. He organized the 2019 AWD Nuclear Congress in [[Las Vegas]], Nevada in September 2019, AWD's national leadership gathering, using his FBI-provided funds to cover member travel and lodging. [[James Mason]], the author of *[[Siege]]*, made his first documented in-person appearance with AWD at the Nuclear Congress, delivering speeches calling for murder and lone-wolf attacks.[^6]
Denton made Sutter's books (*Iron Gates*, *Liber 333*, *Bluebird*) required or approved reading for AWD members. The ideological shift provoked substantial internal controversy: members who had joined AWD as National Socialists objected to the incorporation of Satanism, and several left the group. Those who remained were exposed to the O9A framework in which murder was construed as spiritual service and transgressive violence as a form of initiatory development.
### The Cole Case and Public Revelation
Sutter's identity as an FBI informant was first publicly established through documents obtained by journalist Ali Winston from federal court proceedings in the case against Kaleb Cole in [[United States v. Shea et al.]], 2:20-cr-00032 ([[Western District of Washington|W.D. Wash.]]), before Judge [[John C. Coughenour]]. Motion-to-suppress filings in the Cole case described a confidential informant without using Sutter's name, but the details were sufficiently specific that identification was apparent to those familiar with the AWD network.[^1]
Sutter's identity as an FBI informant was first publicly established through documents obtained by journalist Ali Winston from federal court proceedings in the case against Kaleb Cole in [[United States v. Shea et al. (2020)|United States v. Cole]], 2:20-cr-00032-JCC ([[Western District of Washington|W.D. Wash.]]), before Judge [[John C. Coughenour]]. Motion-to-suppress filings in the Cole case described a confidential informant without using Sutter's name, but the details were sufficiently specific that identification was apparent to those familiar with the AWD network.[^1]
### Payment Specifics and the Cole Case Timeline
@ -80,67 +99,49 @@ The Cole defense motion, filed August 13, 2021, established the following paymen
- Specific amount from February 7, 2018 onward: $78,133.20 in direct payments plus an expense advance of $4,378.60
- The motion noted that the February 7, 2018 start date "almost entirely coincides with his work on the investigation into Mr. Cole" and the broader AWD probe
The [[2018 AWD Death Valley Hate Camp]] took place February 2018, the same month the intensified payment period began. Photographs obtained during the investigation confirmed Sutter attended under his alias "swissdiscipline."[^9]
The 2018 AWD Death Valley Hate Camp took place February 2018, the same month the intensified payment period began. Photographs obtained during the investigation confirmed Sutter attended under his alias "swissdiscipline."[^12]
Cole was convicted September 2021 and sentenced to 84 months in January 2022.
A jury convicted Cole on September 29, 2021, and he was sentenced on January 11, 2022 to seven years (84 months).[^13][^14]
### The Suppression Motion and Government Response
Cole's defense argued that the search warrant affidavit was defective under the doctrine established in [[Franks v. Delaware]] (1978) because it failed to disclose the CI's criminal history and paid status. The motion described the CI, without naming Sutter, as: "a convicted felon and currently owns and operates a publishing company that distributes white supremacist writings." It further stated: "The CI began his long career as a professional informant in exchange for consideration regarding his sentence on a federal conviction for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and an unregistered silencer."[^10]
Cole's defense argued that the search warrant affidavit was defective under the doctrine established in [[Franks v. Delaware]] (1978) because it failed to disclose the CI's criminal history and paid status. The motion described the CI, without naming Sutter, as: "a convicted felon and currently owns and operates a publishing company that distributes white supremacist writings." It further stated: "The CI began his long career as a professional informant in exchange for consideration regarding his sentence on a federal conviction for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and an unregistered silencer."[^15]
The DOJ's response acknowledged the deficiency but contested its legal significance: "Although the defense is correct that certain potential impeachment information about the informant was not included in the affidavit, that omission is hardly fatal."[^10] Judge Coughenour sided with the government: "The FBI's longstanding relationship with the informant and the compensation it paid to him, approximately $140,000 over a sixteen-year period, does not impugn his credibility."[^11] The motion was denied without a Franks hearing.
The DOJ's response acknowledged the deficiency but contested its legal significance: "Although the defense is correct that certain potential impeachment information about the informant was not included in the affidavit, that omission is hardly fatal."[^15] Judge Coughenour sided with the government: "The FBI's longstanding relationship with the informant and the compensation it paid to him, approximately $140,000 over a sixteen-year period, does not impugn his credibility."[^16] The government's response of August 20, 2021 (Dkt. 200), signed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Woods and Seth Wilkinson, stated that the informant had received approximately $140,000, "which included both compensation and reimbursement for expenses," and that $78,133.20 of it was paid since February 7, 2018, "which almost entirely coincided with his work on Atomwaffen."[^17] On August 30, 2021 the court denied the motion to suppress and for a Franks hearing, writing that the compensation "does not impugn his credibility. If anything, it suggests that he demonstrated reliability."[^18]
Critically, neither the government's brief nor the judge's ruling addressed whether the FBI authorized or was aware of Sutter's operation of Martinet Press during the informant period. The revelation provoked immediate controversy. Critics from the far right charged that the FBI had effectively subsidized the radicalization of AWD through Sutter's continued operation of Martinet Press. Critics from civil libertarians and researchers argued the FBI had failed to adequately supervise an informant who was simultaneously producing extremist material while being paid to gather intelligence on extremist networks. From the government's perspective, Sutter's informant work was credited as "instrumental in the prosecutions" against Atomwaffen Division members.[^1]
The revelation provoked immediate controversy. Critics from the far right charged that the FBI had effectively subsidized the radicalization of AWD through Sutter's continued operation of Martinet Press. Critics from civil libertarians and researchers argued the FBI had failed to adequately supervise an informant who was simultaneously producing extremist material while being paid to gather intelligence on extremist networks. The government's response argued that paying the informant about $140,000 over sixteen years "tends to suggest that the informant is reliable,"[^17] and Sutter's informant work was credited as "instrumental in the prosecutions" against Atomwaffen Division members.[^1] [[Ariel Koch]] of the [[International Institute for Counter-Terrorism]] told USA Today that, given the O9A practice of the "insight role," it had to be considered whether Sutter's work as an informant was such a role.[^5]
### Downstream Prosecution: the NSO / Suzuki Case
After AWD rebranded as [[National Socialist Order]] (NSO) in July 2020, Sutter's alias "swissdiscipline" continued to appear in the group's encrypted communications. In 2022, these records contributed to the prosecution of [[Aubrey Sakai Suzuki]], 21, of [[Nesbit, Mississippi]], who had posted on an NSO website about killing Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ people and "blowing up the system." Suzuki pleaded guilty on June 30, 2022, in the Northern District of Mississippi, to one count of transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.[^12] The Suzuki case represents a confirmed downstream prosecution in which Sutter's active informant presence inside the group generated a prosecutable lead.
