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The long criminal history of John R. Sperry, formerly John R. Gorbich

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Sometime between 1966 and 1969, according to Stacey Jaccodie, John R. Gorbich of Neptune, New Jersey, changed his name to John R. Sperry. Gorbich had plenty of reason to want a new name. He was arrested in 1956 for stealing parts from his employer, the Monmouth Radio Supply Company in New Shrewsbury, New Jersey. Gorbich was 30 years old at the time, and claimed to be a disabled veteran. The value of the stolen parts including boxes of television tubes was approximately $70,000, which was a lot of money in 1956. The Asbury Park Evening Press wrote: Gorbich said he sold the tubes for $30 a box, about a third of their value, said the prosecutor. He was quoted as saying he spent the money …

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BOOK REVIEW: Escaping the Boy – My Life with a Sociopath

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Many, many people tell me that they should write a book about their experiences with a sociopath. Paula Carrasquillo is one of those who have done it. Her novella, Escaping the boy: My life with a sociopath, is not long. The actual story is only about 50 pages, with plenty of white space. But in those few pages, Paula tells a powerful narrative of her disordered ex and the insanity she endured living with him. The way she does it is through carefully selected vignettes. She refers to her ex as "the boy," and to herself as "the woman." Some of the anecdotes portray the boy's life before the woman entered the picture. But most of them provide glimpses of his unreasonable demands, her …

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Military Lovefraud part 1: Epidemic of romance scams

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There is something about men in uniform — and perhaps women in uniform — that is appealing and romantic. Hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of scammers take advantage of military attraction to separate unsuspecting targets from their money. Here's how they work: Con artists working out of Internet cafes — often in Africa — troll through dating sites, Facebook and other websites, striking up acquaintances with lonely people, usually women. They talk about the dangerous but important work they do in Afghanistan, Iraq or other distant locations. They confess their feelings of love for their targets. Then they ask the targets for money to pay for "leave requests," "communication fees," "transp …

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Open letter to Huma Abedin: You’re married to a sociopath

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Dear Ms. Abedin, People are perplexed. Your husband, Anthony Weiner, has humiliated you again. Yet at a press conference last week, you continued to support him, and his candidacy for mayor of New York City. "I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him," you said. Why would you do this? Speculation by media pundits, New York City voters and average citizens usually follows three themes: You want to keep your family together at all costs. You believe you can help your husband overcome his problems. You are a political animal and will do anything to get your husband elected. Read: Why does Huma Abedin put up with Weiner?, on CNN.com. I don't know you personally, and what I know …

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Sexual predators for mayor: Anthony Weiner and Bob Filner

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My husband and I live in New Jersey, close enough to New York City that when Terry goes to the local convenience store for coffee, he can also buy the New York Post. He loves the paper's clever, double entendre headlines and pull-no-punches stories. So when he heard Anthony Weiner was going to run for mayor of New York, he was thrilled. "I can't wait to get the paper," he chortled. "It will be full of Weiner jokes!" Yesterday the news broke—Anthony Weiner was at it again, sexting women he never met. He held a press conference declaring that his behavior was wrong, it was behind him, and he was still a candidate for New York City mayor. His wife Huma Abedin was by his side. She read a s …

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Daily Beast sympathizes with the sociopath

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A couple of months ago I was contacted by Caitlin Dickson, a reporter for the Daily Beast blog (the online presence of Newsweek magazine). She was writing an article about the book Confessions of a Sociopath, by M.E. Thomas. She asked me what I thought of the book. I explained that I refused to buy it so I hadn't read it, although I did read Thomas' article in Psychology Today (which was online). Here's my previous post about the book: Confessions of a Sociopath: a book I don't want to buy or read I talked to Dickson about the millions of sociopaths who live among us, and how destructive they are. I explained Lovefraud's work in helping people recognize, avoid or escape them. I …

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Con artist Tim Dog raps from the grave

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Esther Pilgrim invested $32,000 with rapper Tim Dog but the investment was a scam. She won a court judgment against him, and Tim Dog was paying the minimum —$100 until he suddenly died on Feb. 14, 2013. Except now he's recorded a new song. Rapper may admit death hoax in new song's lyrics, on WREG.com. The story was the subject of an episode of Dateline. See Lovefraud's previous story: Tim Blair, aka rapper Tim Dog, exposed by women who “invested” in his business schemes …

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Con artist picks the wrong target for military scam

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Government press releases are so dull. Here's one that arrived in the Lovefraud inbox recently: Hardin County, Kentucky man guilty of impersonating a soldier for financial gain You can read it, if you like. But let me rewrite it for you, and tell you what I think really happened. Jonathan Wade Short's short-lived military scam Jonathan Wade Short, 23, of Hardin County, Kentucky, was trolling the Internet, looking for an easy mark, when he came across A.V. Striking up an online conversation, he learned that A.V. was the daughter of a retired military man. Short immediately told A.V. that they were meant to be together, because he, too, was  a soldier. Short claimed that during his …

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Showbiz psychos: ‘Seven Psychopaths’ and ‘Twisted’

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This weekend I took a look at personality disorders, as portrayed by Hollywood. I watched the movie Seven Psychopaths. Then I watched the first four episodes of the teen TV series, Twisted. The movie continued the grand Hollywood tradition of equating psychopathy with murder and mayhem. The TV show was surprisingly perceptive in portraying an adolescent who might be a budding sociopath. Seven Psychopaths I was shocked to discover that Seven Psychopaths is described as a "British crime comedy." (Read the plot summary on Wikipedia.) The movie is not funny, unless multiple cold-blooded murders makes you laugh. In my opinion, this movie is stupid. The premise is that a struggling …

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Love addiction with a sociopath

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[youtube_sc url="https://youtu.be/OYfoGTIG7pY"] According to Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist, romantic love is an addiction. The drive to find a romantic partner is buried deep in the brain, and biologically intertwined with the brain's reward system, which is linked to wanting, motivation, focus and craving. To hear Dr. Fisher explain this, watch the video. Dr. Fisher points out that when you love someone and are rejected, the addiction is worse. Not only do you continue to feel the intense romantic love, but you love your beau even more. Your love becomes an obsession. It turns out that the brain system associated with rewards becomes even more active when you can't get …

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