by Guy Lawson
“Some people who were close to him contend that he’s still alive,” the author of The Last Circle said to me. “They say he’s living in Liechtenstein. Or Cambodia. Or Bali. I haven’t drawn any conclusions one way or the other.”
Sam, however, had no doubt. Nichols had layered escape routes into his life for years.
There was a small city called My Tho in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam where Nichols knew he could !nd refuge. Nichols had accumulated an array of fake IDs. He had bank accounts all over the world in di"erent names. There was no way anyone could catch him—if the law ever even realized that he hadn’t passed away.
“Bob isn’t dead,” Sam told me. “He’s very much alive and well—somewhere. Bob is the real thing, not a con man like the government says. There is too much smoke for there to be no !re. He is literally the man who does not exist. He told me that many times. He left no footprint. Bob was seriously connected to American intelligence agencies and the people who really run the world—to the Octopus. How else can it be explained that he was never charged with a crime? If you believe in the shadow government, as I do, there have to be people like Bob alive in the world. Think about Iran-Contra. Think about Iraq and the supposed weapons of mass destruction and how the public swallows all the bullshit fed to them by the government. Like the death of Osama bin Laden. Bob told me about the Corps Command and the Pakistani generals and how they all knew exactly where bin Laden was hiding. That was years before bin Laden was killed inside a compound right next to a major Pakistani military base. The truth was just like Bob described it. I sometimes think Bob was the only real person I met.”
In prison, Israel has commenced legal proceedings to recover the Federal Reserve bonds. But the government refuses to give them back.
“I want the bonds,” Sam said. “If they’re worthless, give them back to me. If they’re worth something—if they’re worth, say, one hundred million—then Bayou’s investors should be paid back with that money. I’m doing everything I can. I won’t stop. The truth is going to come out.”
* The judge speci!cally instructed Ryan to have no contact with Israel while she was on probation. A further state conviction for attempting to smuggle $300 to Sam in prison in a magazine (the money was for him to purchase a better mattress) resulted in another year of state probation.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to Sam Israel. I am convinced that he is sincerely remorseful for his actions and the pain he has caused his family and friends. I know Sam also deeply regrets the losses suffered by Bayou’s investors and those who trusted him. It is my hope that this book will provide some measure of closure for all concerned.
Debra Ryan was kind enough to relive extremely painful events, and I appreciate her generosity. Likewise, I thank Dan Marino for telling his side of this story. Je! Singer and Graham Wellesley were invaluable guides, as were Carl Catauro, Kevin Walsh, and Steven Gar"nkel. I thank Israel’s defense attorney, Barry Bohrer, for making it possible for me to gain access to his client in the "rst place; his partner Barbara Trencher did a huge amount of the research I relied upon; both were unfailingly gracious in their dealings with me. Investment fraud attorney Ross Intellisano assisted me in understanding how Bayou interacted with the "nancial world, most especially Goldman Sachs. Anna Lenzer and Mary Cuddehe provided valuable research assistance.
At Crown, Rick Horgan proved an outstanding editor, as did his associate Julian Pavia. Their attention to story and detail made this a much better book. Dennelle Catlett ably spearheaded the publicity e!ort, and Julie Cepler was a stalwart on the marketing side. I’m grateful to them and Crown’s publisher, Molly Stern, for believing in this project. Jody Hotchkiss, who handles my "lm a!airs, was with me every step of the way and remains a great collaborator. I’m also thankful to my literary agent, Susan Golomb.
On a more personal level, Charles Foran, Scott Anderson, and Merrily Weisbord are trusted con"dants in matters literary and otherwise. Elyce and Andy Arons are the best pals anybody could hope for. My daughters Lucy and Anna, who avidly followed my progress, will one day be big enough to read Octopus and "nd out what all the hard work was about. To my beautiful wife, Maya, I am eternally grateful for your patience, wisdom, grace, and love.
There were countless others who cannot be named who assisted me with Octopus. To them I o!er my sincere thanks. Some can be found among the complete list of the book’s pseudonyms: Golo Barthe Katherine Carnegie John Cassidy Tim Conlan James Fairweather Nigel Finch Emily Hardwick Alan Jacobs Charles Jones Kumar Lew Malouf
Barry McNeil Derek Mirsky Phil Ratner Phil Severt Prince and Princess Stromboli Philip Winsler-Stuart