Interpol Secretary General Ronald K Noble has praised the actions of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office for helping to prove that a book claiming Interpol had an international hit squad was nothing more than a lie, and its author a fraud.
At his appearance before Jefferson Country District Court, David Race Bannon from North Carolina in the United States, pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation. Bannon’s claims that he was an assassin employed by Interpol to travel around the world to murder child pornographers have always been dismissed by the policing body as deceptive and irresponsible fantasy.
Bannon used his fake background with Interpol to publish and promote his book, and convinced universities and others to hire him for public speaking engagements and to provide training courses on human trafficking, often receiving significant payments, Interpol reports.
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"The US and the entire international law enforcement community owes a debt of gratitude to the Colorado authorities for unmasking this fraud," said Mr Noble.
After the publication of Bannon’s book in 2003, Interpol issued a statement denouncing his claims and informed the National Central Bureaus in the countries concerned. "The lies told by this man have done untold damage, not only to the reputation of the law abiding and hard working men and women of Interpol, but also to the people who purchased his books and attended his classes and lectures," said Mr Noble. "The fact that this individual shamelessly exploited the sensitive and emotionally charged crimes of child abuse and trafficking in human beings to steal from universities, from the public and from the very real organizations that are actually working to fight these crimes is especially sad and troubling. We are pleased that his outrageous claims have now been relegated to the category of crime for profit where they belong."
Mr Noble thanked the Interpol National Central Bureaus in France, Korea and the US for providing important information in dispelling Bannon’s bogus claims: "I would also like to particularly thank the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s office, whose hard work and diligence brought this man to justice. The men and women of Interpol owe them a debt of gratitude."