After AWD rebranded as [[National Socialist Order]] (NSO) in July 2020, Sutter's alias "swissdiscipline" continued to appear in the group's encrypted communications. In 2022, these records contributed to the prosecution of [[Aubrey Sakai Suzuki]], 21, of [[Nesbit, Mississippi]], who had posted on an NSO website about killing Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ people and "blowing up the system." Suzuki pleaded guilty on June 30, 2022, in the Northern District of Mississippi, to one count of transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.[^19]
### FBI Authorization of Publishing Activities: What the Record Shows
### Publishing During the Informant Period
The public record on whether the FBI explicitly authorized Sutter's Martinet Press operations is as follows:
- The court documents describe him as "currently" operating a publishing company distributing white supremacist writings, present tense, during his active informant period
- The government's suppression brief did not contest this characterization and did not assert that the publishing activities were authorized
- Judge Coughenour's ruling did not address the publishing activities
- The FBI declined to comment when asked by Rolling Stone whether it knew about or approved Sutter's publishing role
- No document in the public record shows explicit FBI authorization of Martinet Press
- No document shows an explicit FBI prohibition on the publishing activities
The gap between these two absences, no authorization and no prohibition, is the unresolved core of the legal and political accountability question. Rolling Stone cited journalist [[Jake Hanrahan]] on this point: "to not check in on the material he's publishing, which promotes murdering children and pedophilia, that's not doing your fucking job."[^5]
### Congressional Oversight
No congressional committee, senator, or representative has filed a formal oversight letter, held a hearing, or made any indexed floor statement specifically demanding that the FBI account for its informant relationship with Sutter or its concurrent funding of Martinet Press. The 117th Congress (2021-2022) Judiciary Committee's FBI oversight hearings do not reference Sutter, Martinet Press, or the Cole case. This absence appears to be genuine rather than a search artifact.
The Cole defense motion described the informant as one who "currently owns and operates a publishing company that distributes white supremacist writings," during his active informant period.[^15] The FBI declined Rolling Stone's questions about whether it had been contacted by foreign law enforcement regarding Sutter or Tempel ov Blood. Rolling Stone cited journalist [[Jake Hanrahan]]: "to not check in on the material he's publishing, which promotes murdering children and pedophilia, that's not doing your fucking job."[^6]
### Post-Revelation Status
Sutter was not charged with any crime connected to his Martinet Press activities following the 2021 revelation of his informant status. Rolling Stone's 2022 follow-up noted: "Joshua Sutter, the FBI informant and leading O9A proselytizer, is a free man and still selling Satanist books."[^13]
Sutter was not charged with any crime connected to his Martinet Press activities following the 2021 revelation of his informant status. Rolling Stone's 2022 follow-up noted: "Joshua Sutter, the FBI informant and leading O9A proselytizer, is a free man and still selling Satanist books."[^20]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Vice. "FBI Bankrolled Publisher of Occult Neo-Nazi Books, Feds Claim." 2021. https://www.vice.com/en/article/fbi-bankrolled-publisher-of-occult-neo-nazi-books-feds-claim/; Ali Winston (journalist). August 2021. https://x.com/awinston/status/1429086087830515717
[^1]: Matthew Gault. "FBI Bankrolled Publisher of Occult Neo-Nazi Books, Feds Claim." Vice (Motherboard), August 25, 2021. https://www.vice.com/en/article/fbi-bankrolled-publisher-of-occult-neo-nazi-books-feds-claim/; Ali Winston (journalist). August 2021. https://x.com/awinston/status/1429086087830515717
[^2]: Religion News Blog / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Federal investigators infiltrate extremist groups." February 2003. https://www.religionnewsblog.com/2476/federal-investigators-infiltrate-extremist-groups
[^3]: United States v. Sutter, 2:03-cr-00158-ER-1 (E.D. Pa., Judge Eduardo C. Robreno). CourtListener docket 8143981. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8143981/united-states-v-sutter/
[^4]: Trial testimony of Joshua Sutter, United States v. Shea et al., 2:20-cr-00032 (W.D. Wash.), September 2021. DocumentCloud document 22056395. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22056395-trial-testimony-of-joshua-sutter/ Quote also reproduced in Yahoo News / USA TODAY, September 2021.
[^5]: Winston, Ali. "The Satanist Neo-Nazi Plot to Murder U.S. Soldiers," *Rolling Stone,* 2021. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-satanist-neo-nazi-plot-to-murder-u-s-soldiers-1352629/
[^6]: SPLC Hatewatch. "Neo-Nazi Leader August Kreis Sentenced for Fraud." December 2011. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/neo-nazi-leader-august-kreis-sentenced-fraud/
[^7]: Secondary reporting aggregated from multiple sources including TRAC Insight and archived blog reporting. No primary document confirms the FBI purchased Sutter's home; the claim appears in secondary sources but has not been confirmed in court filings.
[^8]: Internet Archive. *Iron Gates* (Tempel ov Blood / Martinet Press, 2014). https://archive.org/details/tempel-ov-blood-iron-gates-text
[^9]: Pahrump Valley Times. "Neo-Nazi group conducts weapons training near Death Valley." 2018. https://pvtimes.com/uncategorized/neo-nazi-group-conducts-weapons-training-near-death-valley/
[^10]: Defense motion to suppress and government response, United States v. Shea et al., 2:20-cr-00032 (W.D. Wash.), August 13, 2021. Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/kaleb-cole-august-13-2021-motion-to-suppress-1
[^11]: Order Denying Motion to Suppress, United States v. Cole, Case No. CR20-0032-JCC (W.D. Wash., August 30, 2021). Leagle.com: infdco20210901708.
[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-NDMS. "Nesbit Man Sentenced To Prison for Racist Threats." October 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndms/pr/nesbit-man-sentenced-prison-racist-threats
[^13]: Winston, Ali. "Plea Deal in the Satanist Neo-Nazi Plot to Murder U.S. Soldiers," *Rolling Stone,* 2022. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/neo-nazi-1378280/
[^4]: Trial testimony of Joshua Sutter, United States v. Cole, 2:20-cr-00032-JCC (W.D. Wash.), September 2021. DocumentCloud document 22056395. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22056395-trial-testimony-of-joshua-sutter/ Quote also reproduced in Yahoo News / USA TODAY, September 2021.
[^5]: Will Carless and Kevin Johnson. "The FBI informant who helped white supremacists, Joshua Caleb Sutter." *USA Today,* June 9, 2022. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2022/06/09/fbi-informant-white-supremacist-atomwaffen/7237901001/
[^6]: Winston, Ali. "The Satanist Neo-Nazi Plot to Murder U.S. Soldiers," *Rolling Stone,* June 5, 2022. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-satanist-neo-nazi-plot-to-murder-u-s-soldiers-1352629/
[^7]: SPLC Hatewatch. "Neo-Nazi Leader August Kreis Sentenced for Fraud." December 2011. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/neo-nazi-leader-august-kreis-sentenced-fraud/
[^8]: Secondary reporting aggregated from multiple sources including TRAC Insight and archived blog reporting. No primary document confirms the FBI purchased Sutter's home; the claim appears in secondary sources but has not been confirmed in court filings.
