--- born: 1928-11-07 category: Other died: 2011-07-31 location: Colorado Springs, Colorado summary: Gunderson became deeply involved in the investigation of corruption and drug rings within Mariposa County, California, after being approached by the D.I.G. tags: - Person --- Ted Gunderson was a former [FBI](/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) agent who transitioned into private investigation after his retirement from the Bureau. His distinguished career with the FBI included serving as a Senior Special Agent in Charge (SAC) at headquarters in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Dallas, Texas. Following his tenure with the FBI, he worked for F. Lee Bailey, Esq., before establishing his own investigative agency in Los Angeles County.[^1] ### The Octopus Investigation Gunderson became deeply involved in the investigation of corruption and drug rings within Mariposa County, California, after being approached by the [D.I.G. (Decency in Government)](/organizations/dig-decency-in-government/) group. His prior work included compiling a comprehensive 700-page report for the Tulare City Council, which meticulously detailed instances of deputies receiving payoffs and distributing drugs in Tulare. His engagement in the Mariposa investigation marked a significant expansion of his efforts into the broader "[The Octopus](/concepts/the-octopus/)" inquiry.[^1] His professional network and investigative pursuits were intricately linked with several key figures and clandestine operations. He served as a crucial contact for [Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/), particularly following Riconosciuto's arrest. Riconosciuto initiated contact with Gunderson from jail, and Gunderson subsequently informed [Cheri Seymour](/people/cheri-seymour/) about Riconosciuto's ongoing investigation into the Mariposa County corruption and drug ring. Furthermore, Gunderson provided an affidavit and testimony during Riconosciuto's trial, aiming to corroborate Riconosciuto's covert government-sanctioned activities. At one point, Gunderson, Riconosciuto, and [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/) were colloquially described as being "inseparable, like the three musketeers," highlighting their close association.[^1] His involvement extended to discussions with [Ralph Olberg](/people/ralph-olberg/) and [Tim Osman](/people/tim-osman/) concerning a global support network for the [Mujahideen](/organizations/mujahideen/) in [Afghanistan](/places/afghanistan/). These discussions encompassed the field testing of novel weaponry and the exchange of arms for drugs, an operation connected to "[The Company](/organizations/the-company/)," a drug and arms organization comprising former military, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel. Gunderson's affidavit detailed conversations about the modification of Chinese 107 MM rockets and the strategic sanitization of Stinger missiles to prevent the leakage of sensitive information if they were to be captured by Soviet forces.[^1] Despite their past collaboration, Gunderson faced limitations in disclosing numerous activities involving Robert Booth Nichols during Riconosciuto's trial, as Nichols was concurrently under FBI investigation for alleged involvement in organized crime. Interestingly, Gunderson had previously conducted an FBI background check on Nichols, which, to his surprise, indicated Nichols was "squeaky clean," a finding that later contrasted sharply with information suggesting Nichols' deep entanglement in drug trafficking and organized crime.[^1] [Danny Casolaro](/people/danny-casolaro/), the investigative journalist, maintained contact with Gunderson during his "The Octopus" investigation. Casolaro confirmed that Ralph Olberg's project to provide arms assistance to the Afghan rebels was legally sanctioned and operated through the State Department and Senator Humphrey's office.[^1] Throughout his career, Gunderson encountered significant challenges and obstruction in his efforts to expose corruption. He observed a "turf battle problem" between Ralph Olberg's group and certain factions within the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) and their group, MSH ([Management Science For Health](/organizations/management-science-for-health/)), concerning the legitimate representation of the Afghan rebel leadership. His attempts to facilitate Michael Riconosciuto's entry into the Witness Protection Program ultimately proved unsuccessful, as federal agencies, including the FBI, demonstrated reluctance to fully cooperate or acknowledge Riconosciuto's claims.[^1] ### The Finders Investigation Gunderson became a central figure in publicizing the [Finders](/organizations/the-finders/) case after obtaining copies of U.S. Customs Special Agent [Ramon J. Martinez](/people/ramon-j-martinez/)'s reports from the February 1987 raids on The Finders' Washington D.C. properties. These reports, filed February 7 and April 13, 1987, documented the contents of The Finders' warehouse at 1307 Fourth Street NE, including networked computer equipment, satellite links, files describing methods for obtaining children, and telex communications referencing international operations. The reports also documented Martinez's conclusion that the FBI's Foreign Counterintelligence Division had classified all Metropolitan Police reports as Secret and that a CIA official had told police the investigation had "become a CIA internal matter."[^2] Gunderson made the Martinez documents publicly available, hosting them on his website and distributing them to journalists and researchers. He authored a pamphlet titled "U.S. Customs Service Report on the Finders" and made public assertions that the CIA had orchestrated child trafficking networks, using The Finders as a central example. His distribution of the documents was the primary reason they reached a broader audience before the FBI Vault released official copies in November 2019.[^2][^3] When the FBI released several hundred pages of Finders-related documents in 2019, the release included Gunderson's diagrams of the McMartin preschool tunnels near the beginning of the first document batch alongside more substantive materials including the Martinez customs reports and the MPD report on CIA involvement. The placement of the tunnel diagrams (material from a case widely regarded as discredited) at the front of the release prompted commentary among researchers about whether the sequencing was incidental or intended to contextualize the Finders material within the broader "satanic panic" framework of the era.[^2] The 2019 FBI Vault release confirmed that the bureau had maintained files on Gunderson's private investigative activities and that his materials had been incorporated into its documentation of the Finders case. The inclusion also confirmed that the primary documents Gunderson had distributed for over two decades -(particularly the Martinez customs reports) were authentic.[^3] ### Child Abuse Network Investigations Beyond The Finders, Gunderson investigated and made public claims about organized child abuse networks connected to various institutions. His assertions were expansive, encompassing claimed connections between intelligence operations, drug trafficking, and child exploitation. Researchers and journalists who engaged his work have consistently noted that his documented primary source work (particularly his distribution of the Martinez reports) should be distinguished from his broader, unverified theoretical claims about CIA-orchestrated child trafficking networks.[^2] In his circulated info-packet on the Finders, Gunderson went far beyond the documentary record, describing the group as "a CIA front established in the 1960s" engaged in "kidnapping and torture-programming young children" and identifying its leader [Marion David Pettie](/people/marion-pettie/) as "an identified homosexual pedophile and a CIA officer." He and self-described [Project Monarch](/programs/project-monarch/) survivor [Cathy O'Brien](/people/cathy-obrien/) both alleged widespread abuse of children by prominent politicians and entertainers.[^4] Gunderson died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on July 31, 2011. [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. [^2]: Dovey, S. (2023). *Eye of the Chickenhawk*. United States: Thehotstar. [^3]: FBI Vault, "The Finders," vault.fbi.gov/the-finders (released November 2019). Also: Martinez, Ramon J. U.S. Customs Service Reports, February 7, 1987 and April 13, 1987. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/ted-gunderson-fbi-the-finders. [^4]: A.B.H. Alexander, "Sex, Drugs, the CIA, MIND CONTROL and Your Children," PROBE, c. 1996.