The Journalist Who Followed the Tentacles Too Far
It's January 1990. Joseph "Danny" Casolaro, a 44-year-old freelance writer from Fairfax, Virginia, was known for thoughtful computer industry pieces. He stumbled onto the INSLAW affair, a lawsuit alleging the Justice Department stole revolutionary software called PROMIS from a small company. What began as a potential magazine article quickly became an all consuming obsession.
Over the next 18 months Danny interviewed dozens of sources, filling 18 notebooks full of names, dates and connections. He told friends and family the he had uncovered "the political criminal conspiracy of the century". A literal secret network spanning the entire Globe that had for decades worked from the shadows and created scandals.
He named it "The Octopus," describing eight tentacles reaching into every dark corner of power. Danny believed the Octopus controlled covert operations, intelligence black budgets, and even assassinations. He was preparing to write a book to expose it all. They couldn't, and wouldn't, allow that to happen.
The Heart of the Octopus: The INSLAW/PROMIS Scandal
PROMIS (Prosecutor's Management Information System) was groundbreaking case-tracking software developed by INSLAW Inc., founded by Bill and Nancy Hamilton. When they were awarded a $10 million DOJ contract in 1982, INSLAW enhanced it with "advanced" features.
INSLAW alleged the DOJ used bankruptcy tactics to seize the enhanced version, installed a "back door" for surveillance, and sold it internationally, profiting while destroying the company. Courts ruled partially in INSLAW's favor, but appeals overturned key decisions.
Danny had learned from sources that PROMIS was allegedly modified to include a Trojan horse back door that allowed The Octopus to secretly monitor all the foreign buyers (intelligence agencies, banks). The profits generated from the sales were then used to help fund the black operations of "The Octopus".
The Man Known as "Danger Man": Michael Riconosciuto's Central Role
No figure loomed larger in Danny's investigation than Michael James Riconosciuto. Born 1948 in Tacoma, Washington, Riconosciuto was a self-taught prodigy who claimed he had spent a lifetime in intelligence circle shadows.
Teenage feats of advanced engineering (for a kid) included building his own underwater habitat. Then by the 1980s he was Director of Research for the Cabazon-Wackenhut Joint Venture on the Cabazon Indian Reservation which being sovereign land was free from oversight. There, he developed fuel-air explosives(!!!) and also allegedly modified PROMIS.
Riconosciuto's March 21, 1991 affidavit claimed he added the back door at Earl Brian's request as payment for Brian's role in the October Surprise.
Days later, Riconosciuto was arrested on drug charges he called a frame-up. Convicted, he served 26 years in prison.
Casolaro called him "Danger Man." Riconosciuto fed the journalist names, connections, and the "Octopus" name itself. His credibility remains debated, brilliant but unreliable.
In 2024 Netflix series, post-release Riconosciuto repeats claims while admitting embellishments but the core facts remained. He comes off as almost like he has been given media coaching for his replies. Whether under threat, or not, who knows, but it is noticable.
The 8 Tentacles of The Octopus
While Casolaro never published a definitive list of the eight before his death, but researchers reconstructing his work generally identify these as the primary tentacles:
1 - INSLAW/PROMIS Software Theft The core – the Justice Department allegedly stole PROMIS case-tracking software from INSLAW Inc., added a backdoor, and sold it worldwide for surveillance and profit.
2 - The October Surprise
Alleged deal where Reagan campaign officials (including William Casey and George H.W. Bush associates) delayed the release of Iranian hostages until after the 1980 election to deny Carter a victory boost.
3 - The Iran-Contra Affair
Secret arms sales to Iran to fund Nicaraguan Contras, bypassing Congress. Danny believed PROMIS sales helped launder money for these operations.
4 - BCCI Banking Scandal
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International – a CIA-linked "bank for terrorists and drug lords" that collapsed in fraud. Danny linked it to covert funding channels.
5 - Cabazon Indian Reservation Arms/Tech Development
Sovereign land used for weapons research (fuel-air explosives, night vision) and PROMIS modifications by Wackenhut and associates. Allegedly tied to Contra support and intelligence ops.