[^9]: "The Mainstream Publishers, Distributors and Bookshops Selling Satanist Neo-Nazi Books." *Bellingcat,* June 30, 2023. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/06/30/the-mainstream-publishers-distributors-and-bookshops-selling-satanist-neo-nazi-books
[^10]: "Tempel ov Blood." Mapping Militants Project, Stanford University and Rice University. https://mappingmilitants.org/node/534/
[^11]: Internet Archive. *Iron Gates* (Tempel ov Blood / Martinet Press, 2014). https://archive.org/details/tempel-ov-blood-iron-gates-text
[^12]: Pahrump Valley Times. "Neo-Nazi group conducts weapons training near Death Valley." 2018. https://pvtimes.com/uncategorized/neo-nazi-group-conducts-weapons-training-near-death-valley/
[^13]: Associated Press. "US jury convicts leader of neo-Nazi threat campaign." September 29, 2021. https://www.wxow.com/news/national/us-jury-convicts-leader-of-neo-nazi-threat-campaign/article_690fdfd4-e9fb-5842-9a17-d74784680f57.html
[^14]: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington. "Leader of Neo-Nazi group sentenced for plot targeting journalists and advocates," January 11, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/leader-neo-nazi-group-sentenced-plot-targeting-journalists-and-advocates
[^15]: Defense motion to suppress and government response, United States v. Cole, 2:20-cr-00032-JCC (W.D. Wash.), August 13, 2021. Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/kaleb-cole-august-13-2021-motion-to-suppress-1
[^16]: Order Denying Motion to Suppress, United States v. Cole, Case No. CR20-0032-JCC (W.D. Wash., August 30, 2021). Leagle.com: infdco20210901708.
[^17]: Government's Response to Motion to Suppress, *United States v. Cole*, No. 2:20-cr-00032-JCC, Dkt. 200 (W.D. Wash., August 20, 2021), pp. 10-11 and 17. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wawd.284365/gov.uscourts.wawd.284365.200.0.pdf
[^18]: Order, *United States v. Cole*, No. 2:20-cr-00032-JCC, Dkt. 211 (W.D. Wash., August 30, 2021), pp. 1 and 4. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wawd.284365/gov.uscourts.wawd.284365.211.0.pdf
[^19]: U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-NDMS. "Nesbit Man Sentenced To Prison for Racist Threats." October 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndms/pr/nesbit-man-sentenced-prison-racist-threats
[^20]: Winston, Ali. "Plea Deal in the Satanist Neo-Nazi Plot to Murder U.S. Soldiers," *Rolling Stone,* July 6, 2022. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/neo-nazi-1378280/

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10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Michael Riconosciuto.md
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@ -1,80 +1,202 @@
---
category: "Technologists"
created: 2024-04-25
updated: 2026-10-09
updated: 2026-10-15
tags:
- KeyFigure
- Person
- PROMIS
- CIA
summary: "Michael Riconosciuto is a computer scientist and self-proclaimed former CIA asset who claimed to have modified the PROMIS software through the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture and became a central source for Danny Casolaro's Octopus investigation."
- Octopus
- Cabazon
- Inslaw
- DrugTrafficking
aliases:
- Michael Riconosciuto
- Michael James Riconosciuto
- Michael J. Riconosciuto
summary: "Michael Riconosciuto is a computer scientist and convicted methamphetamine manufacturer who claimed to have modified PROMIS software for a Wackenhut-Cabazon venture and became a central source for Danny Casolaro's Octopus investigation."
relations:
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Cabazon Security Corporation]]"
start: 1981
end: 1984
role: "claimed to be Director of Research in his March 21, 1991 affidavit; the Bua report found no employment by Wackenhut or the venture"
fn: 5
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Robert Booth Nichols]]"
role: "partners in Meridian Arms, per Seymour"
fn: 1
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Dr. John Philip Nichols]]"
role: "business relationship at the Cabazon venture, per the Bua report"
fn: 9
- type: contractor_to
with: "[[First Intercontinental Development Corporation]]"
role: "technical advisor, per Seymour"
fn: 1
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Marshall Riconosciuto]]"
role: "father"
fn: 1
- type: spouse_of
with: "[[Bobby Riconosciuto]]"
role: "wife"
fn: 1
- type: investigated
with: "[[Nicholas J. Bua]]"
reverse: true
start: 1991
end: 1993
role: "special counsel's inquiry into his INSLAW allegations"
fn: 14
- type: prosecuted
with: "[[Department of Justice]]"
reverse: true
start: 1991
end: 1992
role: "federal narcotics prosecution in Tacoma, Washington; convicted January 1992"
fn: 29
- type: represented
with: "[[Thomas Olmstead]]"
reverse: true
start: 1992
end: 1992
role: "trial counsel in Tacoma"
fn: 29
- 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
---
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] is a computer scientist and self-proclaimed former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] asset, known for his involvement in various clandestine operations and his claims regarding the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]]. He was described as a child prodigy, wiring his parents' neighborhood with a private telephone system at age 10 and winning science fairs with laser technology, leading to a summer research assistantship at Stanford's Cooper Vaper Laser Laboratory.[^1]
[[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]
### Involvement with Wackenhut and Cabazon Joint Venture
### Youth and early laser work
Riconosciuto stated in a March 21, 1991 affidavit that from 1981 to 1984 he was Director of Research for a joint venture between [[Wackenhut Corporation]] and the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon Indian tribe]] near Indio, California; the Bua report found no evidence that he was employed by Wackenhut or the joint venture.[^2][^3] The venture, which is called "[[Cabazon Security Corporation|Cabazon Arms]]" in correspondence from the venture, is summarized by the Bua report as one "engaged in the development and manufacture of certain military type materials, which were then intended to be sold to foreign governments and forces."[^4] A newspaper clipping in the Danny Casolaro papers attributes to Riconosciuto, from the affidavit, a project to develop night-vision goggles, machine guns, fuel-air explosives, and biological and chemical warfare weapons and states that because the band was sovereign such weapons could be manufactured without congressional scrutiny for "U.S. client regimes" and "groups such as the contras."[^5] Seymour wrote that the reservation's sovereign status was used to bypass stringent federal controls on such developments.[^1] The Bua report records Nichols's view that "the Cabazon's, as a sovereign nation, were not subject to the usual export and import controls."[^6]
[[Cheri Seymour]] wrote that Riconosciuto wired his parents' neighborhood with a private telephone system at age 10 and won science fairs with laser technology, which led to a summer research assistantship at Stanford's Cooper Vaper Laser Laboratory.[^1] In a 1984 interview with [[Ted Gunderson]], recorded on tape and transcribed in the Casolaro papers, Riconosciuto said he built full-size carbon dioxide and argon lasers as a ninth grader in Tacoma, won a trip to a San Francisco electronics show through a science fair, and was then introduced to "Dr. Arthur Schalow," the Stanford laser physicist [[Arthur Schawlow]]. He said that after his first summer in the Stanford group his family placed him at a boarding school in Portola Valley so he could continue that work.[^2] [[David Corn]] reported in *The Nation* in October 1991 that as a high school student he had been "something of a scientific prodigy" and "even worked for a while in the Stanford University laboratory of Arthur Schawlow," who won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for work on laser technology.[^3]
