--- aliases: - Robert Garder Terrell - Robert Gardner Terrell - Tobe Terrell - Genghis K. Plato category: Intelligence & Government created: 2026-05-17 location: Washington, D.C. summary: 'Robert Gardner Terrell (aliases: ''Tobe Terrell,'' ''Genghis K. Plato'') was the principal spokesman and financial manager of The Finders, a former IRS appeals officer and certified public accountant who was associated with Future Enterprises, a company that provided computer training to CIA employees.' tags: - Person - CIA - TheFinders - WashingtonDC title: Robert Garder Terrell updated: 2026-05-17 --- Robert Garder Terrell -- known within [The Finders](/organizations/the-finders/) as "Tobe Terrell" and in some group documents as "Genghis K. Plato" -- was the principal spokesman and financial manager of The Finders, a former IRS appeals officer and certified public accountant who was associated with [Future Enterprises](/organizations/future-enterprises/), a company that provided computer training to [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) employees during the 1980s.[^1][^2] ### Background and Role Within The Finders Terrell had a prior career as an appeals officer with the Internal Revenue Service before becoming associated with [Marion Pettie](/people/marion-pettie/) and The Finders. He held the warehouse at 1307 Fourth Street NE in Washington D.C. -- the group's primary male residence and operational hub -- in his name as owner of record.[^1] Within the group, Terrell managed what he called the "Invisible Bank" -- a pooled communal fund into which members contributed finances, in some cases including life savings.[^2] He was a certified public accountant and handled the group's finances in this capacity. He was also associated with Future Enterprises as a computer trainer. The CIA confirmed in 1993 that it had sent employees to Future Enterprises for computer training during the 1980s; CIA spokesman David Christian described Terrell's role there as that of a "part-time accountant," though Terrell's own descriptions of his work at the company described computer training.[^3] ### The 1987 Arrests and Dissolution Announcement When the two Finders members were arrested in Tallahassee on February 4, 1987, and federal and Metropolitan Police investigators subsequently raided the warehouse and Glover Park properties, Terrell functioned as the group's public face. He was identified in contemporaneous reporting as the group's spokesman and made statements to journalists in the days following the raids.[^1] On March 11, 1987, as a Florida judge ruled on custody of the six children involved in the Tallahassee case, Terrell announced to the press that The Finders were "breaking up" after approximately seventeen years of operation: "You won't hear from the Finders again until the year 2000." On March 23, 1987, he gave a follow-up statement to the Associated Press confirming the group's dissolution.[^1][^2] The announcement of dissolution did not prevent the group's continued investigation. U.S. Customs records document that a U.S. Customs proposal to remove agent [Ramon J. Martinez](/people/ramon-j-martinez/) from his position in 1994 cited his disclosure of case information to a co-worker of someone under investigation. Activity was also observed at the former warehouse address as late as October 1991, when Metropolitan Police officers found well-dressed men with children entering the building after midnight.[^1] ### The Future Enterprises and CIA Training Connection The 1993 Department of Justice and FBI inquiry into The Finders examined Terrell's role at Future Enterprises closely. The Washington Times published a December 17, 1993 article by investigative reporter Paul M. Rodriguez citing both Martinez's customs documents and an MPD report dated February 19, 1987, in which a CIA agent confirmed the agency was sending personnel to "a Finders Corp., Future Enterprises, for training in computer operations."[^3] This language -- "Finders Corp." -- in the MPD document suggested a direct institutional identification between the two entities, though the CIA's public position maintained the connection was limited to one Finders member working as a part-time accountant at an otherwise independent firm.[^3] ### Post-1987 Public Statements Terrell gave no extended public interviews for over twenty-five years following the 1987 investigation. In 2018 he agreed to be interviewed by journalist Derrick Broze of The Conscious Resistance Network -- the first such interview since the investigation. A follow-up interview was conducted in 2021. Both interviews were incorporated into Broze's 2019 documentary "Who Will Find What The Finders Hide?" Terrell denied all criminal allegations throughout and described The Finders as a philosophical and communal organization.[^4] [^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). *Eye of the Chickenhawk*. United States: Thehotstar. [^2]: Dean, Eddie. "Finders' Keeper." *Washington City Paper*, May 24, 1996. https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/287890/finders-keeper/. [^3]: Witkin, Gordon, Peter Cary, and Angel Martinez. "Through a glass, very darkly: Cops, spies and a very odd investigation." *U.S. News & World Report*, December 27, 1993 / January 3, 1994. Also: Rodriguez, Paul M. "CIA tied to cult accused of abuse; Justice probes links to Finders." *Washington Times*, December 17, 1993. [^4]: Broze, Derrick, and Jeremy Martin. "Who Will Find What The Finders Hide?" Documentary. The Conscious Resistance Network, March 2019. https://theconsciousresistance.com/thefinders/.