FIC:		VSG021003232237
NAME:		JOHNSON, MERLE TODD
AKA:		"BJ"
DOB:		27 AUG 1956
LOC:		GALENA MO US
EMPL:		ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINERS (APT)








FALSE SOF CLAIM(S):	U.S. NAVY SEAL; SEAL SNIPER
ADDITIONAL:		RVN 1968-1969
BUD/S:			[JOHNSON, MERLE TODD B J / ALVAR: **NO RECORD FOUND**]
MILSVC (ACTUAL):	U.S. NAVY / 28 JUN 1974 - 29 DEC 1975 / E-2

NARR/ MERLE TODD "BJ" JOHNSON CAME TO OUR ATTENTION IN OCTOBER 2002 WHEN HIS NAME WAS MENTIONED IN COMMUNICATIONS PERTAINING TO ANOTHER SEAL IMPOSTOR. JOHNSON CONDUCTS LAW ENFORCEMENT TACTICAL TRAINING IN MISSOURI.

JOHNSON BECAME AWARE OF OUR INVESTIGATION AND CONTACTED STEVE WATERMAN. JOHNSON STATED THAT AT NO TIME HAD HE EVER CLAIMED TO BE A NAVY SEAL. WATERMAN DID NOT FIND HIS DENIALS TO BE CREDIBLE.

FOLLOWING PUBLICATION OF JOHNSON'S STORY IN HACKWORTH'S "FAKE FILE", JOHNSON WENT INTO DAMAGE CONTROL MODE, APPARENTLY DECIDING ON A STRATEGY TO DISCREDIT THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPOTLIGHTING HIS DECEPTION.

MAKING IT KNOWN THAT HE WAS BEING "TARGETED" BY ENEMIES OF VARYING DESCRIPTION -- EVERYTHING FROM SHADOWY GOVERNMENT FORCES AND FOREIGN AGENTS TO DISGRUNTLED FORMER ASSOCIATES AND COMPETITORS -- JOHNSON HAD UNWITTINGLY STARTED DOWN A PATH ALREADY WELL-WORN BY COUNTLESS IMPOSTORS BEFORE HIM. NEVERTHELESS, MANY OF HIS LONG-TIME SUPPORTERS APPEAR TO HAVE ACCEPTED BJ'S FANCIFUL EXPLANATION. IT IS OBVIOUS JOHNSON HAS A NAIVE CULT FOLLOWING THAT WILL NOT EASILY ACCEPT THE TRUTH. STILL, IF MANY OF BJ'S HARD-CORE DEVOTEES CHOOSE TO SUBSCRIBE TO A LIE, THAT IS THEIR PREROGATIVE. HORSE TO WATER AND ALL THAT.

AMONG HIS FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS -- INCLUDING A GAGGLE OF BACKWOODS BUBBAS IN THE CHRISTIAN AND STONE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS WHO TOOK ENOUGH TIME OUT FROM DUELLING BANJOS TO CIRCLE WAGONS AROUND THEIR GOLD-PLATED PHONY HERO -- JOHNSON IS KNOWN TO BE A FORMER SEAL WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN HIGHLY CLASSIFIED COVERT OPERATIONS. LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL WHO HAVE TRAINED AT JOHNSON'S A.P.T. FACILITY REPORT HEARING OF HIS MILITARY BACKGROUND FROM JOHNSON HIMSELF AND OTHERS CLOSE TO HIS OPERATION. SOME OF THOSE SAME LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS PRIVATELY EXPRESSED HARBORING DOUBTS ABOUT BJ'S MILITARY CREDENTIALS. MANY OTHERS FIRMLY BELIEVE JOHNSON IS A FORMER SEAL WHOSE MILITARY SERVICE RECORD CAN NOT BE VERIFIED DUE TO ACCESS RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED AS A RESULT OF THE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE NATURE OF HIS WORK IN THE NAVY.

