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.
I frankly think you are all giving this guy what he wants. PUBLICITY. Second, he seems to be making a lot of money and with a motion picture coming out, he will make even more. This is all so crazy. By writing all of this stuff and wasting time, gives him the publicity that he craves. YOU are all doing him a huge favor. To just stop and let this dweeb disappear would be a better way to knock him off his pedestal.
One more point… all of you write with a sense of hate and vindictiveness. Beating your chests like you are all mightier than thou. Any reader will think that you are all very hateful and as this guy says… “Scorned Women.” You actually prove it by HOW you write. And the word scorned is a word that I use lightly.
He, on the other hand actually writes with some common sense. While I DO NOT support him in the least or his past, he certainly comes across as smart, articulate and well rounded. He is by far the most accomplished Con Artist I have ever seen in my 23 years with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. I saw him on Dateline. He is very smooth.
So the point that I make is what you all write is just feeding HIS fire. If you stop and move on… you prevent him from feeding on the attention YOU give him.
Many of the comments that you all write are not quite accurate. There is nothing that anyone of us can do to stop a man like this. Only law enforcement can. And from what I was able to confirm from confidential records that I have access to, his last felony conviction was in June 2002 in Los Angeles Superior Court. That mean that he is seven years “clean.” What he has done since is nothing that violates the law. He can write all the resumes he wants and use any name he wants. It is not a crime.
Seven years without another arrest or conviction is a long “clean” stretch for a career criminal. Most criminals don’t last 90 days after release from prison. Is it even possible that he is on the road to recovery? Time will tell. So far seven years clean is a pretty good run.
The best thing that we can do is stop writing or talking about him. This does more to kill his ego than anything. He is a publicity hound.
I spoke to is Publicist Karen Ammond in New Jersey. She is still his publicist, and will return to work for him when his book(s) get published. That is right BOOKS… he has three coming out, and a seminar tour across the U.S. and the Motion Picture. So it seems like this guy is going to be doing quite well financially despite what people say about him. It only makes his story even more interesting.
As for running for State Senate. He can legally do it. He has voting rights and in New Mexico, California and other states it is legal for a felon to run for public office. If he runs, he not only gets local publicity… but national as well. Just what he is craving.
I am a Criminal Analyst for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, I have a pretty solid ability to track this guy… so I know what I am talking about.
One more point I wold like to recommend. If you are going to continue to write about him, which I know many of you will, be sure to write not from your emotions but from your brain. All of you come off as very angry and sour, and any reader like me will just think that you are all kind of ill as we as he is. Use your MIND not your emotions. That is what makes this guy come off so well. He uses his mind not his emotions. He wins… you lose when you come off sounding (as he says) “crazies.” It is just my observation. Take if for what it is worth.
Hi, I’m the newbie on the block.
I just gotta say, this Fred guy is a joke. He uses everything as an opportunity to plug himself. I knew takes22fight’s postings were his before I read Donna’s confirmation.
I don’t want to add to his publicity by adding this post, I just want to say that I did a websearch of his address to see if indeed he lived on some prestigious “ranch,” or if it was another inflated idea of his to make him appear more successful. From the aerial view, Arnold Palmer Ct. in Las Cruces is indeed off of Dripping Springs Road, but these homes are all closely situated on postage-stamp-sized yards, and it is definitely the ‘burbs. Did you mean “Dripping Springs Ranch-styled House,” Fred?
You know, I think I’m getting better at discerning who’s a con artist after 2 experiences I’ve had in the last year and a half–one a business dealing, one personal. I notice that Fred compares himself to Frank Abagnale, which reminds me of other con artists I personally know….They always use relationships with decent people in their lives or people they can compare themselves to as proof of their character or credibility. They don’t build that character or credibility themselves, they borrow the glow off of others in their smoke and mirrors routine.
Thanks, everybody, for teaching me from your experiences.
