Michael Abbell

Michael Abbell is a former official of the U.S. Department of Justice who later became a central figure in investigations related to drug trafficking and money laundering, particularly involving the Cali Drug Cartel.[1]

Career in the Justice Department

Abbell served as a staff assistant to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General from 1973 to 1979. From 1979 to 1982, he held the position of Director of the Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.[1]

Post-DOJ Career and Allegations

After leaving the Department of Justice in 1984, Abbell joined the law firm of Kaplan, Russin and Becchi, which had offices in various international locations, including Bogota, Colombia. He was later associated with his own firm, Ristau and Abbell, in Washington D.C., with Bruno Ristau as his partner.[1]

Abbell was indicted in Miami on June 6, 1995, for laundering money for the Cali Drug Cartel. Surveillance reports indicated he made frequent visits to the home of Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, a leader of the Cali Cartel, in Bogota, Colombia. He was subsequently prosecuted and served a prison term.[1]

Connections to "The Octopus" Investigation

Abbell's activities became a significant focus of investigative journalist Danny Casolaro's "The Octopus" probe during the last week of Casolaro's life. Casolaro had discovered a connection between Abbell, the Cali Drug Cartel, and Robert Booth Nichols, an international intelligence operative.[1]

Michael Riconosciuto claimed that Abbell, Robert Booth Nichols, and Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela were "all in bed together." Riconosciuto also alleged that Nichols provided Abbell with $50,000 in cash to handle an internal affairs investigation within the Justice Department that would have led to the extradition of Cali Cartel leaders Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela and Jose Santacruz Londono, whom Nichols reportedly considered "intelligence people."[1]

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