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Just prior to leaving for Martinsburg, Casolaro had warned his The PROMIS program was being developed for the purpose of brother, “If anything happens to me, don't believe it's an acci- keeping track of individuals being pursued or prosecuted by the dent." According to friends and family, little in Casolaro's dispo- Justice Department. It included the vital capability, if coded cor- sition or behaviour could have led him to suicide. The gashes in _ rectly, of interfacing with other databases without having to be his wrists were too deep to have been self-inflicted. After the dis- | reprogrammed. This provided the government with an ominous covery of his body, the rush to perform the autopsy—without the — kind of computer microscope for the long-term monitoring of consent of family—and the quick cleaning of the murder site _ individuals. As Hamilton explained more, no doubt the pot-boiler increased suspicions. possibilities seemed apparent to Danny Casolaro. He realised that Something in Casolaro's Octopus research quite likely led tohis | the PROMIS software was the Maltese Falcon of a conspiracy murder. Which aspect of the research could have been that —_ web into which Hamilton had fallen. important? Hamilton made it clear to the computer-savvy Casolaro that the After a brief return to. college, Danny Casolaro picked up = enhancements he had made to PROMIS were not minor. Early stringer work for various:tabloids and magazines and eventually | enhancements enabled the software to be run on other, less-pow- went to work for Computer Age Publications, which reported —_ erful computer systems than the original, including IBM, Wang, daily on the personal computer trade. Casolaro stayed on that job = Burroughs and Prime; later enhancements—the ones taken by for 10 years, eventually becoming part-owner. He sold his stake Justice—allowed it to run on a DEC VAX mini-computer.? in the company in 1990, but in a If Hamilton sounded bitter when way that had been a disappointment he talked about the deal that he had as well. Friends said that he had struck with the government, he had vastly underestimated the value of every reason. The 1982 agreement the newsletter and had sold it for far with the Justice Department was less than it was worth.! intended to put PROMIS in the 20 In early 1990 Danny Casolaro largest prosecutors’ offices in the was on the make for a new begin- US, with modifications on the pro- ning, but it did not take him far gram to be tailored for 74 smaller from the computer industry he department offices. According to seemingly wanted to leave behind. ° Hamilton, this would have been He was looking for a great story, just the beginning of PROMIS's something he could sink his teeth applications. He estimated that the into, something that might catapult demand for the software eventually him toward the monetary rewards might exceed US$5 __ billion. he had hoped for. Instead of that watershed business, A friend named Terry Miller, a Hamilton launched into a long-run- fellow-worker in the computer mag- ning legal battle which continues to azine business, suggested he might this day. look into a developing scandal The problems began after Inslaw involving software designed by a delivered the modified PROMIS to company called Inslaw, the Institute the Justice Department. First, pay- for Law and Social Research. After ments to the Hamiltons were sus- a discussion with one of the compa- pended, then the Department ny's founders, William Hamilton, who described the basic outline accused Inslaw of overcharging. By February 1985, the Justice Danny Casolaro of the story, Casolaro felt like this might be just the project. Department had withheld almost US$2 million from Inslaw. When it became obvious that the Justice Department was not INSLAW'S "PROMIS" going to honour its contract, the company's attorney, former US The Inslaw case began in 1982 when the US Justice Attorney-General Elliot Richardson, renowned for his role in the Department granted William Hamilton's Inslaw company US$10 Watergate scandal, advised the Hamiltons to sue. Richardson was million over three years to adapt a computer program to the needs _—one of the few people to emerge from the Watergate days as a of US attorneys in tracking criminal cases from office to office. man of integrity, having lost his job for refusing to fire Special The program was called Prosecutor's Management Information —_ Prosecutor Archibald Cox at Richard Nixon's direction. System, or PROMIS. The Hamiltons did sue, and in 1987 Judge George Bason ruled As Hamilton (a former member of the super-secret National favourably for Inslaw—a ruling that ultimately led to Bason's Security Agency) explained, he and his wife Nancy had devel- _ coerced early removal from the bench. Federal District Court oped PROMIS with funding from the government's Law _ Judge William Bryant upheld Bason's decision, however, after an Enforcement Assistance Administration. After the LEAA funding appeal by the Justice Department, and the Supreme Court denied was phased out at the end of the Carter administration, the review in October 1991. No judgement was ever issued exonerat- Hamiltons converted Inslaw into a for-profit business. This had _ ing the Justice Department from its actions in the Inslaw matter. all been done in a straightforward manner with the government's In fact, two congressional committees that also looked into the knowledge and approval. Hamilton had sent a letter to the = Inslaw case—Sam Nunn's Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Department of Justice requesting they waive any rights to the Investigations and Jack Brooks’ House Judiciary Committee— enhanced version of PROMIS. On I1th August 1982, a lawyer concurred with Bason, the latter noting "a full, open investigation for the Department responded, verifying that Inslaw had the rights —_ of the Inslaw allegations of a high-level conspiracy within the to any privately funded enhancements added to the public domain Department to steal enhanced PROMIS software to benefit friends version of PROMIS. and associates of former Attorney-General Meese, including Dr INSLAW'S "PROMIS" The Inslaw case began in 1982 when the US Justice Department granted William Hamilton's Inslaw company US$10 million over three years to adapt a computer program to the needs of US attorneys in tracking criminal cases from office to office. The program was called Prosecutor's Management Information System, or PROMIS. As Hamilton (a former member of the super-secret National Security Agency) explained, he and his wife Nancy had devel- oped PROMIS with funding from the government's Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. After the LEAA funding was phased out at the end of the Carter administration, the Hamiltons converted Inslaw into a for-profit business. This had all been done in a straightforward manner with the government's knowledge and approval. Hamilton had sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting they waive any rights to the enhanced version of PROMIS. On Ith August 1982, a lawyer for the Department responded, verifying that Inslaw had the rights to any privately funded enhancements added to the public domain version of PROMIS. 26 « NEXUS OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1996