Robert Friedman grew up with two brothers in a stable and loving home in New York, close to a major airport. Robert's mother was a well-educated teacher, and his father owned a small business. Robert was engrossed with children's television shows that depicted pilots rescuing people. He watched Superman and other shows about flying. He built small planes out of balsa wood and liked to watch soaring birds.

Staring out his bedroom window, Robert began to decipher the traffic patterns of approaching aircraft. He took a flight in a glider at age 14. After that, he was dedicated to becoming a pilot. By the time he was 16, Robert was flying solo and he obtained a private airplane pilot's license at age 17. He was flying small planes before most teenagers drove cars. Robert went on to earn a degree in aeronautics. His skills developed as he advanced from flying small aircraft to working as a flight engineer and a pilot on large commercial airplanes, such as the Boeing 727. He attained his ultimate career ambition when he was hired as a pilot by a major carrier at age 32.

Robert was trim, handsome, amiable and very helpful to those around him. As an eligible bachelor, he had a lot to offer. He trusted people and would put himself at risk, even to help strangers.

The challenging and rewarding life of an airline pilot, while exciting, involves the strain of living out of a suitcase and being away from home. Robert's career required total concentration and dedication, and his record was unblemished. He enjoyed life, had accumulated some investments and was optimistic about the future. Having relocated to Philadelphia at age 40, Robert wanted to settle down and meet new people. He purchased his first computer in 1995 when home Internet use was just becoming popular. Robert visited chat rooms in an attempt to connect with local Philadelphi-ans, and used a screen name that combined his initials and the word Philly.

Robert did not know what instant messaging (IM) was until he received his first message from a woman using a provocative screen name, who later identified herself as Connie. She asked him about baseball, thinking Robert must be a Phillies fan due to his screen name. As she was a fan of the Atlanta Braves, Connie wrote, "My Braves are beating up on your Phillies." She also said she was a nurse from a small town in western Pennsylvania. After the exchange of many e-mail messages and IMs, Robert and Connie began speaking on the telephone. Connie portrayed herself as a simple, small town, wholesome girl with a dash of sexuality. She said she played on a woman's softball team, which Robert found appealing.

After discussing everyday topics for several weeks, Connie began to mention an increasingly complicated and dangerous situation in which she was involved. As her stories became more detailed, they also became more incredulous, but she told them in a believable manner. Though Robert's interest in Connie had waned, he had concerns for her well-being. Wanting to help, he listened to Connie's tales of her complicated life.

Shortly after Connie opened up to him about her troubles, Robert began receiving e-mails from unfamiliar people. Some of them said they were members of law enforcement in Connie's hometown. Others were just regular people, and still others claimed to be celebrities. Over the course of many months, more individuals contacted Robert by e-mail and some claimed to be government agents. Connie said she was working with them, albeit reluctantly, in a criminal investigation.

The cyber identities revealed that they knew a lot about Robert, which unnerved him. Collectively, this widening network of connections said Connie was helping them take down a Philadelphia-based organized-crime ring run by mobster Joey Merlino. Connie intimated that she was coerced by Max, the police officer with whom she had an affair when she was a teenager, to help the investigation because of her stated friendship with Mark, a major league baseball pitcher. Merlino's crime syndicate was purportedly involved in gambling operations during professional baseball games in collaboration with certain players, who agreed to alter plays on Merlino's command. Mark was one of the players allegedly involved. Robert listened kindly but wondered what was real. When he asked questions, things just got worse.

Robert was puzzled at how so many unfamiliar people knew intimate details of his life, as if he was being secretly investigated, and that they were all connected to Connie. They pressured Robert to maintain contact with Connie and insisted it would help the investigation. Robert wanted out of the entire situation, but he wanted to help Connie — he saw her as a damsel in distress. And that was how she wanted him to see her.

