The story behind the infamous QRZ_EDITOR (otherwise known as Michael Jacobus N4DIA ,also called “Secret Squirrel” and “Psycho”) seems to have taken a strange, new twist.

Those of you who read Hamsexy on a semi-regular basis know that we’ve been at odds with N4DIA (a.k.a. QRZ_EDITOR), who was the driving force behind QRZ’s authoritarian regime (especially against this site). People incorrectly assumed QRZ.com’s founder Fred AA7BQ was behind it, but it turns out it was actually Jacobus.

Communicating to the outside world using the anonymous alias QRZ_EDITOR, he layed a smackdown of unfair and irrational policy on QRZ.com members, as well as never-ending stream of vitriol against others via e-mail.

He refused to reveal his true identity to others, preferring to speak on behalf of QRZ.com as an anonymous phantom, responding to requests to reveal himself with sarcasm and strange stories regarding September 11th. He claimed to work for various branches of the military (specifically the US Navy) and claimed that his work at The Pentagon negated his need to remain anonymous (I guess Osama bin Laden reads QRZ.COM…?)

Well, if recent accounts of various people are correct, it would appear that the famous QRZ_EDITOR is a convicted fraud artist, a felon and a liar. AL2N on the Hamsexy Forums posted a news story from the Cleaveland Plain Dealer from 1994, showing that Jacobus was convicted of Grand Theft after stealing $50,000 from his ex-girlfriend. This is AFTER he was charged with impersonating a Naval Officer in 1993.

Over the past few days, it’s been obvious that something is up at QRZ, despite the lack of any official release or statement from Fred. N4DIA’s status has been reduced from Super Administrator to Subscriber, and QRZ management have been pretty mum on the situation.

Here is a small digest of what went down (courtesy of the Plain Dealer news archives and the Cleaveland Public Library):

December 1993: Michael Jacobus faces trial for impersonation of Naval Officer and theft of identification cards. He was accused of posing as a Naval F-14 pilot and graduate of the TOPGUN Navy Fighter Weapons School, including possessing a stolen phony uniform and credentials. He also lives in Pensacola, Florida – the birthplace of our Navy’s Aviation program. A few weeks later he admits to this, and gets six months in prison and a fine. The judge in this case is a former Naval Aviator.

March 1994: Jacobus is charged in a 1987 theft of $50,000 from a former girlfriend. They met in 1987 on an ‘on-line computer service’ (BBS maybe?), and they eventually met. After their visit, her house burned down and she got a $50,000 insurance settlement. Jacobus offered to invest it for her, and she agreed. After he fucked off with the money, she filed charges. Apparantly, the impersonation case put the spotlight on Jacobus, and he was quicky arrested for the theft.

He was found guilty of Grand Theft, and was sentenced to two years in prison.

There are a few coincidences that lead us to believe that N4DIA and the person in the articles are one of the same:

a) N4DIA‘s FCC records show his name as Michael J. Jacobus of Pensacola, Florida
b) N4DIA (as QRZ_EDITOR) claimed to be in the military, specifically in the navy.
c) N4DIA, despite his claim he is a Naval Officer, has shown himself to be unfamiliar with naval terms use by QRZ members who actually are in the Navy. Ronnie WA4MJF related a story where QRZ_EDITOR had never heard of the term “Chink” being used to refer to the US military acronym CHICOM (Chinese Communist Party). WA4MJF, who is a retired Army officer from a Naval family (oh the shame!) writes: “How many of all y’all that were in the service never heard a CHICOM called a Chink? When he told me he had to check with some contacts at the puzzle palace to see if that was true, I knew he was never a Naval Officer.” (The Puzzle Palace is the National Security Agency). N4DIA‘s status on QRZ was, over the past few days, reduced from “Super Administrator” to “Subscriber”.

QRZ_EDITOR likes to squeeze his alleged military service in at any chance. In a letter around the beginning of January of this year to KC2KIT, QRZ_EDITOR says “As a 30 year retired military officer I am amazed at your tirades given your professional background.”

We are not accusing anyone of anything, just pointing out the facts. If this is true, we would hope that N4DIA’s removal as Administrator would herald a new day for QRZ, one in which the forum’s members aren’t ruled by a convicted criminal and fraud artist – someone who doesn’t urinate on our country’s proud military heritige for his own selfish and psychotic needs. The ball is in Fred AA7BQ’s court – we would like him to do the right thing and let everyone know the truth behind N4DIA’s demotion. None of this is Fred’s fault – if the claims are true then he was duped along with the rest of us.