I have refined my statement about Fred Brito. And to everyone, I am not Fred writing under an alias. And I’m not rooting for him; I’m simply stating what my beliefs about society are, according to my research.I am aware of the attacks on Fred Brito by newspapers and the Dr Phil show, and I can’t believe that in our day and age, people are ready to stone this guy to death. Let us see exactly what it is that he is doing. He’s a convicted felon! So what are his options? Become a homeless dumpster diver and get stabbed to death by a Crack-addict, for his cart-full of cans? Or to go on Welfare and miss out on the little things which an average person takes for granted, and be forced to live in roach-infested run down neighborhoods with the drugs, gangs, and society’s toilets? With his rap-sheet, he can’t get a marginally respectable job anywhere. Let’s see really what he’s up against, and how really what he’s doing is so wrong. The US Gov’t, contrary to popular belief, is just as sinister and corrupt as other Gov’ts. The first crop of agents who were recruited by the CIA, were ex-Nazi officers guilty of war crimes, but their rap-sheets were made non-existent; how convenient. The CIA is responsible for over 20,000 assassinations around the world. The even darker side of the US Gov’t spends 500 billion dollars per year on “Black Projects” which the public (tax-payers) don’t know about, because citizens of the United States trust their Gov’t whole-heartedly (is ignorance bliss?). Many religions in the US are, in private, guilty of breaking the Commandments which they use to scare people into joining their flocks, specially little kids who are being told that if they sin and don’t have faith (believing blindly) in God, then they will burn in Hell for eternity in a lake of fire (boy, that sounds like a loving, understanding, and forgiving God, doesn’t it?). That is mental abuse in my oppinion; the freedom to choose what they believe in is taken away from them. The Vatican protects child-molesting priests by transferring them when things get too hot (when victims start making accusations). In fact, the man who controlled these cover-ups is today THE POPE; that’s a hard pill to swallow if you’re a Catholic. The people with power in the USA; accountants, stock brokers, insurance companies, police, FBI, CIA, bankers, lawyers, judges, politicians, city mayors, contractors, and many branches of the US Gov’t, and the Military are all corrupt; to a certain extent! In the Military, there are people who can make you disappear; permanently (it has a striking similarity to how the Maphia handles loose ends). But when these people of power come face to face with a guy like Fred Brito, they become self-rightious hypocrates; all of a sudden they develop and flex their moral (or should I say biggot?) compass. If you think differently, well, then you frankly haven’t done your homework. Fred Brito is in the trenches of society warfare, and is fighting for work. He is doctoring up false resumes and cons his way into good paying jobs; and from what I hear, he does them well! He isn’t breaking any laws. What percentage of people would do something unethical for a lot of money; I wonder. How is he so different than the rest of society? A society which thinks that it is cheaper not to spend money on rehabilitating programs that would give ex-cons a fresh chance to integrate back into society? A society built up to make ex-cons end up back in prison?
Freddy… Freddy…Freddy ….when are u gonna learn?
These people are tired of retired 10 time losers like urself…
Hey man ..you didnt do a few months in Jail…we’re talking 10 yrs time prison dude.
Con Artists Create Victims where ever they go…You cant give back what you took Freddy.
One question: Why is there never a mention of any women in ur life?
This hasnt been the career of a Boys Town “Counselor” has it Freddy?
One New Tool just for you Kid: Baby Fresh-Alyzer… Just Blow the Tube Freddy.
Ill send you one when I get a chance…Until then…consider urself BUSTED.
Like stated somewhere above, Mr. Brito is getting exactly what he wants out of this, publicity and it is working. Either he is the benevolent con or not, lol.. he is probably going to make good money out of all this..
Hey “not fred”: so, if so many people and government officials are corrupt (which is true), does this mean anyone can con you out of some money and you would take it ok? Let me know so I can get some money out of you. Society this and society that… I understand your point and I know it is true.. but still, it does not justify the actions made by people like Brito.
I can understand he had to lie to be able to get a decent job, but the consequences of his actions did create victims. He is just another puppet of the corrupt society we live in. I do not look high upon him at all. He is just one more out there that lies, cheats and steals. He also seems to enjoy and take pride on what he thinks he has accomplished. I do have to admit it is funny that he actually got a job as a priest and married a couple.