During this period, Riconosciuto claimed to have modified the proprietary [[PROMIS]] computer software. He stated that [[Earl Brian]] made the software available to him through Wackenhut, after acquiring it from [[Peter Videnieks]], a [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] contracting official. Riconosciuto's modifications were intended to facilitate the worldwide implementation of PROMIS in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including specific adaptations for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] in [[Canada]]. This alleged modification and sale of pirated PROMIS software became a central element of the PROMIS Software Scandal.[^1]
In a separate, undated interview with Gunderson (the interviewer is initialed "T.G." and the speaker "M.R."), Riconosciuto described attending gatherings in Stanford's English department in 1965 and 1966 at which "Psychedelic Review" contributors spoke and drugs were taken, and a meeting of the Schawlow group in the Varian physics building at which, he said, the group discussed the LSD gatherings after press coverage and a participant said "I make my living with my central nervous system and I think I'm gonna leave it intact." He said that he never took LSD or any other powerful psychedelic drug, that from 1966 he did light show and sound work at the Straight Theatre in San Francisco, that he set up an electronics laboratory at the Avalon Ballroom with Bob Cohen, and that he was a full partner with Chet Helms in Family Dog Enterprises. He also said that [[Timothy Leary]] gave him power of attorney over his property in San Anselmo, which he looked after until early 1968.[^4]
However, the Special Counsel's investigation found significant inconsistencies in Riconosciuto's various accounts of his role in the alleged theft of PROMIS. He was inconsistent regarding from whom he received the software and when and where he altered it. For instance, in his affidavit, he claimed to have received a single copy of the software from Earl Brian, while at his trial, he claimed to have received three versions from [[John Philip Nichols]]. His timeline for altering the software also varied, with his affidavit stating 1983-1984, but his trial testimony indicating late 1981 to early 1983. The investigation noted that it would have been physically impossible for anyone from the DOJ to provide an enhanced version of PROMIS in late 1981, as Inslaw did not even enter into the implementation contract until March 1982, and the enhanced version was not delivered until April 1983.[^7]
### The Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture
Both Earl Brian and Peter Videnieks categorically denied Riconosciuto's allegations, stating they had never met him or each other, and had never been to Indio, California. The investigation found both Brian and Videnieks to be credible witnesses. Furthermore, the investigation found no evidence to corroborate Riconosciuto's claims of computer equipment or software modification activities at the Cabazon reservation. Witnesses, including the Tribal Chairman Art Welmas and Indio Police Chief Sam Cross, stated they never saw large computers or computer facilities on the reservation during that period. The investigation concluded that Riconosciuto was a "totally unreliable witness" and that his story was a "tale of total fiction woven against the background of accurate historical facts."[^7]
In a March 21, 1991 affidavit, Riconosciuto said that from 1981 to 1984 he had been Director of Research for a joint venture between Wackenhut and the Cabazon Indians of Indio, California.[^5][^6] The Bua report summarizes the affidavit as describing the venture as one "engaged in the development and manufacture of certain military type materials, which were then intended to be sold to foreign governments and forces."[^5] Seymour dates the joint venture's formalization to April 1, 1981.[^1] A newspaper clipping in the Casolaro papers attributes to Riconosciuto a project to develop night-vision goggles, machine guns, fuel-air explosives, and biological and chemical warfare weapons, and states that because the band was sovereign such weapons could be made without congressional scrutiny for "U.S. client regimes" and "groups such as the contras."[^7] The Bua report quotes [[John Philip Nichols]], the tribe's non-Indian administrator, as saying "the Cabazon's, as a sovereign nation, were not subject to the usual export and import controls."[^8]
Riconosciuto told *Spy* in 1992 that he "met with George Wackenhut and John Ammarell [a Wackenhut board member and consultant to George Wackenhut] in Las Vegas," with [[Dr. John Philip Nichols]] present. The magazine reported that Wackenhut denied any involvement with improper appropriation of software, and that Ammarell confirmed that a meeting took place in Las Vegas, saying, "I don't remember any specific conversations, but I think we were there to discuss the sale of George's yacht, the Top Secret. I think Nichols said he had a potential buyer."[^8] An unsigned letter in the Danny Casolaro papers, whose writer refers to his father and to the firms Stellar and Hercules Research, states that the writer's "meeting with Mr. George Wackenhut and John Amarell in Las Vegas on March 11, 1982," gave him "ample opportunity to discuss the power pack." The same letter states that "Bob Frye of Wackenhut Services, Inc., gave personal invaluable assistance" at the Picatinny Arsenal, that the cooperation received from the Wackenhut Corporation "has been nothing short of spectacular," and that the writer was "formalizing an agreement with an assistant U.S. attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be a cooperative witness."[^9]
The Bua report found that the venture existed, that a September 1981 weapons demonstration took place at a gun range in Indio, and that [[Robert Frye]] was the only individual employed by Wackenhut in the matter. It found "no evidence to support Riconosciuto's claim that he and Earl Brian were employed by Wackenhut or by the joint venture," that the joint venture had no employees, and that the firms Riconosciuto named in a call to the Hamiltons, Wackenhut Research, Inc. and Wackenhut Security, Inc., "do not exist."[^9] Frye and [[Peter Zokosky]], a former president of [[Armtec Defense Products]], described their meetings with Riconosciuto at [[Picatinny Arsenal]] in May and October 1981, and the report notes that Zokosky and Frye disagree about which trip he attended.[^10]
The 1993 report of Judge [[Nicholas J. Bua]] for the Department of Justice describes Riconosciuto's March 21, 1991 affidavit in the INSLAW bankruptcy adversary proceeding, in which he stated that he had been Director of Research for a joint venture between the Wackenhut Corporation and the Cabazon Indians and that in 1983 and 1984, in connection with his work for Wackenhut, he modified the PROMIS software.[^2] The report states that its investigators "found no evidence to support Riconosciuto's claim that he and Earl Brian were employed by Wackenhut or by the joint venture," that the joint venture had no employees at any time, and that the only individual employed by Wackenhut in the matter was [[Robert Frye]]. It also states that the firms Riconosciuto named in a call to the Hamiltons, Wackenhut Research, Inc. and Wackenhut Security, Inc., "do not exist."[^3]
Riconosciuto told [[Spy]] magazine in 1992 that he "met with George Wackenhut and John Ammarell [a Wackenhut board member and consultant to George Wackenhut] in Las Vegas," with Nichols present. The magazine reported that Wackenhut denied any involvement with improper appropriation of software, and that Ammarell confirmed a meeting took place in Las Vegas, saying, "I don't remember any specific conversations, but I think we were there to discuss the sale of George's yacht, the Top Secret. I think Nichols said he had a potential buyer."[^11] An unsigned letter in the Casolaro papers, whose writer refers to his father and to the firms Stellar and Hercules Research, describes a "meeting with Mr. George Wackenhut and John Amarell in Las Vegas on March 11, 1982," that gave the writer "ample opportunity to discuss the power pack." The letter states that "Bob Frye of Wackenhut Services, Inc., gave personal invaluable assistance" at the Picatinny Arsenal, and that "the cooperation I have received from the Wackenhut Corporation has been nothing short of spectacular." The same letter says the writer was "formalizing an agreement with an assistant U.S. attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be a cooperative witness."[^12]
