Joseph A. Cafasso
Encyclopedia
Joseph Anthony Cafasso, Jr. (born August 2, 1956) is a former Fox News consultant on military and counterterrorism issues who left the network after allegations surfaced that he misrepresented his military record.
by parents Joseph A. Cafasso, Sr. and Giovanna "Jenny" Cafasso (née Mosca) as part of a large family; he has four sisters, one brother. His father was a chemist for a company in New Jersey. Cafasso graduated from Carteret High School
before enlisting in the Army in 1976.
through his association with the Associated Retired Aviation Professionals, an organization that claimed to be conducting its own independent investigation into the cause of the crash. (The group had been spearheading a campaign to prove that the airplane was shot down by a missile; it submitted its findings in July 1998 in a document known informally as the "Donaldson Report", named after ARAP founder Cmdr. William S. Donaldson
.) In November of that year, shortly after Cafasso appeared with Donaldson at a conference sponsored by Reed Irvine
's think tank, Accuracy in Media
, he published an article about the investigation under the byline "legislative director" of the ARAP. Some time thereafter, members of the group began questioning Cafasso's military background and according Donaldson, Cafasso would not produce his official record when requested to do so. As a result, Donaldson disassociated his organization from Cafasso.
2000 presidential campaign, fundraising
and running petition
drives. Official campaign finance records show that Cafasso was being reimbursed by the Buchanan campaign committee for travel and other expenses.
He also became involved with a humanitarian organization led by Serbian-American
activist David Vuich that was seeking to help people in Yugoslavia
in the aftermath of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign.
in the Special Forces, a veteran of the Vietnam War
, a recipient of the Silver Star
, and a participant in Operation Eagle Claw
. However, his official military record indicated that he served only 44 days in the U.S. Army from May to June 1976, being honorably discharged at the rank of private first class
.
Around the time the New York Times was developing a story about Cafasso he sent the newspaper an email claiming that his leaving Fox News was tantamount to "political assassination by a group of self-centered individuals with their own political agendas."
Cafasso appeared briefly in Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
, the 2004 documentary film
that made the argument that Fox News had a right-wing bias. In it he delivers a short comment on decision-making at the network, comparing it to what he calls the "Christian fundamentalist movement."
In an interview published in a companion book to the film, Cafasso hinted at seeing evidence of "right-wing religious extremism" at the network, and claimed that Fox vice president and Washington, D.C.
bureau chief Kim Hume once asked him whether he was "an angel."
warrant. He had previously been arrested in Porter County in the fall of 2008 for speeding, driving with a suspended license, and giving false information to police and did not appear as scheduled to address those charges. The alias he had been using in Indiana was "Robert Stormer"; the authenticity of Stormer's identity had previously been challenged by a journalist in October 2007. His other alleged aliases mentioned in news coverage are "Jay Mosca" and "Gerry Blackwood" and the Internet handle "Shipdude," allegedly used on dating sites.
At the time of his arrests, Cafasso had been living with a 63 year-old woman whom he had befriended under a false name via a dating site. According to her son, Cafasso defrauded her of her life savings. After Cafasso's January arrest, the criminal Jack Idema, who spoke as a consultant on one occasion for a local Fox News affiliate, attempted to obtain a laptop computer that had been used by Cafasso from the woman he had been living with. She turned it over to police. The social security number Cafasso gave police at the time of his arrest in the fall belonged to a 13-year-old girl living in Rhode Island. Cafasso also reportedly told the arresting officer that he was hiding from the CIA and the FBI.
Early life
Born in 1956, Cafasso was raised in Carteret, New JerseyCarteret, New Jersey
Carteret is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 22,844.Carteret was created as the borough of Roosevelt on 11 April 1906, incorporating Woodbridge Township, and was a result of a referendum on 22 May 1906...
by parents Joseph A. Cafasso, Sr. and Giovanna "Jenny" Cafasso (née Mosca) as part of a large family; he has four sisters, one brother. His father was a chemist for a company in New Jersey. Cafasso graduated from Carteret High School
Carteret High School
Carteret High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Carteret in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Carteret School District....
before enlisting in the Army in 1976.
TWA Flight 800 investigation
In the late 1990s, Cafasso became involved with events following the crash of TWA Flight 800TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 , a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 persons on board. At the time, it was the second-deadliest U.S...
through his association with the Associated Retired Aviation Professionals, an organization that claimed to be conducting its own independent investigation into the cause of the crash. (The group had been spearheading a campaign to prove that the airplane was shot down by a missile; it submitted its findings in July 1998 in a document known informally as the "Donaldson Report", named after ARAP founder Cmdr. William S. Donaldson
William S. Donaldson
Cmdr. William S. Donaldson III was a United States Navy pilot with more than 24 years of experience in nearly all phases of naval aviation and Vietnam War veteran...
.) In November of that year, shortly after Cafasso appeared with Donaldson at a conference sponsored by Reed Irvine
Reed Irvine
Reed Irvine was an economist who founded the media watchdog organization Accuracy in Media, and remained its head for 35 years....
