The_Info_Web/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Michael Riconosciuto.md

category	created	updated	tags	summary
Technologists	2024-04-25	2026-10-08	KeyFigure Person PROMIS CIA	Michael Riconosciuto is a computer scientist and self-proclaimed former CIA asset who claimed to have modified the PROMIS software for worldwide intelligence distribution through the Wackenhut-Cabazon joint venture, becoming a central source for Danny Casolaro's Octopus investigation.

Michael Riconosciuto is a computer scientist and self-proclaimed former Central Intelligence Agency asset, known for his involvement in various clandestine operations and his claims regarding the PROMIS Software Scandal. He was described as a child prodigy, wiring his parents' neighborhood with a private telephone system at age 10 and winning science fairs with laser technology, leading to a summer research assistantship at Stanford's Cooper Vaper Laser Laboratory.¹

Involvement with Wackenhut and Cabazon Joint Venture

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 near Indio, California; the Bua report found no evidence that he was employed by Wackenhut or the joint venture.²³ This venture, known as "Cabazon Arms," aimed to develop and manufacture military and national security materials, including night vision goggles, machine guns, fuel-air explosives, and biological and chemical warfare weapons. The sovereign status of the reservation was utilized to bypass stringent federal controls on such developments.¹

During this period, Riconosciuto claimed to have modified the proprietary PROMIS computer software. He stated that Earl Brian made the software available to him through Wackenhut, after acquiring it from Peter Videnieks, a Department of Justice 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 and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Canada. This alleged modification and sale of pirated PROMIS software became a central element of the PROMIS Software Scandal.¹

However, the Special Counsel's investigation found significant inconsistencies in Riconosciuto's various accounts of his role in the alleged theft of PROMIS. He was inconsistent regarding from whom he received the software and when and where he altered it. For instance, in his affidavit, he claimed to have received a single copy of the software from Earl Brian, while at his trial, he claimed to have received three versions from John Philip Nichols. His timeline for altering the software also varied, with his affidavit stating 1983-1984, but his trial testimony indicating late 1981 to early 1983. The investigation noted that it would have been physically impossible for anyone from the DOJ to provide an enhanced version of PROMIS in late 1981, as Inslaw did not even enter into the implementation contract until March 1982, and the enhanced version was not delivered until April 1983.⁴

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."⁴

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."⁵ 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."⁶

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

The PROMIS Affidavit and Arrest

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 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.¹⁴

Connections and Allegations

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, 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

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

He also claimed participation in a National Security Council-sanctioned drug/sting operation in Lebanon through Euramae Trading Company in Nicosia, Cyprus, another alleged NSC cutout. He described a network involving Michael T. Hurley (DEA Country Attache), Maurice Ghanem, and George Pender, where heroin shipments were allegedly used to fund intelligence operations and were sometimes diverted for profit.¹

Riconosciuto claimed to have handled gold transfers, money laundering, "virtual dead drops," and altered ACH daily reconciliations for various underworld figures, including Robert Booth Nichols, Gilbert Rodriguez, and Jose Santacruz Londono of the Cali Drug Cartel. He sought to provide this information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in exchange for witness protection.¹

Regarding the October Surprise, Riconosciuto claimed that he and Earl Brian traveled to Iran in 1980 and paid $40 million to Iranian officials to delay the release of U.S. hostages until after Ronald Reagan's presidential inauguration, linking the PROMIS Software Scandal to the October Surprise affair.¹ However, the Special Counsel's investigation found no credible evidence to support this claim, and evidence suggested Brian was in New York at the time of the alleged Iran trip.⁴

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

Remarks on 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."⁷ In the same passage the speaker says that nearly everyone in Aquino's group was psy-ops or intelligence related.⁷ 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.⁸

Legal Troubles and Witness Protection Attempts

Following his arrest, Riconosciuto attempted multiple times to trade information with federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 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

Footnotes

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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. U.S. Department of Justice. Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc. March 1993. ↩︎

5. John Connolly, "Inside the Shadow CIA," Spy, September 1992, pp. 46-54. Sole source for the Las Vegas account in this form; the bracketed description of Ammarell is the magazine's. https://www.prop1.org/legal/prisons/92wack.htm ↩︎

6. 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. ↩︎

7. 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. Sole source for the passages so cited. https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks ↩︎

8. Letter over the name of Arthur Welmas, Cabazon Arms letterhead, Indio, California, dated "May 1" (year not printed), Danny Casolaro papers, folder "Wackenhut-Correspondence." https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks ↩︎