The sudden death of investigative reporter Danny Casolar has thrown the bizarre case of software company Inslaw into the national spotlight.
The freelance writer had began investigating a dispute between a tech company and the Department of Justice.
The conflict appeared to be over intellectual property rights, but it soon appeared that the matter had a much more sinister underpinning.
Father-of-one Danny reportedly became ‘obsessed’ with bringing the whole story to light – but was never given the chance to complete his investigation.
Danny Casolaro was working as a freelance writer when he began investigating a dispute between a technology company and the Department of Justice
After months of research, he is said to have stumbled upon a network of ‘stolen government spyware, a string of unsolved murders and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century,’ according to Netflix.
The journalist believed he had uncovered a hidden organization he labeled the Octopus, made up of eight former government officials.
He thought the plot started with PROMIS – a computer program that sources in the series claimed ‘allegedly allowed the CIA to spy on the intelligence agencies that bought it.’
In the summer of 1991, hI went to a motel in Martinsburg, West Virginia, expecting to interview a key source for the story, but never returned.
Homemaker found 44-year-old man dead in bathtub after suffering multiple cuts to wrists from ‘very sharp object’
The housewife found the 44-year-old dead in the bathtub after suffering multiple cuts to his wrists caused by a ‘very sharp object’.
His death was ruled a suicide, but many believe his wounds were far from self-inflicted.
Here, FEMAIL took a look at what happened to Inslaw ahead of Netflix’s four-part series entitled American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders.
What is Inslaw?
Inslaw was founded in Washington, DC by husband and wife William and Nancy Hamilton.
Computer a software company developed a people-tracking application called the Prosecution Information System (PROMIS) that had potential for standardization of case management.
It is designed to help prosecutorsad ability track documents generated by courts and law enforcement agencies in order to integrate multiple databases.
Inslaw was awarded a three-year, $10 million contract by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 1982. and has been installed in 44 state attorney’s offices across the US, according to previous reports.
Inslaw was founded in Washington, DC by husband and wife duo William (pictured) and Nancy Hamilton
Inslaw received a three-year, $10 million contract from the Department of Justice (headquartered in Washington, DC, pictured) in 1982 and was installed in 44 U.S. attorneys’ offices, according to previous reports
However, it is said that the working relationship soon broke down.
Hamilton later testified that the owners found themselves under duress by the DOJ, which he claimed was illegally withholding their payment rights.
In the midst of the precipitation, Inslaw was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1985 – a bitter legal battle ensued.
Two years later, US Bankruptcy Judge George Bason Jr. found that Justice officials had ‘taken, converted and stolen’ the software through ‘fraud, fraud and deception.’
He ordered the company to pay $6.8 million in restitution.
This ruling was reaffirmed two years later, but in 1991 the US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed both judges’ conclusions on a technicality.
A computer software company developed a people-tracking application called the Prosecution Information System (PROMIS) that had the potential to standardize case management
After months of research, Danny reportedly stumbles upon a network of ‘stolen government spyware, a string of unsolved murders and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century,’ according to Netflix
The Supreme Court later denied Inslaw’s request to hear the dispute.
Danny was investigating the years-long conflict during his death in August 1991 – but his sudden death did little to quell the case.
In 2003, William Hamilton called on authorities to review the intelligence failures of 9/11 – claiming the Promis software ‘stolen by the Department of Justice’ was diverted to Osama bin Laden.
Does Inslaw still exist?
Hamilton, who now appears to be in Maryland, is still listed as president of Inslaw Inc on LinkedIn, and the company’s website is still up
Hamilton, who now appears to be in Maryland, ihe is still listed as president of Inslaw Inc on LinkedIn and the company’s website is still up and running.
It reads: ‘Inslaw has a leading supplier of case management software products in the United States for over 42 years.
‘It pioneered the use of software customization tools to meet specific user requirements without the need for common programming changes.’
It said the company’s case management software is ‘currently licensed to public and private sector users in the United States, Europe and the Pacific Rim.’