---
category: PROMIS Scandal
summary: Bickel was a key source for Casolaro's 'The Octopus' investigation.
tags:
- Person
- PROMIS
- Journalist
---

[Bob Bickel](/people/bob-bickel/) was a Texas oil engineer who once worked as an informant for the Customs Bureau. He was a friend and confidante of investigative journalist [Danny Casolaro](/people/danny-casolaro/).[^1]

Bickel was a key source for Casolaro's "[The Octopus](/concepts/the-octopus/)" investigation. Casolaro obtained papers related to [Iran-Contra](/events/iran-contra-affair/) arms deals, including photocopies of checks drawn on [BCCI](/organizations/bank-of-credit-and-commerce-international/) accounts for [Adnan Khashoggi](/people/adnan-khashoggi/) and [Manucher Ghorbanifar](/people/manucher-ghorbanifar/), from Bickel. Bickel, in turn, obtained these documents from [October Surprise](/events/october-surprise/) source [Richard Brenneke](/people/richard-brenneke/).[^1]

In the last days before his death, Casolaro discussed [Michael Abbell](/people/michael-abbell/), [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/), and the [Cali Drug Cartel](/organizations/cali-drug-cartel/) at length with Bickel. Bickel confirmed that Casolaro confronted Nichols about his relationship with Abbell. Bickel's confirmation of Casolaro's focus on [Michael Abbell](/people/michael-abbell/) in the days leading up to his death suggested that Casolaro may have unknowingly stepped into a large narcotics trafficking and intelligence operation.[^1]

---

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.