Every so often I get down on myself for having believed the lies of a con artist. When I come across stories like The Ultimate Con Artist which recently aired on Dateline, I realize that many who should have known better have been fooled. Before you read the rest of this column, follow the link and watch the video of this man.
Before my own encounter with a con artist, I thought I had personally observed most of the human behavioral repertoire. I had good reason for holding that belief, having trained in psychiatry at a large general hospital that served 4 million people. I didn’t think much of “con artists” in my mind they were simply people who were “good at sales.” The sociopaths I saw were all addicts or substance abusers. I can tell you I never saw anyone like the man portrayed in the Dateline story until I became a victim.
Just to verify that I am not alone, I ran a medical data base search using the term “con artist.” There is simply nothing written by my profession regarding con artists unless one assumes that Robert Hare’s concept of a “psychopath” refers to all con artists. I’m not sure it is helpful to lump people like Fred Brito together with serial killers.
I thought I would share with you my impressions of the Dateline profile of Fred Brito who certainly fits the profile of a sociopath. First, unless you see this man either on camera or in person, you cannot appreciate the positive energy he apparently has. Most people respond to this positive energy with trust and admiration.
This positive energy emanates from a nearly euphoric mood that many sociopaths have when they are not angry. One person writing into Lovefraud recently said that this euphoric mood is the result of not being burdened by guilt or fear, I agree.
The second reaction I had was that this man has an enormous sense of entitlement. Several of his relatives posted comments on the story alluding to his sense of entitlement. One suggested he take a job as a janitor or in a fast food restaraunt. Along with the sense of entitlement comes unshakable high self esteem and grandiosity. This high self esteem was apparent throughout the interview. Many sociopaths have a sense of entitlement and high self esteem. This is why there is a large overlap between the concepts of sociopathy and narcissism.
The third reaction I had to Fred Brito was that his story confirms my assertion that the pursuit of power is the prime motivator of sociopaths, con artists especially. From an early age, this man sought the company of high status individuals. It is interesting that like Brito, many sociopaths lack the desire to use their talents, energy and intelligence to pursue legitimate status. They invest enormous amounts of energy into obtaining phony status (truly baffling).
The last reaction I had to this particular story was that it doesn’t add up. How is it that an articulate, intelligent, energetic con artist has no love life? We know that these individuals are often highly sexual. Fred Brito is the kind of person we would hear of profiled with multiple marriages. I searched the internet for former lovers writing on Brito and found nothing. Perhaps he is the only nonsexual con artist in history or maybe there is more to the story.
The probable reason is that he’s most likely gay – see his association with Paul Lynde, and the mention of his being discarded when he got too old. He may have duped men in romantic entanglements, but you’d be less likely to hear of it (prevalent prejudices being what they are).
Gee… all these questions. Why don’t you folks ASK me directly. Instead you ponder, assume, guess that I am all sorts of things.
It is best to go DIRECT to the person and just ask him.
If you have questions… I am SO EASY to find.
Please contact me… I will tell you what you want to know. I am an open book. I have many reservations as to what has been said here thus far. My take on the entire matter is quite different. After all, I am the principle of the story.
Go ahead, contact me…. I DON’T BITE!
Fred Brito
Dripping Springs Ranch
1307 Arnold Palmer Court
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88011
505.640.0447
TheBenevolentCon@gmail.com
Websites:
http://howtocatchacon.blogspot.com
http://freddrickbrito.blogspot.com
OR, you can see me again on the “60 Minutes” interview… coming soon.
OR
You can wait for my TELL ALL Book “The Master of Deception” by Waterside Productions in California
OR
You can wait for the Motion Picture of the same name.
I knew it. You folks talk and talk and talk… yet never once do you actually talk TO the person you are all talking ABOUT.
That my friend is called GOSSIP. And you folks call yourselves Doctors of Psychiatry?
One of my cons was playing a Psychiatrist in Los Angeles Superior Court. Even I knew that I had to talk to accused.
Oh well…. Just goes to show you… that even REAL doctors have ummm “their” problems facing reality.
All is well…
Fred Brito
Dear Mr. Brito,
Please go ahead and post a comment to explain your actions. I’m sure our readers will be interested in your story.
Donna Andersen
Author, Lovefraud.com
The article is clearly not ‘gossip’. Brito’s comment is just the ramblings of a lunatic – sociopaths will try to swoop in and distract with nonsense. He’s a fake, phony liar, creep and criminal, period. They just don’t like it when we write the truth about them because it interferes with their con games.
Tough. Go crawl back under the rock you came from Brito, and say hi to Ellington while you’re there. He can teach you how to be a fake pro UFC Fighter, fake pro golfer, and steal from little old men and girls and poison cats.
Worthless excuses calling themselves human beings.
Dear SHESAID:
Seems like you may need some counseling. You might want to talk to someone (soon) to help you to control your obvious anger and hate.
I was going to reply to this site at the request of Donna Anderson (see above) and was late doing so, as I was out of town.
However, seeing the reception that I am getting here, it would be an opportunity to just waste time.
The concern that I have is that this site “appears” to be dedicated for and about woman who have been scorned. Certainly not my cup of tea or an area that I have any experience in.