6 - Financial Fraud and Money Laundering Networks
Overlapping schemes involving figures like Adnan Khashoggi and the "Enterprise" from Iran-Contra, using PROMIS profits and offshore banks.
7 - Covert Intelligence Operations and Assassinations
Unsolved deaths (e.g., journalist Joseph "Danny" Casolaro himself, but also others like Paul Wilcher) seen as silencing whistleblowers.
8 -The "Enterprise" or Private Intelligence Network
A loose alliance of ex-CIA, military, and private contractors (often called "the secret team") running off-the-books operations aka the "head" controlling the tentacles.
Danny viewed these not as isolated scandals but as arms of one hidden "Octopus". A secret cabal using stolen technology (PROMIS) for global control, blackmail, profit and nefarious deeds.
The October Surprise Tentacle
The "October Surprise" alleges Reagan's 1980 campaign secretly negotiated with Iran to delay releasing 52 American hostages until after the election, denying Carter a boost.
Casolaro believed PROMIS modifications were Brian's reward for arranging Paris meetings between campaign officials (William Casey) and Iranians.
Hostages released minutes after Reagan's inauguration. Investigations found no conclusive proof, but witnesses like Jamshid Hashemi supported versions.
The Iran-Contra Connection
Iran-Contra: secret arms sales to Iran funding Nicaraguan Contras after Congress cut aid. This was expsoed in 1986.
Casolaro saw overlap: the same players (Casey, Brian, Nichols), same covert funding. PROMIS sales allegedly laundered money. Cabazon produced Contra weapons.
The Mysterious Death: The Night in Martinsburg
August 8-10, 1991. Danny traveled to Martinsburg, West Virginia, telling friends he was meeting a source with explosive PROMIS documents.
He checked into Room 517 of the Sheraton Hotel. On August 10, housekeeping found Danny dead in the bathtub, his wrists slashed 10-12 times, blood was covering the floor.
Official ruling: suicide. But inconsistencies fueled doubt:
- Cuts so deep one severed right through the wrist tendons, that's hard to do
- No suicide note ever found, despite Danny's habit of writing everything down in detail
- Danny's briefcase filled with his notes, that never left his side, was missing and never located
- Expert investigators deemed the blood spatter suggesting struggle
- Danny gave multiple prior warnings: "If anything happens to me, it won't be an accident."
- Danny's body was Embalmed before his family was even noified of his death. Like what?
Danny's family demanded investigation. The autopsy noted multiple DEFENSIVE wounds. The toxicology report showed traces of antidepressants and painkillers, but not at nearly enough levels for any impairment. Hmmmm.
The House Judiciary Committee investigated.... briefly. They concluding it was suicide.
Revival in 2024
*American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders* follows journalist Christian Hansen retracing Casolaro's steps with brand new interviews, FOIA documents that helped revive the mystery. There are quite few really good videos on this story on YouTube as well. Just search for "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". Well worth a watch!
Final Verdict
THE OCTOPUS THAT STILL LURKS. Danny Casolaro saw connections others had missed, or perhaps feared chasing down. The PROMIS theft, October Surprise, Iran-Contra, BCCI, etc, etc, where all these tentacles of one hidden hand? Probably. Official ruling: suicide. But there are still so many unanswered questions remain even now decades later. I do believe there is a "Shadow" behind the scene doing crazy shit, I think everyone these days does.
When I first started to make this story page it seemed like a big messy jigsaw with a lot of small pieces missing. And then you have Dannys body being embalmed before his family is even notified? That's like when they yeet'd Osama's body overboard for a burial at Sea. Come on now, there's something up with that alone. But then you hear the experts on the story filling in those missing pieces and suddenly you go "Uhhh wait a minute there is a something here...".
I don't think we'll ever 100% know what really happened to Danny that night, or that we'll ever find his briefcase and his notes, but I'm absolutely sure Danny wasn't the type of person to commit suicide.