[[Earl Brian]] was a businessman and an associate of [[Edwin Meese]]. He served in Governor [[Ronald Reagan]]'s cabinet in California. Brian became a central figure in the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]], alleged to have played a key role in the pirating and distribution of the [[PROMIS]] software.[^1] ### Role in PROMIS Software Scandal Brian was accused of spearheading a plan for the worldwide use of the modified [[PROMIS]] software. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that Brian made a copy of the [[PROMIS]] software available to him through [[Wackenhut Corporation]] after acquiring it from [[Peter Videnieks]], a [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] contracting official. Riconosciuto performed modifications to [[PROMIS]] for its global implementation in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including specific adaptations for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] in [[Canada]]. It was Riconosciuto's understanding that Brian had sold this modified version of [[PROMIS]] to the [[Canadian Government]].[^1] Brian was also alleged to have been involved in a scheme to raise off-the-books money for covert government operations through the sale of the stolen [[PROMIS]] software. The text states that $6 million worth of software stolen from [[Bill Hamilton]] and [[Nancy Hamilton]], co-owners of [[INSLAW]], was allegedly sold by the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] through Brian for this purpose.[^1] ### October Surprise Allegations [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that he and [[Earl Brian]] traveled to [[Iran]] in 1980 and paid $40 million to Iranian officials to persuade them not to release the [[United States|U.S.]] hostages before [[Ronald Reagan]]'s presidential inauguration. This allegation linked the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] to the [[October Surprise]] affair, creating a "domino effect" in Washington D.C. and leading to numerous investigations and media attention.[^1] ### Connections and Testimony Brian owned [[Hadron Company]] at the time of [[Michael Riconosciuto]]'s trial. During the trial, [[Peter Videnieks]] testified that he did not know Brian, despite being questioned about his familiarity with Hadron Company and its ownership. Videnieks was evasive about his knowledge of Brian's connection to Hadron.[^1] --- ### Footnotes [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.