### The PROMIS Affidavit and Arrest
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]
In March 1991, Riconosciuto provided an affidavit to [[Bill Hamilton]] and [[Nancy Hamilton]], owners of [[INSLAW]], detailing his role in modifying PROMIS and alleging that Peter Videnieks attempted to dissuade him from cooperating with a [[United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] investigation into the software's theft. Eight days after signing this affidavit, Riconosciuto was arrested for allegedly operating a methamphetamine lab in Tacoma, Washington. He claimed this arrest was a deliberate attempt to discredit his testimony. The Special Counsel's investigation, however, found no connection between Riconosciuto's prosecution and his allegations in the Inslaw matter, concluding that the drug case began as a local investigation and the evidence against him was overwhelming.[^1][^7]
### PROMIS claims and the House Judiciary investigation
The House Judiciary Committee report recorded that in his March 21, 1991 affidavit Riconosciuto stated that in February 1991 Peter Videnieks told him in a telephone conversation that it would be beneficial for him to refuse a committee request for an interview. On April 4, 1991 Riconosciuto gave the committee investigators a sworn statement connecting his work on PROMIS to Earl Brian and Videnieks, and said that he had two copies of the tape of the February 1991 conversation at the time of his arrest and that the tapes were in the possession of the DEA agents who arrested him.[^10] The report stated that he said that during a luncheon attended by Brian, Videnieks, James Hughes and himself, the enhanced PROMIS software was loaded into his car.[^11] The committee wrote that the timing of the March 29, 1991 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," and that the Department refused the committee access to its investigative files on him.[^12]
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]
In his January 1992 trial testimony in Tacoma, Riconosciuto said he received a message from someone named Peter telling him to be at a restaurant wearing a yellow shirt, that a man he recognized as "Norm" and others there 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."[^13]
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]
### Connections and Allegations
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]
Riconosciuto's network of connections and the scope of his alleged activities are extensive. He was closely associated with [[Robert Booth Nichols]], a key figure in [[Danny Casolaro]]'s "[[The Octopus]]" investigation. They were partners in Meridian Arms, a subsidiary of Meridian International Logistics (MIL), and Riconosciuto was a technical advisor for [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]], where Nichols was on the Board of Directors. Riconosciuto claimed Nichols was involved in large-scale illegal drug operations and money laundering, and that Nichols attempted to pressure him into illegal activities.[^1]
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]
Riconosciuto claimed to have provided valuable intelligence to former Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Brian Leighton]] regarding a drug/arms organization known as "[[The Company]]," which consisted of former military, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel involved in drug trafficking, gunrunning, and mercenary operations.[^1]
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]
He also claimed participation in a [[National Security Council|NSC]]-sanctioned drug/sting operation in Lebanon through Euramae Trading Company in Nicosia, Cyprus, another alleged NSC cutout. He described a network involving [[Michael T. Hurley]] (DEA Country Attache), [[Maurice Ghanem]], and [[George Pender]], where heroin shipments were allegedly used to fund intelligence operations and were sometimes diverted for profit.[^1]
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]
Riconosciuto claimed to have handled gold transfers, money laundering, "virtual dead drops," and altered ACH daily reconciliations for various underworld figures, including Robert Booth Nichols, [[Gilbert Rodriguez]], and [[Jose Santacruz Londono]] of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]]. He sought to provide this information to the [[Financial Crimes Enforcement Network|FinCen]] in exchange for witness protection.[^1]
### The 1991 affidavit, arrest and congressional interview
Regarding the [[October Surprise]], Riconosciuto claimed that he and Earl Brian traveled to [[Iran]] in 1980 and paid $40 million to Iranian officials to delay the release of U.S. hostages until after [[Ronald Reagan]]'s presidential inauguration, linking the PROMIS Software Scandal to the October Surprise affair.[^1] However, the Special Counsel's investigation found no credible evidence to support this claim, and evidence suggested Brian was in New York at the time of the alleged Iran trip.[^7]
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]
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]
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]
### 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]
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]
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]
### 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 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]
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 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]
### Nichols, Casolaro and the Octopus
Riconosciuto said he was a partner with [[Robert Booth Nichols]] in Meridian Arms, a subsidiary of [[Meridian International Logistics]] (MIL), and that he was a technical advisor to [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]], on whose board Nichols sat.[^1] The Bua report describes any business relationship Riconosciuto had as one with Nichols and the Cabazons rather than with Wackenhut.[^9] Riconosciuto claimed Nichols was involved in large-scale illegal drug operations and money laundering, and that Nichols attempted to pressure him into illegal activities.[^1]
Riconosciuto began talking to Casolaro before his March 1991 arrest and became a key source for the Octopus investigation, which Casolaro was pursuing when he died in August 1991.[^1] Riconosciuto claimed that Casolaro's death occurred shortly after he began investigating [[Michael Abbell]]'s connection to the [[Cali Drug Cartel]], a lead Riconosciuto had provided. He also stated that Nichols had warned Casolaro to stay away from him.[^1] Corn reported that Casolaro visited him in jail, that Riconosciuto said he had a tape recording of Videnieks's threat but never gave it to Casolaro, that Casolaro intended to call him "Danger Man" in his book, and that he told Corn Casolaro's death was connected to the writer's inquiry into his allegations and that Anson Ng, a journalist killed in Guatemala, had been investigating an episode involving Riconosciuto and the Cabazon reservation. Corn also reported that Riconosciuto had told others he had equipped AWACS aircraft destined for Saudi Arabia with radar technology proscribed by Congress, that he said he and Nichols had a falling-out in 1984 and had not spoken since, and wrote: "anything Riconosciuto says must be taken with a salt mine."[^3]