's think tank, Accuracy in Media
Accuracy in Media
Accuracy In Media is an American, non-profit news media watchdog founded in 1969 by economist Reed Irvine. AIM describes itself as "a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that...
, he published an article about the investigation under the byline "legislative director" of the ARAP. Some time thereafter, members of the group began questioning Cafasso's military background and according Donaldson, Cafasso would not produce his official record when requested to do so. As a result, Donaldson disassociated his organization from Cafasso.
Political activities
Previous to his employment with Fox News, Cafasso had worked for the Pat BuchananPat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
2000 presidential campaign, fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
and running petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
drives. Official campaign finance records show that Cafasso was being reimbursed by the Buchanan campaign committee for travel and other expenses.
He also became involved with a humanitarian organization led by Serbian-American
Serbian American
Serbian Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Serbian ancestry. For the 2000 US Census, 140,337 Americans indicated Serbian as their first ancestry, while 170,312 persons declared to have Serbian ancestry...
activist David Vuich that was seeking to help people in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in the aftermath of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign.
Departure from Fox News
Cafasso had claimed to have been a retired lieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the Special Forces, a veteran of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, a recipient of the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, and a participant in Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw was an American military operation ordered by President Jimmy Carter to attempt to put an end to the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran on 24 April 1980...
. However, his official military record indicated that he served only 44 days in the U.S. Army from May to June 1976, being honorably discharged at the rank of private first class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
.
Around the time the New York Times was developing a story about Cafasso he sent the newspaper an email claiming that his leaving Fox News was tantamount to "political assassination by a group of self-centered individuals with their own political agendas."
Cafasso appeared briefly in Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
Outfoxed
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism is a 2004 documentary film by filmmaker Robert Greenwald that criticises the Fox News Channel, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, claiming that the channel is used to promote and advocate right-wing views...
, the 2004 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that made the argument that Fox News had a right-wing bias. In it he delivers a short comment on decision-making at the network, comparing it to what he calls the "Christian fundamentalist movement."
In an interview published in a companion book to the film, Cafasso hinted at seeing evidence of "right-wing religious extremism" at the network, and claimed that Fox vice president and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
bureau chief Kim Hume once asked him whether he was "an angel."
Religious activities
According to a 2007 article published in the Simpson County News, under the nickname "Jay," Cafasso was referenced as Director of Development for Mendenhall Ministries in Mendenhall, Mississippi, and was investigated by the local authorities who discovered that he had a long history of using many pseudonyms, claiming credentials he did not have, and claiming illness. In that article, Mendenhall Mayor Neely is quoted as saying that the last time he had seen him, Cafasso said he was going to St. Dominic's to have his gall bladder removed. The article concludes "It is suspected warrants exist for him under other names" and urges "anyone with information regarding this man" to contact the Simpson County Sheriff or a Mendenhall Police investigator.Arrests
Cafasso was arrested January 22, 2009 in Porter County, Indiana on a failure to appearFailure to appear
Failure to appear is the legal term for the failure of a defendant or respondent to appear at the stated time before a tribunal as directed in a summons. Where the conduct alleged in the summons or complaint is an infraction or summary offence, failure to appear is a crime for which a...
warrant. He had previously been arrested in Porter County in the fall of 2008 for speeding, driving with a suspended license, and giving false information to police and did not appear as scheduled to address those charges. The alias he had been using in Indiana was "Robert Stormer"; the authenticity of Stormer's identity had previously been challenged by a journalist in October 2007. His other alleged aliases mentioned in news coverage are "Jay Mosca" and "Gerry Blackwood" and the Internet handle "Shipdude," allegedly used on dating sites.
At the time of his arrests, Cafasso had been living with a 63 year-old woman whom he had befriended under a false name via a dating site. According to her son, Cafasso defrauded her of her life savings. After Cafasso's January arrest, the criminal Jack Idema, who spoke as a consultant on one occasion for a local Fox News affiliate, attempted to obtain a laptop computer that had been used by Cafasso from the woman he had been living with. She turned it over to police. The social security number Cafasso gave police at the time of his arrest in the fall belonged to a 13-year-old girl living in Rhode Island. Cafasso also reportedly told the arresting officer that he was hiding from the CIA and the FBI.
External links
- Article from October 24, 2004 issue of LA Weekly examining military imposters and efforts to discredit them cites Cafasso as an example.
- Verna V. Gehring, "Phonies, Fakes, and Frauds—and the Social Harms They Cause" (PDF), Philosophy & Public Policy Quarterly, Volume 23, Numbers 1/2 (Winter/Spring 2003). Discusses Cafasso's engagement to the author's friend in the context of the policy implictions of lying.
- Email communication from Joseph Cafasso as publisher of The Broken Arrow, believed to be one-time online newsletter of the Association of Retired Aviation Professionals.
- Nuke transportation story has explosive implications by "Robert Stormer" with the bio "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." Originally appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sunday, October 7, 2007. Reprinted on No Quarter, the website of former CIA analyst & former Fox News consultant Larry C. JohnsonLarry C. JohnsonLarry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State...
.