Storm, Stormer, Cafasso—A Subterfuge Capsizes
Posted on Monday, 2 of March , 2009 at 9:31 pm
COMMENTARY
By June Maxam
He called himself Robert Stormer, Gerry Blackwood and Robin Storm among other aliases.
He claimed he was a retired lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve, serving with the Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and was a specialist in weapons retrieval. He claimed to be a marine engineer and marine salvage specialist.
He claimed to have won the Silver Star for bravery, had served in Vietnam and was part of the secret mission to Iran in 1980 to rescue hostages.
He was none of these.
His total military experience consisted of 44 days of boot camp at Fort Dix., NJ in May and June of 1976 and his honorable discharge as a private, first class.
He’s a fraud, an accused con man and now he’s in jail.
The North Country Gazette outed him some 18 months ago, much to his chagrin and anger, challenging his credentials after he plagiarized work of The North Country Gazette concerning NCG’s continuing coverage of the capsizing of the Ethan Allen on Lake George in October, 2005 resulting in the deaths of 20 senior citizens.
Robin Storm, aka Robert Stormer and his string of other names is none other than Joseph Cafasso.
Last year, Cafasso had relocated himself to Porter County in Indiana and had moved in with a widow in Chesterton, Ind., bragging of his exploits and alleged distinguished military service and background.
But last October, Cafasso, 52, masquerading as Bob Stormer, 58, was stopped for speeding and driving with a suspended license by an officer of the state Department of Natural Resources in the Indiana Dunes State Park.
When the officer tried to “run” the name of Robert Stormer, he found out that there was no such person and that “Rob Stormer” was in fact Joseph A. Cafasso Jr. “Stormer” was additionally charged with giving a false name to police.
He didn’t show up for a scheduled court appearance in November and was arrested on a warrant in January at a local library where he was going to give a presentation on storm chasing. He’s been sitting in jail since Jan. 22, unable to pay his $500 bail but now a woman that Cafasso was associated with has turned over his laptop to authorities and the scam is tumbling down.
A man says that Cafasso scammed his mother out of her life savings after meeting her through an on-line dating service.
Another woman, Kathryn Cramer had contacted The North Country Gazette back in 2007 after NCG had written an article exposing the phony credentials of Stormer/Storm/Cafasso. She says that he, while operating under the name of “Gerry Blackwood”, stole her computer and lived on her Amex card for over a month without her knowledge or permission. She claims he ripped her off for about $20,000.
Now, several federal agencies have become involved in the investigation of Cafasso including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It’s now believed that in addition to several alleged scams involving women that he impersonated rescue personnel in a drowning last year at Lake Michigan. He allegedly duped Fox News in 2002 for more than four months, working as a military consultant, claiming to be a counterintelligence expert who had had a high ranking career in the Special Forces.
The North Country Gazette has undertaken an extensive review of the investigation into the NTSB investigation of the Ethan Allen boating accident and had published a series of exclusive investigative reports based on interviews and findings of Robert Ford, the lead NTSB investigator of the Ethan Allen.
In October 2007, a day before the second year anniversary of the capsizing of the Ethan Allen, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy made a grandstanding release of a “study” that endorsed the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board.
RPI Mechanical engineering professor Henry Scarton said he used data provided and generated by the NTSB so it was no surprise that his conclusions were the same as the NSTB that instability, overloading and an alleged “rogue” wave caused the boat to flip over.
Scarton said he began working with three undergraduate students in his vibrations course in the fall of 2006. Scarton said student Jeffrey J. Andritz, now an engineer with General Electric in Schenectady, focused on the study in his master thesis published in August.
Scarton released a chart showing graphs and statistics he claimed supported his findings which he says represents 1,000 hours over 18 months but RPI so far, now over 18 months later, both Scarton and RPI have refused to release a copy of Andritz’s thesis.
The chart that Scarton produced which he says represented the findings of his study provided little information about how that information was derived. Ford, who no longer works with the NTSB, took issue with the report and told Scarton that “to the extent that your conclusions relied on inaccurate and incomplete data provided by the NTSB, I believe a terrible disservice has been done to the victims, relatives of the victims and survivors of this accident”. http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2007/10/09/questions_rpi_report/
Asked by NCG if he had interviewed Ford or any other of the NTSB investigative team members, Scarton said no, that he hadn’t wanted to “taint” his report. Ford contacted Scarton directly, sending him a letter following the release of Scarton’s report.
“It is clear that your assessment of this accident started with an assumption that data received from NTSB was true, accurate and complete”, Ford wrote. “This categorizes your report as theory and not fact. To claim otherwise, would be disingenuous”.