### Drug, arms and money claims
Riconosciuto claimed to have provided valuable intelligence to former Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Brian Leighton]] regarding a drug and arms organization known as "[[The Company]]," which consisted of former military, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel involved in drug trafficking, gunrunning, and mercenary operations.[^1]
He also claimed participation in a [[National Security Council|NSC]]-sanctioned drug sting operation in Lebanon through [[Euramae Trading Company]] in [[Nicosia]], [[Cyprus]], another alleged NSC cutout. He described a network involving [[Michael T. Hurley]], then the DEA country attache, [[Maurice Ghanem]], and [[George K. Pender]], in which heroin shipments were allegedly used to fund intelligence operations and were sometimes diverted for profit.[^1]
Riconosciuto claimed to have handled gold transfers, money laundering, "virtual dead drops," and altered ACH daily reconciliations for 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]
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]
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]
### Remarks on Clearances and the Aquino Question
### Clearances and the Aquino question
In an undated transcript of an interview with [[Ted 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."[^14] In the same passage the speaker says that nearly everyone in Aquino's group was psy-ops or intelligence related.[^14] 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." The initials are the only identifier in the body of the transcript. 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.[^15]
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]
### Legal Troubles and Witness Protection Attempts
### Witness protection attempts
Following his arrest, Riconosciuto attempted multiple times to trade information with federal authorities, including the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|BATF]], in exchange for entry into a [[Witness Protection Program]]. He offered to expose high-level corruption, drug trafficking, and money laundering operations, including those involving Robert Booth Nichols, [[Michael Abbell]], and the Cali Drug Cartel. However, these attempts were largely unsuccessful, with authorities often expressing skepticism or facing internal resistance to his claims.[^1]
### Relationship with Danny Casolaro
Danny Casolaro began interviewing Riconosciuto prior to his arrest in March 1991. Riconosciuto became a key source for Casolaro's "The Octopus" investigation, providing insights into the alleged criminal network. Riconosciuto claimed that Casolaro's death occurred shortly after he began investigating Michael Abbell's connection to the Cali Drug Cartel, a lead Riconosciuto had provided. He also stated that Robert Booth Nichols had warned Casolaro to stay away from Riconosciuto.[^1]
Following his arrest, Riconosciuto attempted multiple times to trade information with federal authorities, including the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|BATF]], in exchange for entry into the [[Witness Protection Program]]. He offered to expose high-level corruption, drug trafficking, and money laundering operations, including those involving Robert Booth Nichols, Michael Abbell, and the Cali Drug Cartel. These attempts were largely unsuccessful, with authorities often expressing skepticism or facing internal resistance to his claims.[^1] Seymour wrote that Gunderson, who had begun as a contact after the arrest when Riconosciuto wrote to him from jail, tried to facilitate his entry into the Witness Protection Program, and that the FBI and other federal agencies were reluctant to cooperate or to acknowledge his claims. Gunderson provided an affidavit and testified at the Tacoma trial to corroborate Riconosciuto's government-sanctioned activities, and Seymour wrote that Gunderson could not describe many of Nichols's activities there because Nichols was then under FBI investigation.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^2]: United States Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua on the INSLAW matter (1993), printed pp. 42 to 43 (affidavit of March 21, 1991, paragraph 44 as quoted). https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf
[^3]: Report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua on the INSLAW matter (1993), printed p. 55 and footnote 32 (firm names) and footnote 35 on p. 58 (employment). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it.
[^4]: United States Department of Justice, *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.* (March 1993), section "(ii) Riconosciuto's March 21, 1991 Affidavit," printed p. 44. Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. Riconosciuto's claims, as summarized by the report. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^5]: Newspaper clipping on INSLAW and PROMIS, undated, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Correspondence2." https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^6]: United States Department of Justice, *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.* (March 1993), section "(i) The Wackenhut-Cabazon Joint Venture," printed p. 56. Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^7]: 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.
[^8]: John Connolly, "Inside the Shadow CIA," *Spy,* September 1992, pp. 46-54. The bracketed description of Ammarell is the magazine's. https://www.prop1.org/legal/prisons/92wack.htm
[^9]: 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.
[^10]: 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, p. 51. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^11]: 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, p. 52 n. 131. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^12]: 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, pp. 100-101. https://archive.org/details/InslawAffairInvestigativeReport
[^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. 48, 53 (summarizing the trial testimony). https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^14]: Ted Gunderson and Michael Riconosciuto interview notes, file "Folder 7 Acc5516" (archive.org casolaro-notebooks item, file "Folder 7 Acc5516.pdf", text layer). Undated passage. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^15]: 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
[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. Cited for the claims about Riconosciuto's youth, the Meridian Arms and FIDCO relationships, the Octopus contacts, the drug, arms and money claims, the Iran claim, the railgun work and the witness-protection attempts.
[^2]: Ted Gunderson and Michael Riconosciuto interview transcript, headed "TAPE TRANSCRIPTION FROM 3-28-84," Danny Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516), archive.org item casolaro-notebooks. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. The transcript reads "Dr. Arthur Schalow"; the identification with Arthur Schawlow is editorial. Cited for the youth, Stanford and boarding-school passages, which are the speaker's own account.
[^3]: David Corn, "The Dark World of Danny Casolaro," *The Nation*, October 28, 1991. https://archive.org/details/Danny-Casolaro
[^4]: Ted Gunderson and Michael Riconosciuto interview transcript (interviewer initialed "T.G.", speaker "M.R."), undated, Danny Casolaro papers, Folder 7 (Acc. 5516), archive.org item casolaro-notebooks. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks. The speaker's own account.
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.* (March 1993), section "(ii) Riconosciuto's March 21, 1991 Affidavit," printed pp. 44 to 45, quoting the affidavit. Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^6]: Seymour, *The Last Circle* (2010), for the period 1981 to 1984; U.S. House of Representatives, H. Rept. 102-857, p. 51 (the committee wrote that Riconosciuto stated that "in the early 1980's both he and Dr. Brian were associated with the Wackenhut Corporation"). Bua, printed p. 44, gives the affidavit's Director of Research claim without dates.
