Dr. John Philip Nichols

Dr. John Philip Nichols was the administrator of the Cabazon Indian tribe and a former CIA agent. He played a central role in the Cabazon/Wackenhut Corporation Joint Venture and was deeply involved in various covert operations, arms dealing, and alleged criminal activities.¹

Cabazon/Wackenhut Joint Venture

Nichols formalized a joint venture with Wackenhut Corporation on April 1, 1981, to establish "Cabazon Arms" on the reservation. This venture aimed to manufacture high-tech arms and explosives for export, leveraging the reservation's sovereign status to bypass federal regulations. Nichols obtained a Department of Defense secret facility clearance for the reservation and proposed the manufacture of various weapons systems, including 120mm combustible cartridge cases, 9mm machine pistols, laser-sighted assault weapons, sniper rifles, and portable rocket systems. He also sought to develop biological weapons.¹

Nichols introduced Michael Riconosciuto to Robert Frye, Vice President of Wackenhut Corporation, and Riconosciuto conducted a theoretical blackboard exercise on a Railgun for Dr. Harry Fair at Picatinny Arsenal. Nichols was aware of Riconosciuto's past conviction for stabbing a DEA agent but still sought his expertise.¹

Alleged Criminal Activities and Connections

Nichols was arrested in January 1985 for hiring a man to solicit the murder of five people for drug-related reasons, though the murders were not carried out due to his arrest. He was convicted of felony murder solicitation and served 18 months in prison. His son, John Paul Nichols, took over his position as acting administrator during his incarceration.¹

Police reports indicate that Nichols previously did business in Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, the Netherlands, England, Canada, France, Spain, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In 1960, he managed a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and later became a Pentecostal leader in the Chilean Pentecostal movement.¹

Nichols wrote himself a 10-year contract with the Cabazon tribe in 1978, granting him 50 percent of the profits from any business he brought to the reservation. He embarked on international security and military ventures, including proposals to provide security for Crown Prince Fahd's Saudi Arabia palace and to manufacture weapons on the reservation.¹

Surveillance reports from the Indio Police Department in August 1981 observed Nichols meeting with various La Cosa Nostra underworld figures, including Tommy Marson, a known Gambino Crime Family associate, Vincent Caci Bologna, Anthony Fratianno, and Daniel Magano. These meetings were believed to involve financial transactions, suggesting Nichols acted as an intermediary between the Cabazons and the Mob.¹

Role in Murders and Cover-ups

Nichols was implicated in the Fred Alvarez triple murders. Peter Zokosky's time-line indicated that Nichols was in Canada with Zokosky from June 22 to June 30, 1981, providing him with an alibi for the murders of Fred Alvarez, Ralph Boger, and Patricia Castro on June 29, 1981. However, John Belton, a Canadian source, claimed that Nichols used people in Canada to ensure he had an alibi.¹

Jimmy Hughes, security director of the Cabazon casino, reported that he was instructed in Nichols' presence to take $5,000 as partial payment for the Alvarez killings. Hughes later alleged that Nichols was involved in criminal activities, including issuing contracts to commit murder, and that the gambling enterprises were fronts for U.S. government-sanctioned covert military activities and arms shipments.¹

Michael Riconosciuto claimed that Nichols' office was broken into to retrieve Phyllis Riconosciuto's diary, which contained passwords for Tyme Shares online financial clearing house, used for accessing bank accounts. Riconosciuto also stated that Nichols and Peter Zokosky claimed that Riconosciuto was responsible for the torture and murder of Paul Morasca, and that Riconosciuto had discussed torture techniques with Nichols prior to Morasca's death.¹