by admin » Thu Apr 28, 2016 11:45 pm
Hard Decision: Napa Judge Must Decide What to Do With Wife of a Key Federal Witness
by Harry V. Martin
Copyright, Napa Sentinel, 1992
From the Halls of Congress, to the Cabazon Indian Reservation, to a Federal Grand Jury in Chicago, many eyes are focused on what Napa Municipal Court Judge John Quigley will do.
Judge Quigley must decide whether or not Roberta Peterson Riconoscuito is extradited to the State of Washington. Riconoscuito was arrested in Napa on Thursday, November 12 near Vintage High School on an out-of-state warrant for custodial interference. It is a simple enough judicial case, if child custody were the real issue, but it isn't. The Judge reduced her bail from $50,000 to $7,500 and she was bailed out Monday from Napa County Jail. He also moved the hearing date to Monday, December 7, allowing her two weeks to gather up her paper work.
Held without bail on November 12, Riconoscuito was later allowed to have bail, $50,000 worth. The Napa County Probation Department this week has recommended bail be reduced to $7500. Riconoscuito's first arraignment on November 13 was held under unusually strict security. A rumor had been circulated that a violent attempt would be made to rescue her. Rumor was also spread throughout the jail that Riconoscuito had severely beaten her child, because of that rumor Riconoscuito was locked up in protective custody. The inmates, however, later retracted their threats of harm to Riconoscuito when they learned the rumors were totally unfounded. Three of the Riconoscuito's children are now with their father and the other is with family friends.
Strangely enough, the Napa County Probation report indicates that the Riconoscuito's children were well cared for, that the father knew at all times where Riconoscuito was located and that he is willing to return the children to her once she becomes settled. The report indicates Riconoscuito is no danger to the community.
Riconoscuito, the mother of four children, is caught in a national whirlwind that is drowning her and her children. She has been a key witness to the murder of an Indian leader of the Cabazon Tribe, and also has testified against law enforcement officials in the State of Washington. She has also cooperated with the F.B.I. on ritual child abuse issues in Washington.
Riconoscuito's husband, Michael, is currently in jail in Chicago waiting to testify before a Federal Grand Jury investigating one of the biggest scandals in the U.S. Justice Department History, what some judges and congressmen refer to as "dirtier than Watergate". Michael has told the Sentinel this weekend that he will refuse to testify before the Grand Jury until his wife is safe. He does not have a problem with her being in Napa, but he fears her extradition to Washington.
There are two major facets to this very complicated case involving Riconoscuito and her husband. One is the domestic issue, itself, and the other involves government corruption at the highest levels including at least two murders.
The out-of-state warrant involves the domestic side of the issue. In 1987, Riconoscuito and her former husband Steve Peterson had a custody battle. A temporary court decree gave Peterson custody of their two children, but it was later revoked. On January 31, 1989, the Oregon State Police sided with Riconoscuito and refused to remove her children, despite Peterson's request that they be picked up. Riconoscuito has never received any court documents taking custody of her children away. Suddenly, on November 12 she is arrested on a three year old warrant. Strangely enough, that warrant was allegedly issued on January 26, 1989 and the Oregon State Police did not find it to be legitimate five days later.
But more at stake for Riconoscuito was the question of alleged spousal abuse. Psychological records indicate that Peterson apparently severely beat his wife while she was pregnant and she almost lost the child. She fled to Texas after recovering in the hospital and later had the baby, almost losing her life in child birth. The children were also allegedly abused by Peterson. Riconoscuito fled for her safety and the safety of her children.
But even more complicating is the fact that Peterson's life-long friend from boyhood is the prime suspect in the murder of three people in Southern California. Riconoscuito was called before the Riverside Grand Jury to testify in that case. F.B.I. records indicate that the murder suspect is a hired killer who has been paid to kill either Riconoscuito or her husband, an effort to prevent his critical testimony before the Grand Jury. Criminal records in the state Attorney General's Office also verify that both Riconoscuito and her husband are at risk and should be protected. But the federal government, deeply involved in the Justice Department scandal, has been able to block any Grand Jury indictments and thus Riconoscuito and her husband remain at risk without law enforcement protection.