[^7]: Newspaper clipping on INSLAW and PROMIS, undated, Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Correspondence2." https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks
[^8]: Bua report, printed p. 56, section "(i) The Wackenhut-Cabazon Joint Venture," quoting Nichols. Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^9]: Bua report, printed pp. 56 and 58 (firm names "do not exist"; the only individual employed by Wackenhut was Frye; "no evidence to support Riconosciuto's claim that he and Earl Brian were employed by Wackenhut or by the joint venture"; "any business relationship Riconosciuto had was between him and Nichols or the Cabazons rather than with Wackenhut"). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^10]: Bua report, printed pp. 57 to 58 (Zokosky and Frye on the Picatinny Arsenal meetings, May and October 1981). Official finding, placed as the position of the body that issued it. https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993
[^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

12
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Mochtar Riady.md
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@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ relations:
start: 1998
fn: 4
created: 2026-09-22
updated: 2026-09-23
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Mochtar Riady is an Indonesian of Chinese descent who built the [[Lippo Group]]; according to the [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Government Reform and Oversight Committee]], citing *Forbes,* he found it necessary to "Indonesianize" his name, which had been Li Mo Tie. He first met [[Jackson Stephens]] and [[Witt Stephens]] of [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] in 1976, when he was looking into buying [[Bert Lance]]'s share of the [[National Bank of Georgia]]; that purchase fell through, and in 1978 the two families formed [[Stephens Finance Ltd.]] in [[Hong Kong]].[^1] The Riady and Stephens families later controlled [[Worthen Bank]] in Little Rock together.[^1][^2]
@ -38,11 +38,13 @@ Mochtar Riady is an Indonesian of Chinese descent who built the [[Lippo Group]];
The Riadys gave more than 450,000 dollars to the [[Democratic National Committee]] and state Democratic parties in the 1992 election cycle.[^3] Shortly after [[Bill Clinton]] took office, Mochtar Riady wrote to him advocating, among other things, most-favored-nation trade status for China, and thanked him "for the personal time he spent with the Riady family on Inauguration day 1993." He and [[John Huang]] asked Commerce Secretary [[Ron Brown]] to meet Shen Jueren, chairman of China Resources.[^1] In June 1994 [[Hong Kong China Limited]], a Lippo company, engaged the former associate attorney general [[Webster Hubbell]] as a consultant "for a fee of $100,000.00 per year," and in September 1994, after meetings in a Hong Kong office building bearing the Lippo name, Hubbell traveled to Jakarta, where he "met Mochtar Riady, head of the Riady family business, and the [[United States]] Ambassador to Indonesia." James Riady introduced Hubbell there as a close friend of the president and told him to get Clinton to play golf in Bali during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.[^3]
In 1998 the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, in its report on the 1996 campaign-finance investigation, stated: "James and Mochtar Riady have had a long-term relationship with a Chinese intelligence agency." It also noted that they had known Clinton since the mid-1980s, when they held a controlling interest in Worthen Bank.[^4] His son [[James Riady]] pleaded guilty in January 2001 to violating federal election law.[^5]
In 1998 the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, in its report on the 1996 campaign-finance investigation, stated: "James and Mochtar Riady have had a long-term relationship with a Chinese intelligence agency." It also noted that they had known Clinton since the mid-1980s, when they held a controlling interest in Worthen Bank.[^4] His son [[James Riady]] pleaded guilty in January 2001 to violating federal election law.[^5] The minority views appended to the Senate report, in the response by Ranking Minority Member [[John Glenn]], stated that the majority's conclusions about the Riadys' connections to Chinese intelligence sources rested primarily on public proceedings. They said non-public information "supports the conclusion that the Riady's business dealings may have involved a relationship with a Chinese intelligence entity," but "does not support the implication that the Riadys were involved in foreign spy or other similar intelligence activity."[^6]
### Hong Kong Chinese Bank
After a defalcation at Worthen Bank in 1986 and the regulatory review of its assets that followed, the Riadys, according to the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, "traded their interest in the Worthen Bank for the Stephens' interest in the [[Hong Kong Chinese Bank]], and also traded their interests in other joint ventures." In late 1992 [[China Resources]], described by the committee as "a Chinese Government owned company which is a joint venture partner with the Lippo Group," bought 15 percent of that bank, and it later "infused the failing LippoLand with tens of millions of dollars, effectively bailing the Riady family out of a precarious financial situation." In 1993 Riady and Huang also arranged a meeting between Shen Jueren of China Resources and Vice President [[Al Gore]].[^6]
Senate testimony in July 1997 by [[Thomas R. Hampson]], an investigator who advises American corporations, described China Resources as "widely reported to be a corporate agent of economic and political espionage serving the government of China." In spring 1997 Stephen Riady announced that the Hong Kong Chinese Bank would be renamed the Lippo China Resources Bank, because China Resources had become an equal partner in the bank.[^7]
After a defalcation at Worthen Bank in 1986 and the regulatory review of its assets that followed, the Riadys, according to the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, "traded their interest in the Worthen Bank for the Stephens' interest in the [[Hong Kong Chinese Bank]], and also traded their interests in other joint ventures." In late 1992 [[China Resources]], described by the committee as "a Chinese Government owned company which is a joint venture partner with the Lippo Group," bought 15 percent of that bank, and it later "infused the failing LippoLand with tens of millions of dollars, effectively bailing the Riady family out of a precarious financial situation." In 1993 Riady and Huang also arranged a meeting between Shen Jueren of China Resources and Vice President [[Al Gore]].[^8]
### Footnotes
@ -51,4 +53,6 @@ After a defalcation at Worthen Bank in 1986 and the regulatory review of its ass
[^3]: Office of the Independent Counsel. *Final Report of the Independent Counsel In Re: Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan Association,* vol. 3, part C, on Webster Hubbell. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON/pdf/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON-3-2.pdf
[^4]: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. *Investigation of Illegal or Improper Activities in Connection with 1996 Federal Election Campaigns,* S. Rept. 105-167, 1998, "The China Connection." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/2-18.htm
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice. "James Riady Pleads Guilty, Will Pay Largest Fine in Campaign Finance History for Violating Federal Election Law." Press release 01-17, January 11, 2001.
[^6]: House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. *Investigation of Political Fundraising Improprieties and Possible Violations of Law,* H. Rept. 105-829, vol. 2, 1998, footnotes 14 and 115-119. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-105hrpt829/html/CRPT-105hrpt829-vol2.htm
[^6]: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, S. Rept. 105-167, 1998, "Response to Majority Report," Part 9, by Ranking Minority Member John Glenn. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/6-9.htm
[^7]: Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, S. Rept. 105-167, 1998, chapter "John Huang's Years at Lippo," including the testimony of Thomas R. Hampson, July 15, 1997. https://irp.fas.org/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/1-13.htm
[^8]: House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. *Investigation of Political Fundraising Improprieties and Possible Violations of Law,* H. Rept. 105-829, vol. 2, 1998, footnotes 14 and 115-119. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-105hrpt829/html/CRPT-105hrpt829-vol2.htm

20
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Thomas Olmstead.md
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@ -7,14 +7,28 @@ tags:
- Lawyer
- INSLAW
summary: "Olmstead questioned Peter Videnieks during the trial about his knowledge of the Wackenhut Corporation-Cabazon Indian Reservation joint venture, his relationship with Earl Brian, and his involvement with Hadron Company."
