Given that “Chris” was charming, well-mannered, smart, sophisticated, and claimed a royal pedigree, he was readily welcomed. He eventually settled into the guest house of an alcoholic, mentally troubled woman who lived on Lorain Road in tony San Marino, and befriended John and Linda Sohus, the woman’s son and daughter-in-law. The young couple left suddenly for New York and a “very secret” government job that Chichester had arranged for them. They were never heard from again.
Chris himself departed abruptly and next appeared in Greenwich, Conn., where he called himself Christopher Crowe and worked as an information technology specialist for a small investment firm. His growing ego soon clashed with the owner of the firm and he again left quickly. But he landed on Wall Street where he became – stunningly, given his total lack of experience – a vice president in the corporate bond department of Nikko Securities. Not surprisingly, that did not last long and, once again, he simply vanished. For the next three and a half years, it appears that there is no record of where he was or what he did.