ONE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND FRIEND OF JOHNSON RESPONDED TO THE ARTICLE: "I HAVE ATTENDED ALL OF BJ'S HANDGUN COURSES ... I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON WHETHER OR NOT BJ HAS EVER MADE COMMENTS ABOUT BEING A SEAL, WAR INJURIES, CIA INVOLVEMENT, ETC ... A.P.T.'S TRAINING IS REALLY TOP NOTCH AND I KNOW THE MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL, ARKANSAS STATE POLICE AND NUMEROUS DISTINGUISHED SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS/POLICE DEPARTMENTS TRAIN REGULARLY WITH HIM AND HAVE ADOPTED HIS TRAINING REGIMENT AND PHILOSOPHIES."

IF THAT WAS NOT DISTURBING ENOUGH, THE SAME OFFICER ADDED, "I JUST DON'T WANT ANYTHING UNEXPECTEDLY COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET REGARDING HIS OR MY PAST TRAINING IF I HAVE TO KILL SOMEBODY IN THE LINE OF DUTY."

IN AN INTERNAL E-MAIL, ONE INCREDULOUS VERISEAL INVESTIGATOR WROTE, "HE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE HE GOT TRAINING FROM A FAKE. HIS DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE DONE ITS HOMEWORK. THEY DIDN'T ... THIS GUY AMOUNTS TO ANOTHER TICKING BJ TIME-BOMB OUT THERE IN COPLAND."

IN APRIL 2003, AN INDIVIDUAL NAMED HAROLD MAYO CONTACTED US TO PRESENT EVIDENCE THAT HE BELIEVED PROVED JOHNSON INDEED WAS A REAL NAVY SEAL. MAYO CLAIMED TO KNOW A SEAL WHO INSISTED JOHNSON WAS ONE OF HIS BUD/S INSTRUCTORS IN CORONADO. INTIALLY, MAYO DECLINED TO PROVIDE THE NAME OF THIS ALLEGED SEAL. THERE WAS NO DOUBT THE MYSTERY SEAL WOULD ALSO PROVE TO BE A FAKE; JOHNSON HAD NEVER SERVED IN THE TEAMS. MAYO WAS FINALLY PERSUADED TO DIVULGE THE NAME OF THE SUPPOSED SEAL WHO REMEMBERED BJ FROM BUD/S: ERIC ASMUSSEN.

A CHECK OF THE BUD/S DATABASE CONFIRMED THAT ASMUSSEN WAS NOT A BUD/S GRADUATE AND THUS, NOT A SEAL. WHAT'S MORE, VERISEAL ALREADY HAD A FILE ON A SEAL IMPOSTOR NAMED ERIC L. ASMUSSEN WHO IS SAID TO HAVE SERVED WITH THE MISSOURI STATE PATROL. ASMUSSEN REPORTEDLY CLAIMED TO HAVE RECEIVED A MEDICAL DISCHARGE FROM THE TEAMS AFTER INJURING HIS BACK WHILE BOARDING AN IRAQI VESSEL AROUND THE TIME OF THE FIRST GULF WAR.

IN FEBRUARY 2003, SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI POLICE OFFICER JOEY KYLE, SERVING IN THE NAVY AND DEPLOYED TO KUWAIT, DECLARED: "I HAVE TRAINED WITH BJ AND I HAVE TRAINED FOR HIM. I HAVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED SEALS TRAINING WITH HIM AND FOR HIM ... I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT HE IS TRUE AND IS WHAT HE SAYS ... I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH SEVERAL OTHER CONTACTS WHO KNOW BJ PERSONALLY AND CAN VOUCH FOR HIM, ONE IS A PHD IN WASHINGTON DC WORKING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, ASKED FOR PERSONALLY BY THE PRESIDENT ... I SERIOUSLY DOUBT YOUR ABILITY TO PROVE [JOHNSON] TO BE OTHER THAN WHAT HE HAS SHOWN ME TO BE."

THE "PHD" IN QUESTION IS A SMSU PROFESSOR BY THE NAME OF J.D. CROUCH, WHO HAS BEEN A JOHNSON BELIEVER FOR YEARS AND REFERS BUSINESS TO A.P.T., ACCORDING TO SEVERAL SOURCES.

THE SPRINGFIELD CONSTABLE'S "DOUBTS" NOTWITHSTANDING, ALL THE VOUCHERS IN THE WORLD WON'T TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME AND MAKE MERLE TODD "BJ" JOHNSON A SEAL. AN INCESTUOUS NEST OF PHONIES AND WANNABES WAS BEING UNCOVERED HOLED UP IN THE "SHOW ME" STATE, WITH BJ JOHNSON REIGNING AS THE ALPHA FAKE.