Robert was intimidated and bullied by his online connections, and the messages they sent him rapidly became more intense. Connie started acting hysterically, which threw Robert off track. He was feeling increasingly trapped and completely unprepared to defend himself against a cyberspace attack.

Connie had created an elaborate network of fictional online characters, each with a distinct personality, who confirmed each other's stories. Robert responded to each identity without knowing that Connie was behind them all. The personal information the characters revealed to Robert about their lives increased the veracity of the scheme.

Robert was overwhelmed by the conflicts and drama of this new Internet world. He struggled to maintain a full flight schedule, and was often juggling his career with Connie's needs. He was losing sleep and was deeply troubled.

Max began to pressure Robert to let Connie move into his apartment. Max said he wanted to create the illusion of a relationship between Robert and Connie, and that Connie was needed in Philadelphia to meet Mark and Merlino, the crime boss. Max presented this idea to Robert allegedly as part of his plan to bring down Merlino. He said that pretending Robert and Connie were in a relationship would serve the investigation and that if Robert cooperated, the situation would soon be over and he would have his peace and quiet back. Money was regularly taken out of Robert's personal bank accounts without his knowledge or consent. Because of this, the situation became much more real to him.

Robert was horrified by this request and flatly refused it. He told Max by e-mail that the game had gone on too long and that Max and his agency could "go to hell." He already lost a year of his life and he wanted out. Robert wanted no part of Max or the agency he supposedly worked for.

Max replied quickly. Robert was told in no uncertain terms that he must bring Connie to Philadelphia immediately. If he didn't, Max would never be out of Robert's life; he would slowly be destroyed, both financially and professionally. The extreme threats were very direct, and Robert took them seriously. He gave into Max and agreed to let Connie move into his apartment, but only for a week or two. Max assured him that was all that was needed, thanked Robert, and told he would not regret it.

In early June, Robert flew to Connie's town, rented a car and picked her up. They loaded up the car with her clothes and drove to Philadelphia. Robert was feeling hopeless but thought, "At least things can't get worse."

Despite assurances from a host of online identities that Connie would only be living with Robert for a few weeks, she stayed for more than a year. By then, most of Robert's savings had been depleted by various demands and extortions from the cyber identities. He also discovered that credit cards were opened in his name, most of which were maxed out, ruining his credit. He was desperately trying to sort through the confusing information presented by Connie to figure out the truth.

Connie came back to Robert's apartment one afternoon in what struck Robert as an authentic state of horror, and said that two members of Merli-no's mob forced her into the back of a limousine and burned her inner thighs with a cigarette. She said they wanted her to stop cooperating with the FBI investigation. Hysterically, she told Robert, "They burned me about 10 or 15 times." Although her shock seemed genuine, Robert asked her to show him the burns, hoping to finally catch her in a lie. After acting wounded by his lack of trust, she showed him multiple fresh burn marks. In tears she added a threat for Robert, "If they would do this to me, what do you think they would do to you or your family? Or maybe your little nephew?" It was surreal for Robert. He did not know who to believe or where to turn for help.

Robert was slowly drawn deeper into a bizarre world of what appeared to be government investigations and organized crime. Robert experienced disbelief, thoughts that organized crime really was involved and suspicions that he was being targeted by a combination of hackers and stalkers. As if to confirm his worst fears, the local news was filled with stories of police corruption.

Robert finally decided to report the events. He went to an FBI office with his father and filled out a complaint form; he was asked to present his identification, including his pilot's license. More than a year after Connie moved into his apartment, he finally sat down for an interview with two young agents.

Special Agents Johnson and Dexter listened to Robert's story and asked him to return the next day with whatever supporting documentation he had. He brought about 75 pages of threatening e-mail messages and relevant bank statements showing the fraudulent accounts. After reviewing the documents, the agents contacted Connie by telephone to corroborate Robert's complaint, but she told them, "Robert likes to make up stories. Nothing criminal is happening." She convinced the agents that she thought Robert was mentally troubled.