If I look in my dictionary, I read the following two definitions of self esteem:
1 a good opinion of oneself, self-confidence, self-assurance, self-respect, self-reliance, secure
2 an unduly high regard for oneself, conceit, vanity, egotism, self-admiration, self-importance
Many people confuse these two definitions and assume that it is possible to have too much self-esteem or that high self-esteem equates with conceit and self-importance.
I help people to raise their self esteem, but I do not help people to be conceited or vain.
I believe your assertion that the pursuit of power is the prime motivator of sociopaths and con artists. I also believe that this pursuit of power is an attempt to ‘push others down’ so that they can seem more powerful than others. Yet nobody with high self-esteem would want to pursue power because they would know they already have it and that they are just as powerful and valuable as everyone else. Thus it is my assertion that these people are hiding a deep fear that they are not good enough and so they constantly attempt to gain social ‘proof’ that they are ‘better’ than other people by conning them.
I would say that the sense of entitlement does not come with unshakable high self esteem and grandiosity, but instead with unshakable high self-importance and grandiosity. The two are not the same.
I think that if you look at it from this perspective, it will answer your final question.
Dear Esteem Raiser,
Welcome to LF, your comments are very thought provoking.
My opinion (for what it is worth as the daughter of a Very Narcissistic P and as the mother of his Clone, my P-son who is also very Narcissistic) I believe both of these men who were/are extremely smart, depended on external proof that they are better & smarter than others. In my sperm donor’s case it was a loud mouth, instilling fear or disgust in others, and money, and living a life openly that HE THOUGHT (mostly wrongly) that would make others ENVY him. When he finally did get the money to afford the THINGS he did them in such an overblown way that most people didn’t envy him, but instead were repulsed by him and his behavior. Even though he was extremely wealthy he had the “class” of Larry Flint.
My P son, started a criminal career early, but was very unsuccessful at it and has been inside prison almost continually since he was 18, he is 38 now. Yet, he is apparently convinced he is the smartest crook in the world and even when a plan fails, he doesn’t take it personally it is someone else’s fault it failed, so he does not ever perceive he LOST or FAILED.
My P son definitely seems to have an UNSHAKABLE sense of HIGH IMPORTANCE, and so did my sperm donor. Both apparently Wanted to be the center of attention in any situation from morning until night.
I think the problem is though with psychopaths is us trying to put mental and emotional motives to their actions. Even if they are Mentally consciously AWARE of what their emotional motive is (and I’m not sure they are) They are such liars that I don’t think we can believe a word out of their mouth. So therefore we look at what they DO (and that includes part of what they say) and using OUR brains, try to find out their motive. I’m not sure it works all that well….it is like trying to put human thoughts into a dog’s brain….sometimes you can see the action, but most of the time you look at a dog and wonder what it is thinking.
I don’t believe that the sociopaths that I’ve encountered have an ounce of fear with the exception of exposure. Sure, it would be nice to determine WHY these people do the things that they do, but as OxD pointed out, they are a different species in human skin. Fear has nothing to do with their personal motives. However, instilling fear, doubt, and confusion in their targets is their highest priority. Everything after that (sex, money, status) is gravy.
OxD, both of the spath sons in our lives are prime examples of extreme sociopathy and grandiosity. The spath son in my life truly and honestly believes that he has all of the answers and all of the control, especially since he’s become involved in a religious organization. He can talk the talk and STILL bilk people for all they have with impugnity and deliberate malice.
Oh weow, Witty, are we going to see him preaching on the TV? Yep that’s what a bunch of them do. The Bible give them (they think) ultimate authority and rightness…of course what they do behind closed doors is different…Just like stealing the collection plate on up to like the Catholic church, religion protects them. Their holiness protects them.
Ah, what a shame.
Mine may do the reformed convict preacher, but I doubt it, he is too much into the criminal lifestyle to pull that one off. Yours hasn’t got the criminal patina yet so maybe he can just be SAINTLY enough to pull it of.
He says he has been on Oprah. To this date he has not. 🙂