A COPY OF THE LETTER FROM THE SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI POLICE OFFICER/SAILOR WAS FORWARDED TO TWO SEALS DEPLOYED TO KUWAIT AT THE TIME. ONE HAD A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WTH THE DEFIANTLY MISGUIDED JOHNSON DEFENDER IN FEBRUARY.

"SMALL WORLD," HE WROTE. "I JUST MET THIS [KYLE] YESTERDAY. HE DIDN'T ASK SQUAT ABOUT THAT JOHNSON GUY. HIS UNIT JUST PULLED OUT YESTERDAY ... THEY WILL EVENTUALLY BE BACK HERE SO I CAN ASSURE HIM THAT THIS BJ IS JUST ANOTHER PHONY OUT OF NEAR MILLIONS."

OTHER JOHNSON DEFENDERS ALSO REPORTED THAT BJ HAD ROUTINELY TRAINED ACTIVE DUTY SEALS AND SF OPERATORS AT A.P.T. AND THAT HE HELD TRAINING CONTRACTS WITH THE ARMY AND NAVY. VERISEAL CHECKED WITH SEVERAL CONTACTS AT WARCOM, SOCOM AND BUPERS. NOT ONLY HAD THE U.S. NAVY NEVER SENT ANY SPECWAR PERSONNEL TO BE TRAINED BY BJ JOHNSON AND A.P.T., THE NAVY HAD NEVER HEARD OF A.P.T. PRIOR TO OUR INQUIRY.

JOHNSON'S LONG-LIVED CHARADE WAS IN DIRE STRAITS. IN DESPERATION, AND ALLUDING TO LIFE AND DEATH NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES, JOHNSON ALLEGEDLY BEGAN ADVISING HIS DELUDED DISCIPLES TO HAVE NO CONTACT WITH VERISEAL. FAILING THAT, THEY WERE TO REPORT TO HIM EVERYTHING THAT MAY HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATED TO US.

JOHNSON'S FEAR, IT SEEMED, WAS THAT HIS CULT OF TRUE BELIEVERS WOULD COME TO REALIZE HE IS AN IMPOSTOR, THAT HE SERVED ONLY 18 MONTHS IN THE NAVY, THAT HE WAS NEVER A NAVY SEAL, THAT HE NEVER SET FOOT IN VIETNAM, THAT HE WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN ANY "COVERT" MILITARY OPERATIONS. THE ONLY MILITARY OPERATION INVOLVING BJ JOHNSON WAS A SURGICAL ONE TARGETING THE REMOVAL OF AN ABCESS ON HIS HIP.

HIS ASSERTION THAT HE IS BEING "TARGETED" BY HIS COMPETITION IS UNFOUNDED. WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN VERISEAL AND ANY OF JOHNSON'S ALLEGED COMPETITION, NOR DO WE KNOW WHO THEY MIGHT BE. JOHNSON'S ONLY COMPETITION IS WITH THE TRUTH.

A RECENT REQUEST FOR JOHNSON'S CREDENTIALS FROM THE PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS AND TRAINING OFFICE (P.O.S.T.) IN MISSOURI WAS DENIED. QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT BJ JOHNSON'S QUALIFICATIONS TO PERFORM TACTICAL TRAINING. WHERE DID JOHNSON HIMSELF ACQUIRE THE TRAINING NECESSARY TO INSTRUCT LAW ENFORCEMENT TACTICAL UNITS? WE KNOW IT WAS NOT IN THE SEAL TEAMS, AS JOHNSON HAS IMPLIED FOR YEARS.

MAY 2004/ INFORMATION OBTAINED BY VERISEAL INDICATES A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, PERSONAL FRIEND AND SUPPORTER OF JOHNSON, MAY BE A MEMBER OF THE MISSOURI P.O.S.T. BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  THIS INFORMATION MAY OFFER SOME EXPLANATION FOR P.O.S.T.'S INITIAL REFUSAL TO DISCLOSE WHAT OTHERWISE SHOULD BE JOHNSON'S PUBLIC RECORD OF TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUING.

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FILE UPDATED: 201835Z OCT 2004