The agents did not run a criminal background check on Connie; instead they believed her and assumed Robert was making a false report. They contacted the FAA and recommended he undergo a psychological evaluation. The FAA suspended Robert's first-class medical certificate pending a psychological and psychiatric evaluation, which meant he could not fly for medical reasons.

Robert was devastated by the news. After he was evaluated by a forensic psychologist, Robert's parents and Connie were interviewed. Connie claimed that nothing Robert said was true and, despite Robert's parents corroborating all that their son said, the forensic psychologist determined that Robert was delusional and should not be allowed to resume flying, effectively terminating Robert's career. The forensic psychologist's report was submitted without the opportunity for Robert to review the contents or submit additional facts in support of his case.

Robert evaluated everything that happened since Connie first contacted him. His life was destroyed, yet he was determined to find out who was responsible and why he had been victimized. He left Connie in the apartment in Philadelphia and moved to Queens, New York, with her guarantee that she would move out shortly. Robert finally got her to leave by threatening to turn off the utilities. She left and Robert sold the apartment, and the e-mail from Connie and the Internet characters gradually stopped.

Robert devoted his time to analyzing the archived e-mail and printouts; luckily he had the foresight to preserve much of the information from the beginning. He noticed that a particular word was misspelled frequently in the same manner by Connie and the online individuals. That supported Robert's suspicion that Connie was the mastermind of a plot against him.

Robert hired a private detective, who found out Connie was living in a halfway house. In addition to conducting extensive interviews with Connie, the detective also served her with Robert's lawsuit for monetary damages. Connie revealed to the private detective during one of their interviews that she burned herself with a cigarette to make her story more credible and to "keep Robert under control and make him afraid." The private detective convinced Connie to write a confession and address it to the FBI. Robert submitted her letter along with other supporting evidence, including Connie's past criminal record, to the FBI with a request to correct his file and retract their urgent warning to the FAA, but for unexplained reasons, he was ignored.

After his psychological evaluation, Robert had been placed on mental disability by the airline. To receive benefits under the disability policy, Robert was required to undergo psychotherapy. Very quickly his new therapist ascertained that Robert was not suffering from delusions of any kind. He was, however, deemed to have posttraumatic stress disorder as a direct result of the actions of the FBI and the previous forensic psychologist. Unfortunately for Robert, his treating therapist committed malpractice and bilked his patients' Medicare accounts. This abuse and similar conduct with many other patients led to the treating psychologist being investigated for insurance fraud. He was imprisoned and lost his professional license.

A few years after these events, Robert contacted me for help with his tax return. At that time, I was a partner in an accounting firm. I met with Robert to discuss his taxes. He wanted to address the financial losses he suffered from Connie's online extortion, but he did not know if I could help. He explained everything that happened to him and told me his previous accountant simply ignored his theft losses when compiling his tax return. After he explained what had happened to him, I became interested in his story and wanted to use my forensic skills to help Robert. We developed a good rapport and a strong sense of mutual trust in my eventual role as forensic examiner.

Robert's world was turned upside down. He described the events with an impassioned plea for help. I was in the third year of my doctorate in clinical psychology and was interested in the details. Robert gave me substantial, organized information to review, and he seemed credible, but I thoroughly examined all his documentation before accepting his claims. I became convinced that Robert was the victim of an elaborate Internet extortion scheme, and was further harmed by a shallow FBI investigation and an incompetent forensic psychologist.

I embarked on a forensic mission to help Robert recover his money and to achieve vindication for him being wrongly suspended from his job. I conducted dozens of interviews of Robert, his family, witnesses, and prior and subsequent victims of Connie. The other victims' stories enriched my understanding of her as a psychopathic criminal. Each was harmed differently, but all were devastated.