You (SHESAID) stated some severe accusations, as if you know me well. It is a pity that you have never met me personally. If you had, you may have come away with a very different point of view.
Since you did not give me the opportunity to express myself as I was invited to do, without judgment as I had planned… you will never really get the chance to ever know. I am sure you are happy about that.
If you want to know anything about me, you can maybe pay attention to the “60 Minutes” episode coming up soon.
Or you can take the time to study up about me at my websites. It is up to you. It is a free world… do and say what you will.
I have to look in the mirror each day and live with myself as you do. I am trying to rebuild my life and doing a very good job doing it.
I am very different than you. I chose to give people the opportunity at a fair Second Chance at life despite whatever mistake(s) they may have made. I don’t continue to beat them up with insults and judgments as you have to me.
I know that you will not agree with this, but we have all made mistakes in life. Including you. (Despite the fact that you write as if you have never farted in church before.)
I would venture to believe that if anyone of us were laid open bare… that there would be a few things that we are not very proud of.
If you believe that you can sit in judgment of everyone around you… (like you have to me here) I urge you to look in the mirror long and hard. As long as you are honest with yourself when you do is all that I urge. I admit my mistakes…. I can only hope that you do as well.
Remember, you get… exactly what you give.
Since you have never met me nor have we ever communicated with each other before, your statements above are nothing more than idle vicious GOSSIP. An attempt to make yourself look superior over all others.
No matter how hard you have tried to hide it… your character and personality shines bright in what you have written. I hope that you obtain the help that in my view you may need. Before it is too late for you.
With respect and dignity… that you did not afford to me.
Fred Brito
Dripping Springs Ranch
1307 Arnold Palmer Court
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88011
Cell: 505.640.0447
Email: TheBenevolentCon@gmail.com
Websites:
http://freddrickbrito.blogspot.com
http://howtocatchacon.blogspot.com
Fred Brito’s comment on this thread is a blatant example of how a sociopath/psycho turns the blame and shame on others instead of accepting the topic of discussion and participating with an open mind like a normal person.
Haha you make me laugh LAMAN2:
I see that you think it was OK for SHESAID to write as she did. Just as I thought. You are all Hypocrites.
Look in the mirror. The person you will be looking at is the only one that you can change, judge, criticize. No one else.
Oh, but I thought you knew that.
Thanks for proving my point.
I’ve seen comments he’s posted about others who have pubically denounced his criminal behavior. Sounds soooo familiar. Brito starts in with the you’re-just-crazy-there’s-something-wrong-with-YOU business and starts rambling about how those who speak out should go to counseling.
Nope. I don’t need counseling. I hate crime and don’t think much of people who victimize others, especially in the manner which Brito has chosen to conduct himself for what looks like the vast majority of his life. Normal law abiding citizens *should* feel the same way. My previous statement was based on his words and his criminal records, which are fact, not gossip.
My energy will be spent changing the laws and having them made harsher and making sure people like him stay locked up – he shouldn’t be out of jail, ever, period.
Don’t spend so much time looking in the mirror that you aren’t looking over your shoulder Brito because if you commit crime again, you can expect I’ll be there campaigning and yelling to make sure you’re locked up for the maximum and
by then the punishment may already be harsher.
We need to join together to lobby the legislatures on a local and federal level to take these guys out of society for good. They don’t reform, they just run away…and pretend to be priests or ultimate fighters…trying to escape getting caught.
Now if Brito were lobbying to get laws made harsher, and giving ALL the rest of his time and money and energy to repaying every cent to every one he stole from, conned, lied to, etc, etc.
Also, he tries to say we all make mistakes. Multiple Felony Crimes go far beyond “mistakes”. A mistake is forgetting to put a stamp on an envelope, not stealing a car or getting up in front of a church and marrying a couple when you ARENT a priest and obviously Brito is not reformed since he can’t differentiate between the definition of a “common mistake” and committing a crime.
I also saw a comment that he posted on the internet saying “Well I’ve never been convicted of a violent crime” – the same type of thing, trying to minimize it. He doesn’t get it that what he did is wrong. He’s speaking out just to get attention. He’s not reformed in the least and doubtful that he would seek counseling since he has a grandiose ego where he thinks he’s a qualified counselor by osmosis.
I recently sat in the police station and listened to a different sociopath on a speaker phone with a detective. The detective was looking at the sociopath’s criminal record and stated, “You were arrested on X date for X crime”. The sociopath, unaware several of his victims were listening in, proceeded to actually DENY to the police officer that he had been arrested. After a several minute exchange where the detective kept repeating “You were arrested” and “I am looking at your criminal record” – finally he admits he was arrested by saying “fine, if you want to call it that”.
Then, the sociopath, who had just called one of the victims and threatened to kill her, proceeds to explain how HE is the victim and starts to tell all kinds of lies, which are blatantly obvious expecially since the victim just put a stack of documentation proving otherwise in front of the detective.
They are simply mentally ill and they should be locked up to keep them from hurting us. The legal system needs to wake up and start protecting us better and these loopholes that are being exploited by criminals have GOT to be closed.
And no, we’re not going to go “look in the mirror” so that we won’t see you reaching into our wallet to steal our cash.