---
category: PROMIS Scandal
summary: Buffam was present during McDade's initial meeting with Cheri Seymour and
  Sue Todd.
tags:
- Person
- PROMIS
- CIA
---

[Randy Buffam](/people/randy-buffam/) was a partner of [Sean McDade](/people/sean-mcdade/) in the [RCMP](/organizations/royal-canadian-mounted-police/)'s national security section. He was a Middle Eastern Terrorist Specialist in the [Canadian](/places/canada/) intelligence services. Buffam, along with McDade, covertly entered the [United States](/places/united-states/) for nearly eight months to conduct a secret investigation into the alleged theft of [PROMIS](/programs/promis/) software and its role in suspected security breaches.[^1]

Buffam was present during McDade's initial meeting with [Cheri Seymour](/people/cheri-seymour/) and [Sue Todd](/people/sue-todd/). He assisted McDade in copying thousands of documents from [Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/)'s hidden files. Buffam also accompanied McDade and Todd to the [FBI](/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) headquarters in [Los Angeles](/places/los-angeles/) and to interview Gene Gilbert at the Riverside D.A.'s office.[^1]

Buffam acknowledged that the [RCMP](/organizations/royal-canadian-mounted-police/) had requested information on [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/) and received a significant report from the [FBI](/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation/). He noted that Nichols was suspected of money laundering in connection with the Royal Bank of [Canada](/places/canada/), which had originally funded Hercules Corporation. Buffam also discussed the role of CSEC (Communications Security Establishment) in [Canada](/places/canada/), which he said is used by the [NSA](/organizations/nsa/) to spy on American communications, with the [U.S. government](/places/united-states/) reciprocating by spying on [Canadian](/places/canada/) communications.[^1]

After the [RCMP](/organizations/royal-canadian-mounted-police/) probe was closed, Buffam mailed the Riconosciuto/PROMIS tapes back to the Hercules Police Department, according to [Sue Todd](/people/sue-todd/).[^1]

---

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