Ford told Scarton he “would be more than willing to discuss your research and report with you, if you so desire. I am only interested in a final, accurate assessment that would truly explain why the Ethan Allen capsized. I look forward to hearing from you”.
But apparently Scarton didn’t want to discuss his findings with the NTSB investigator in charge of the boating accident as his response to Ford simply stated, “thank you for your valuable input and observations” again indicating that Scarton didn’t appear to be interested in an accurate study, just publicity. He never made any effort to discuss the accident with Ford.
The same day that NCG published its exclusive copyrighted story on the RPI report with Ford’s comment, a blogger posting under the name of Robin Storm took the entire article for his own use for his blog, even the images. He claimed he hadn’t violated copyright law by reprinting the entire article without permission because he had provided the link to the article. Such a claim doesn’t fly legally and NCG challenged him.
When the NCG requested that he remove the article from his website, he became hostile, engaging in multiple crude, harassing email messages. He claimed that his real name was Robert Stormer and that he is a “marine salvor” (look it up he challenged) and holds a degree in marine engineering.
He did ultimately remove the bulk of the article that he had lifted but then posted derogatory statements aimed at the NCG and its publisher. Although his blog carried virtually no original material and appears to be a conglomeration of other people’s work and that of the U.S. government, he claimed that he has been published in many arenas.
He also claimed to be a member of NASCAS (National Association of Storm Chasers and Spotters). Memberships to the organization are free and officials say Storm has not produced any credentials to support who he claims to be.
Earlier in October 2007, an op-ed was published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram under the name of Robert Stormer. The biography associated with the op-ed claims that “Robert Stormer of Chicago is a retired lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve, serving with the Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage, and was a specialist in weapons retrieval. He is a marine engineer and marine salvage specialist”.
After Storm/Stormer published his attacks on his blog about the NCG, a reader provided reliable information which indicated that Storm/Stormer may not be who he claimed to be. Attempts to verify his military credentials were unsuccessful. When Paul Harral, editorial page of the Fort Worth Star Telegram was contacted and asked if he could verify Stormer’s credentials, he said he could not. He said he had requested them and would have them by “the end of the week”. However, he never produced any credentials for Stormer/Storm.
On Oct. 17, 2007, NCG asked Storm to “Please provide me with your credentials including the college where you obtained your degree in marine engineering, your current employer and your military credentials including date of discharge”.
Storm’s response was “Do not email me any further. I have no intention of providing you with anything nor do you have a right to any of that information. You have been put on notice. Any further communications will be viewed as criminal harassment and I will file a criminal complaint with the NY State Police and I will have the District Attorney follow through. Plainly I have no comments to make to you now or ever. I am prepared to take what ever action I need to protect myself from you”.
Apparently he felt threatened by having to justify the credentials he touts and now the evidence which has surfaced indicates why.
Storm claimed on his blog that since he supposedly is a “Master Salvor (look it up) and Marine Engineer, I have decided to take a serious look at (NCG’s) report. For accuracies sake, if I do an investigative piece…..of course I would be in direct contact with the people involved. Now I am getting involved with this report and will be checking with all parties”, Storm tried in apparently his best attempt at intimidation.
Storm, aka Stormer or whatever his name is claimed that he would be checking with NTSB and the USCG (Coast Guard) for “their side of the story”. He then threatened that “the Storm that Ms. Maxam will feel, will make a typhoon look like a gentle sailing breeze”.
“So here is what I am going to do”, Storm bombastically blogged. “I am going to take a very hard professional look into your report and publish my findings in both a major maritime journal and major local newspaper in your area. I am sure I will be able to get a little OPED space”, Storm boasted. “I am one who is very much concerned about maritime safety and I believe that this might be a very good case to take a look at and see what the actual facts are and how they have been reported”.
But it was just more baloney by Storm. The “master salvor” who is now jailed for false reports and under federal investigation for cons and other scams, who refused to provide his credentials. He made no attempt to contact Ford or any of the NTSB investigative team of the Ethan Allen. Apparently he was too busy trying to keep his subterfuge afloat.
And his bombastic statement that he was going to be contacting the “USCG” about the Ethan Allen was more of his lies and hot air, giving even further indication that Storm/Stormer was a fraud.
In that Lake George is inside New York State, the Coast Guard had no involvement in the accident investigation. A “master salvor” and marine engineer would certainly know that the Coast Guard has no jurisdiction over inland waters.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06EFD81E3EF93AA15757C0A9649C8B63
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1455019,cafasso-indiana-0302.article
http://www.kathryncramer.com/kathryn_cramer/joseph_a_cafasso/
Expert in many fields only an expert in cons
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2007/10/19/rpi-can%E2%80%99t-produce-claimed-ethan-allen-thesis/ 3-2-09
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