The Napa County Human Services Department may have made a fatal error already, having released three children to Peterson. They are now in the State of Washington in his home, the children could be used as leverage to prevent Riconoscuito's husband from testifying to the Federal Grand Jury. The testimony he supplied to the U.S. House Judicial Committee has been considered valid by the Congress. Riconoscuito's husband was the computer "whiz kid" of the CIA. Though the government fears his testimony, they need to keep him alive because he maintains critical computer codes in his head that would release billions of hidden dollars in CIA accounts all over the globe.
The Sentinel has also learned that a $2900 airline ticket was purchased in the State of Washington under Riconoscuito's name. The airline ticket was for foreign travel. Based on this information, the warrant was pushed by the same federal agent that arrested her husband after her husband had testified to Congress on the INSLAW case. Riconoscuito was homeless at the time of the airline ticket purchase, she was living with friends in American Canyon and had just been released from the Martinez Hospital. She had no funds nor where-with-all to purchase $2900 worth of airline tickets. She has been living secretly in Napa for 10 months.
Despite the fact that she was in hiding, an "800" number had been supplied to her former husband so that he could keep in touch with the children. He never used the number, according to Riconoscuito.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is now aware of Riconoscuito's arrest. They apparently are stepping into her husband's case and he may be released from prison on trumped up drug charges by Christmas. What action the Congress will take to protect Riconoscuito is not known at this time.
Michael Riconoscuito was a computer expert for the Central Intelligence Agency, he was their Einstein. There was nothing he couldn't do with a computer, for good or for bad. But he had many secrets and he began to see the ruthlessness of his colleagues. Michael Riconoscuito decided to testify about massive corruption in the U.S. Justice Department and the intelligence agency. He agreed to provide his insider knowledge to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee investigating the INSLAW affair. He also gave his testimony to a Federal Bankruptcy Court which ruled that the Justice Department was deceitful, stole a $6 million software package. The INSLAW case was considered by members of Congress and the Federal Bankruptcy Judge to be dirtier than "Watergate". In fact, the Judge was removed from the bench after 14 years because of his ruling against the Justice Department.
Michael Riconoscuito, in providing his testimony, warned Congress and the Courts that he had been threatened should he testify he would be arrested and his wife would lose a custody battle involving her children by a former marriage. The threats were carried in the Washington Times, St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Napa Sentinel. Within a week of Riconoscuito's testimony he was arrested by Federal Agents. Even while under arrest, he was subpoenaed to testify before a U.S. Federal Grand Jury seated to hear the INSLAW case. On Thursday, November 12, Michael Riconoscuito made a declaration to the court. After the declaration was filed his wife, Bobbie, was arrested, in Napa. Bobbie was arrested on a Washington warrant, charged with custodial interference. The warrant was three years old and it actually may be invalid inasmuch as Bobbie was never subpoenaed to appear before a custody suit after a temporary order giving custody of their children to the father was overturned years ago. When Bobbie was arraigned on Friday, heavy security was on hand and everyone was subject to electronic and personal search, a very unusual step associated with such a minor charge. She was being held without bail. Bail was finally set at $50,000. Bobbie had just delivered a letter to the Sentinel addressed to Congressman Jack Brooks and then a few minutes later she was arrested. Her arrest sparked interest with several national radio talk shows and some national media.
The federal agent who arrested Michael Riconoscuito after his Congressional declaration is the same agent who called the Napa County District Attorney's Office to have Bobbie arrested. The children voluntarily left with their father yesterday, but they indicated they felt it was only temporary.
After Michael Riconoscuito's arrest, Bobbie went into hiding, she and her family had been threatened and their home broken into. Both Bobbie and Michael Riconoscuito felt that the children were as much in danger as they were. Michael Riconoscuito possessed the knowledge that could destroy powerful forces in and out of Washington. In an August 1992 report from the Brooks Committee in Congress, Michael Riconoscuito is given high credibility for his testimony. The Congress, after reviewing the entire INSLAW case for nearly two years, asked for a Special Prosecutor. The Congressional report also was critical of the Justice Department's cover-ups, missing records and total lack of cooperation with Congressional requests and subpoenas.
Judge Quigley now has momentary control over the INSLAW case, something he has no knowledge about, but his decision could shape the direction of how the key witness testifies or doesn't testify. Yet, as a matter of pure law, Judge Quigley needs only to decide whether probable cause exists to extradite Riconoscuito in a domestic case. In the mean time, Michael Riconoscuito refused any further testimony to the Federal Grand Jury and refused to produce any further documents while his wife is under threat of extradition.