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: represented
with: "[[Michael Riconosciuto]]"
start: 1991
end: 1992
role: "trial counsel in the Tacoma drug case"
fn: 3
---
[[Thomas Olmstead]] was the attorney for [[Michael Riconosciuto]]. He represented Riconosciuto during his trial in Tacoma, Washington, where Riconosciuto's defense rested on his ability to prove he worked for the [[United States|U.S. government]] in intelligence and undercover operations.[^1]
Olmstead questioned [[Peter Videnieks]] during the trial about his knowledge of the [[Wackenhut Corporation]]-[[Cabazon Indian Reservation]] joint venture, his relationship with [[Earl Brian]], and his involvement with Hadron Company. He also pressed Videnieks on "Modification No. 12" of the [[PROMIS]] software and the bankruptcy court's ruling that the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]] had "stolen" [[PROMIS]] from [[INSLAW]] through Videnieks' handling of it.[^1]
Olmstead questioned [[Peter Videnieks]] during the trial about his knowledge of the [[Wackenhut Corporation]]-[[Cabazon Indian Reservation]] joint venture, his relationship with [[Earl Brian]], and his involvement with Hadron Company. He also pressed Videnieks on "Modification No. 12" of the [[PROMIS]] software and the bankruptcy court's ruling that the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]] had "stolen" PROMIS from [[INSLAW]] through Videnieks' handling of it.[^1]
[[Michael Riconosciuto]] communicated with [[Cheri Seymour]] and [[J.H.]] (an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent) to convey information that Olmstead could use in his defense, including details about "[[The Company]]" and Riconosciuto's attempts to enter the [[Witness Protection Program]].[^1]
Michael Riconosciuto communicated with [[Cheri Seymour]] and [[J.H.]] (an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent) to convey information that Olmstead could use in his defense, including details about "[[The Company]]" and Riconosciuto's attempts to enter the [[Witness Protection Program]].[^1]
### Trial and verdict, January 1992
A federal jury in Tacoma convicted Michael Riconosciuto on seven drug counts on January 17, 1992, and acquitted him on three others. Olmstead and his client branded four videotapes, which showed drugs being delivered to a government informer, as fake. The Associated Press reported at the opening of the trial that Olmstead told the jury Riconosciuto was the victim of a government plot, that the chemicals found near Tonasket were used to extract platinum from mining wastes, and that the defense would offer expert testimony that recordings can be altered.[^2] It reported at the verdict that Olmstead said he would decide whether to appeal after the sentencing set for March 20, 1992.[^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]: 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
[^3]: Associated Press, "Jury Says Guilty," January 19, 1992, Seattle Times archive. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920119/1471110/jury-says-guilty

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10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Wolfgang Pauli.md
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@ -4,19 +4,40 @@ aliases:
category: "Scientists & Researchers"
tags:
- Person
summary: "Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his pioneering work on quantum mechanics, particularly the Pauli exclusion principle."
summary: "Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958) was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his pioneering work on quantum mechanics, particularly the Pauli exclusion principle."
born: 1900-04-25
died: 1958-12-15
location: "Vienna, Austria"
relations:
- type: partner_of
with: "[[Carl Jung]]"
role: "correspondent and collaborator on synchronicity and the archetypes; 80 letters, 39 by Pauli, exchanged 1932 to 1958"
start: 1932
end: 1958
fn: 3
updated: 2026-10-15
---
Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his pioneering work on quantum mechanics, particularly the Pauli exclusion principle. He is also famously associated with the "Pauli effect," a phenomenon where technical equipment inexplicably malfunctions or breaks in his presence[^1].
Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958) was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his pioneering work on quantum mechanics, particularly the Pauli exclusion principle. He is also famously associated with the "Pauli effect," a phenomenon where technical equipment inexplicably malfunctions or breaks in his presence[^1].
The Pauli effect was coined after numerous instances were noted where Pauli was present and technical equipment malfunctioned, fell, broke, or sustained unusual damage. For example, in February 1950, during a visit to [[Princeton University]], the cyclotron Pauli had come to observe inexplicably caught fire[^1].
### The 1948 letter to Jung
Pauli's own account of the phenomenon is a letter to Jung dated June 16, 1948. It opens: "When that amusing 'Pauli effect' of the overturned vase occurred, on the occasion of the founding of the [[C. G. Jung Institute]], I had the immediate and vivid impression that I should 'pour out water inside'."[^2] The letter says that the connection between psychology and physics in Jung's talk made clear "what I was to do," and that "the outcome of all this is the enclosed essay."[^2] The appendix of the letters edition prints an unpublished essay, "Modern Examples of Background Physics" ("Hintergrundsphysik"), which [[Engelbert Schücking]] described as found with the correspondence and as addressing its main theme.[^3]
Pauli, along with psychiatrist [[Carl Jung]], had a lively conversation about [[Extrasensory Perception|ESP]] and [[Psychokinesis|PK]], discussing a paper by physicist Robert A. McConnell titled "ESP - Fact or Fancy?" Jung remarked on how some age-old mysteries never change, and that attempts to explain away seemingly miraculous results often fail against the facts[^1].
Pauli wrote an article on the subject titled "Background Physics," in which he discussed the relationships between physics, the conscious, and the unconscious[^1]. His association with Jung and his interest in the unconscious aspects of reality highlight a unique intersection of physics and parapsychology.
Pauli wrote an article on the subject titled "Background Physics," in which he discussed the relationships between physics, the conscious, and the unconscious[^1]. The appendix of Atom and Archetype (2001 English edition) prints the essay as "Modern Examples of Background Physics" ("Hintergrundsphysik").[^3] His association with Jung and his interest in the unconscious aspects of reality highlight a unique intersection of physics and parapsychology.
### Death
Pauli died of cancer at the [[Red Cross Hospital]] in Zürich on December 15, 1958, aged 58.[^4] The stomach pains began during a lecture on December 5, and on December 6 he was taken to the Red Cross Hospital on Gloriastrasse. On the Monday evening Pauli asked [[Charles Enz]] whether he had seen the room number: "137!" Enz replied that it must mean good luck, and Pauli "was not convinced."[^5] The papers passed to his widow, [[Franca Pauli]], who with Enz, his last assistant, began sorting and administering the collection.[^4]
### 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]: C. A. Meier, ed., Atom and Archetype: The Pauli/Jung Letters, 1932-1958 (Princeton University Press, 2001), pp. 33-34, letter of Wolfgang Pauli to C. G. Jung, Zollikon-Zurich, June 16, 1948.
[^3]: Engelbert L. Schücking, review of Atom and Archetype: The Pauli/Jung Letters, 1932-1958, Physics Today 55, no. 9 (September 2002), DOI 10.1063/1.1522220, https://physicstoday.aip.org/article/55/9/62/757315.
[^4]: CERN Archives, Archives of Wolfgang Pauli (CERN-ARCH-WP), fonds description, https://archives.cern.ch/index.php/cern-arch-wp.
[^5]: Charles P. Enz, No Time to Be Brief: A Scientific Biography of Wolfgang Pauli (Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 533.