Connie's daughter, Anne, even put me in direct contact with Connie. Anne explained to her mother that I was studying victimology and wanted to understand her better. My hope was to initiate dialogue with Connie and convince her to provide written statements that would clear Robert. Connie told Anne, "Have him e-mail me if he has the guts to do so." After my initial e-mail to Connie, asking for open dialogue, she replied, "Only via e-mail, since we are both so good at hiding behind a screen." We exchanged about 50 e-mail messages and IMs, in which she readily admitted what she did to Robert and others. She openly discussed her wrongdoing, "I have admitted I have hurt people terribly; I've made bad, bad decisions; I have screwed up my life in many ways, and made the same mistakes over and over." She said she was a troubled person, but also blamed her victims, trying to pawn off responsibility for her criminal behavior on drug addiction, but this was yet another veiled effort to hide her psychopathic personality.

My scores of interviews and Connie's direct stories of her childhood fit with her adult psychopathic criminal profile. As a child, she stole from her family. She said: "The first experience I ever remember was taking pennies for an ice cream sandwich from my mom's drawer. I stole stupid little things just to see if I could get away with it. It was the high of the act itself. I usually didn't need the object. My version of the truth is usually pretty distorted. I have always, since I was a child, had a problem deciphering between the truth and what I want to believe."

When she returned to the topic of Robert, she was brief: "Look, Robert is a victim of a credit card scam, that's all." She was completely unconcerned about ruining his career.

Connie's behavior toward me alternated between a soft, cooperative attitude and anger. Much of what she said distorted the known truth and was meant to throw me off track. When she was feeling agreeable, she admitted to the use of other online identities. "I became involved in Max's persona with the help of the real Max. I had no intention of doing this, but Max was coming over all the time and we ended up having a lot of fun online, never thinking anyone would get hurt. Then Robert happened along and Max didn't like him e-mailing me, so Max messed with him a lot, and I followed suit. Then I took on the persona of an old friend who lives in DC, and that's how it began. I never meant to hurt anyone, but I know it has." However, one could argue with her statement. A characteristic of a psychopath is the inability to have deep empathy for people.

Robert's civil lawsuit against Connie was successful, resulting in a judgment ordering Connie to pay restitution for the $57,000 she stole from him. Together with accumulated interest, the unpaid amount totaled more than $100,000. To date, Connie has made no effort to pay even a small portion. Robert has made several attempts to work through the legal system to discover sources of income earned by Connie or assets that she may have accumulated, but she continues to skate by without being held accountable for the theft.

My work with Robert led to a deeper understanding about how Connie orchestrated the Internet-based scheme. I attended Connie's hearing for yet another violation of probation. She was jailed for six months. The investigation of Connie's abuse of Robert led to the discovery of similar criminal acts she perpetrated against an elderly man. Today, Connie is living with still another elderly man who has life-threatening pulmonary disease. I contacted his relatives and explained Connie's background, but the man's family is disconnected, and they didn't seem overly concerned about his well-being.

Robert eventually unwound the complexity of the events that occurred in his life, but not in time to avoid being considered psychotic by the FBI. Having such a track record, even though it was later proven to be false, ruined his ability to report the crime through another agency. No one would accept his case because his credibility was so tarnished.

I calculated the financial loss sustained by Robert and prepared a casualty loss claim in connection with Robert's income tax return, but originally it was denied. I visited the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and explained what had occurred. I convinced the IRS agent to allow the loss, and Robert received a large tax refund as a result.

In addition to filing a suit against Robert's treating psychologist, a few law firms evaluated the potential for filing suit against the forensic psychologist, but did not represent Robert in this matter due to the statute of limitations having run out. Thus, the forensic psychologist escaped accountability for his actions.

Eric A. Kreuter, PhD, CFE, CPA, CMA, CFM, CFFA, SPHR, is a partner with BST Valuation & Litigation Advisors, LLC in New York City. He conducts forensic investigations and provides litigation support, including expert reports and testimony. He serves on several professional and nonprofit boards. Dr. Kreuter has authored several books, book chapters and numerous articles.