Clark Rockefeller…is German…really he is….
Well the true ID of the vague and elusive Clark Rockefeller has come to light. Mr “Rockefeller” (no relation to the famous family) is actually Christian Gerhartsreiter from Bergen Germany. Full story at the NY Daily News here
The fact that he never showed any proof of his identity came out early in the story. That seemed odd to me even then and made me assume he really did have something to hide. That also meant to me that he never went to Kroger, Target or Lowes as they all seem to want a DNA swap now when you buy something, even if you pay cash. His habits seem to rule out frequenting banks as well as they fingerprint you to get YOUR OWN MONEY now. Anyway, it seems that Mr. multiple identity’s ability to remain anonymous has come to a end now and he is even a “person of interest” (read PRIME SUSPECT) in a California murder from the mid 80’s. Explains the reason that he did not show ID all these years I guess.
Now back to the past. It turns out old Christian G came to American in 1979 as a exchange student. Seems as if he has been living here for almost 30 years with no social security card, not real ID, etc. Where is the INS / ICE when you need them. Again, how did he avoid ever ID’ing department store, bank and agency all those years.
Honestly, I have always found it strange that he was able to marry without showing any real proof of his identity, etc. I have read / heard several stories that report that this even bothered his ex wife, but she still went through with the marriage. How many women would marry a man that will not even show them proof of who he really is?
Now for my big issue here. My big concern is if, big IF, he actually had no real papers or credentials and moved openly in popular and visible circles without being checked on, ID’d, or noticed all these years then it scares me regarding our national security.
Admittedly, THIS guy was no national threat, but the next one with the same past / pattern may not be only focused on getting his child back after a divorce. Can we really feel secure if a person can openly live in the US for 30 years without a credible ID and go undetected. I mean seriously think about it. In the last 30 years, this guy has married, moved numerous times, bought and sold homes, bought a boat, divorced, attended court trails / hearings / cases, transacted his affairs openly with others, been a social butterfly in well publicized circles, while trading on numerous unchallenged alias’s all these years. One even being that of one of the most famous family names in America. That does not give me a warm fuzzy as we quickly approached the 7th anniversary of 9/11.
———– Update 8/11/08 —————
It seems that Clark Rockefeller / Christian Gerhartsreiter / Christopher Chichester may have gotten a legal green card via a civil marriage ceremony in Wisconsin in the mid 80’s. story here
While this is a very serious story and your comments are relevant, your take on the story has added special wit and humor making all of us aware just how many times our transactions require identification.
Comment by
Dianne Sharp — 8/8/2008 @ 4:48 pm