Wendy Quirk
This story weaves a plot of deceit, lies, fraud, and betrayal. Meet Michael Steven Russell, a clever, fast-talking Carlsbad, CA man who lied and cheated his way to filming national Harley-Davidson event videos. A self-proclaimed Catholic, he swindled the motorcycle industry and numerous businesses. Shortly after filming the 2001 Laughlin River Run, he married Janet Northrop, a wealthy Catholic heiress he met a few months prior. (Her grandfather founded Northrop Grumman Corporation.)
Pursued by the Carlsbad creditors, they sneaked off to Colorado Springs. In a Patty Hearst-like fashion, Janet became his accomplice. There, they got contracts to haul U.S. Mail, adding a long-time friend as a partner. They kept the money, swindled the partner, boldly came back to the Carlsbad area, and abandoned trucks owned by an Iowa company.
Since this publishing, other businesses were started by the couple. They filed bankruptcy, later deemed fraud by the courts. Yet, no legal action was subsequently taken, and they continue their scams. Michael was working under the table for a Carlsbad, CA. Keller Williams Real Estate broker. The validity of Michael’s real estate license seems questionable, however, since he has difficulty reading. He testified that he received no monies from the broker, yet worked there for some time. As of 2007, Michael currently owes about $300,000 from back child support, dozens of unpaid court judgments, and liens.
They use other people’s names, different Social Security numbers, numerous driver’s licenses, different bank accounts, different middle name spelling, family members, and unsuspecting friends.
This candid book shows how easy it is to be conned, and how to prevent it. Discover how a sociopath thinks and manipulates others, and learn why they don't get caught. To this day, Michael Russell still walks free…in fact, if you ask him, he’ll say he “walks with Jesus. “
Originally from Illinois, Wendy Quirk has resided in California since 1970, and has worked in the marketing area of publishing for over twelve years. Her background in studying self-help, psychology, and metaphysical books played a major influence while writing Mr. Integrity: 21 Months With A Catholic Con Man. Wendy has also studied health topics for over twenty years, and is currently working on a second book about health and nutrition. While still an avid reader, she also loves movies, cooking, dancing, and skiing.
Chapter Two: “Love Bandits”
Since my particular experience being conned involved a man, I may be referring to the term “con man” or “he” intermittently through the book. I certainly recognize that many men and women equally have been in my situation, and it could happen to anyone of any age, race, or sex. Referencing the male gender is strictly for the sole purpose of consistency in telling the story and not a subtle attempt at male bashing--I promise!
I will now begin sharing with you my personal experience involving another type of deception and fraud; one that is more subtle, and becomes multi-dimensional in how it can affect your life. It is not just about money, papers, signatures, contracts, agreements, credit cards, or any other type of deceptive transaction strictly involving money. Granted, those types of fraud can be extremely devastating in that financial segment of our lives, but they usually only involve one dimension of the whole human experience.
The perpetrators of this other type of deception are commonly referred to as “Love Bandits”--members of the opposite sex masqueraded as a love interest, that play with your heart and emotions as well as your pocketbook. Their sole purpose in initiating a relationship with you revolves around extracting money or valuables from you in various different ways. They make a sport out of using and manipulating your emotional feelings for personal gain unconstrained by morality, and without any conscious thought of responsibility. They use you for everything possible and make you think you owe it to them.
As long as you are financially well off, they continue their deception and bravely live a life of charades, pretending to care about you. After they destroy you financially and the money is gone (or the credit cards maxed out, as in my case), they seek out and spot their next target, abruptly move on, blame you for the relationship not working, and leave a trail of personal and financial destruction behind them. “Crimes of Persuasion” they call it, and a really good con artist can be extremely persuasive. These types of people are usually all lies, and no substance. Typically, they are completely incapable of accepting responsibility for anything in their life. Shallow would be an excellent term for categorizing this personality type. In their life and relationships, they are living on the outer circumference of their own soul, focusing only on the material world. Their life and their existence is for outward materialistic gain only, with no compassion whatsoever for whoever gets hurt along the way. Their quasi-trustworthy persona paves the way for fraudulent opportunities in their relentless pursuit of financial gain. They know how to extract the exact response from someone they need, and manipulate the opposite sex from strictly an emotional standpoint, using the person’s vulnerability as a way to get what they want.
Much of that manipulation is guilt-based. If they can make you feel guilty, they create an opening to drive in a wedge of deceit that will most assuredly destroy your life. They are usually pathological liars, and a master at quick answers. Sharply but subtly they defer the questions you ask them, and parlay their response into something that sounds logical to you at the time.<
