Addendum 3 to Federal Corruption
by Harry V. Martin
Copyright Napa Sentinel, 1991
EDITOR'S NOTE: On March 12 through April 23, 1991, the Napa Sentinel published 11 articles involving the INSLAW case, the theft by the federal government of a sensitive software from a small computer company in Washington, D.C. The Sentinel, which was one of three newspapers to first print material on INSLAW, has presented several updates. This is one of those updates.
Two things don't seem to equate very well in this world, investigating the infamous INSLAW case and staying alive! There has been a series of deaths with direct association to the INSLAW case, most of them have been termed "suicides", but federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are beginning to take a second look at some of these cases.
It is known that one Indian leader of the Cabazon tribe and two other men were murdered in execution style several years ago. They were protesting against the virtual "take over" of the Indian nation in Riverside County by federal agents representing the Central Intelligence Agency and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Not only was the Indian tribe manufacturing night vision goggles and biological and chemical weapons for shipment to the Contras, but they were also involved in the modification of INSLAW's PROMIS software. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office is now reexamining the case.
In this particular case, there was sufficient evidence presented as to who was responsible for the murders, but no arrests or convictions occurred despite eyewitness testimony. The key witness, Jimmy Hughes, is now hiding in Central America. The man who helped him escape was interviewed by the Sentinel several months ago. The key witness had been hiding in Sonoma County for a while. The witness states that the executions of the three men "were authorized and backed by a government covert operation".
The INSLAW case involves what a federal judge termed "theft, deception and deceit" on the part of the U.S. Justice Department, the judge was removed from the bench and blackballed in the Washington, D.C. legal society. The Justice Department had a contract with INSLAW to produce the PROMIS software, but the firm was never paid. Instead, efforts were made by friends of then Attorney General Edwin Meese to buy out INSLAW. When INSLAW refused, Peter Videnieks, who had direct links with Meese and Dr. Earl Brian, both former members of Ronald Reagan's "kitchen cabinet" in California, allegedly threatened INSLAW's owner, Bill Hamilton, that they had ways of getting the software. Why was the software so important? Meese had ordered a complete revamping of all Justice Department computers, a multi-million contract. The award was to go to Dr. Brian, but the PROMIS software was a vital link to the successful bidder. Dr. Brian is alleged to have sold the software and had it converted for foreign intelligence agencies in Canada, South Korea, Australia, Israel, Libya and Iraq. An Israeli agent, Ari Ben-Menashe, and a former CIA computer expert, Michael Riconosciuto, have both testified to Dr. Brian's role.
Why did Dr. Brian get the computer contract? Meese's wife owned substantial stock in Dr. Brian's company and it is also alleged that Dr. Brian was being paid off for setting up the original meetings between the Iranians and the Reagan-Bush campaign team which may have led to the delay in the release of 52 American hostages until after the November 1980 Presidential election. A British Air Force officer who had allegedly witnessed Dr. Brian's sale of PROMIS software to Iraqi military intelligence in Santiago, Chile, was found hanged. His death was ruled suicide.
Riconosciuto provided his testimony to Congressman Jack Brooks, who was conducting a hearing into the INSLAW case. Riconosciuto warned that if he testified he would be arrested. Within eight days of his affidavit, he was arrested in Pierce County, Washington for allegedly owning a drug manufacturing plant. When Congressional investigators and the media continued to interview him he was shipped to Missouri then Oklahoma, and now is back in the State of Washington.
Dennis Eisman was an attorney from Philadelphia. He was scheduled to make a trip to the West Coast to meet with Riconosciuto and consider taking on his case. Eisman was found shot to death in his car. A single bullet wound to the chest. His death was ruled a suicide. Moments before he died, Eisman was enroute to a Philadelphia parking lot to meet with a woman who was to deliver critical evidence to substantiate Riconosciuto's claims about threats from Videniks. Investigative Journalist Danny Casolaro was in communication with Eisman before he died.
Casolaro was found dead last month in a West Virginia hotel room. His wrists had been slashed 10 times. Not only was he declared a suicide, but he was embalmed and buried quickly before his family was even notified of his death. Casolaro was writing a book about the INSLAW case. He carried many files with him, files that were seen in his possession a day or two before he died. Those files are now missing and contain critical information on the INSLAW case. Casolaro was in West Virginia for a meeting with Videnieks and Dr. Brian, whom he intended to confront directly with evidence backing up the Riconosciuto story. Casolaro had received several death threats.
Between 1986 and 1989, nearly 30 people either died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances, all of whom stood to reveal some crucial pieces of information concerning the INSLAW case and the Justice Department.
Anson Ng was found dead a month before Casolaro. He was working for the Financial Times of London and was in Guatemala. Ng had a single bullet wound in his chest, like Eisman. His death was ruled a suicide. Ng was in Central America attempting to interview Jimmy Hughes, who was the key witness to the murders associated with the Cabazon Indians and the INSLAW case. Hughes also holds documents that allege the same people involved with the Cabazon and INSLAW incidents had a hit list. The list were international names scheduled for assassination and included Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme, Schlewig-Holstein Prime Minister Uwe Barschel, Iranian arms dealer Cyrus Hashemi and Israeli counter-terrorist chief Amiran Nir. Many have died.
Allan Michael May pleaded with Riconosciuto to keep his mouth shut about his ties with the Iranian hostage deal. But Riconosciuto in an exclusive interview with the Napa Sentinel provided full details of the October Surprise and INSLAW ties and named May. Four days later May was found dead in his home. His death was listed as a heart attack, but a further autopsy revealed he had poly pharmaceuticals in his system.
Two weeks before Casolaro was found dead, John Friedrich was found dead in Sale, Australia. He was found with a single bullet wound to the head and his death was termed a suicide. Friedrich was a close ally of Colonel Oliver North and Amiram Nir. He had a lot of knowledge about the Iran-Contra and INSLAW cases. Nir died in plane crash in Mexico.
Now, Barry R. Kumnick is missing. A missing report was filed with the Los Angeles Police on Sunday. Kumnick had developed software which would give a quantum leap to the PROMIS software. PROMIS tracks criminals, military movements or any type of personnel tracing. Kumnick's development would enhance PROMIS by adding a new dimension of deductions. The new program would allow the PROMIS software to interject personality characteristics and deduce the future or potential action of the person being traced.
Kumnick wrote to his sister in Idaho that his new program would be extremely dangerous if it got into the wrong hands. He was excited that the government had offered him $25 million for the software but later, like INSLAW, reneged and forced Kumnick into bankruptcy. Kumnick has not been heard from since.
Five crates containing his personal belongs, crucial documents and even his passport, were discovered recently in a storage facility. No member of Kumnick's family has heard from him in six months. In contacting Kumnick's known business partner, the partner tells the family he never heard of Kumnick.
Two things don't seem to equate very well in this world, investigating the infamous INSLAW case and staying alive!