Cirque Du Salahi: Diane Dimond Digs Deep

by Stacy Dittrich


It was the crime of the century (cough). A beautiful couple waltzes into the White House uninvited—allegedly, to pose for pictures with President Obama, posting the pictures on their Facebook page. Almost a year later, no criminal charges have ever been filed. A White House secretary lost her job, but the self-proclaimed power couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, remains untouched—by criminal charges, that is. Their public image didn’t get off quite so easily. As most people saw it, the couple barged into the White House uninvited, posed a potential threat to the President of the United States, got away with it, and wound up getting a fantastic gig on the reality TV show, “The Real Housewives of D.C.,” airing on the Bravo network.

That’s not exactly how it happened. Women in Crime Ink’s own investigative journalist, Diane Dimond, spent countless months—conducting over 70 interviews—to find the true story behind what the media dubbed “The White House Gate Crashers.” In her new book, Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust, Dimond delves deep into the true chain of events that occurred on the night of November 24, 2009. She answers the questions regarding the nature of the Salahi’s “invitation” and whether or not the situation (no, not that “Situation”) was a complete cover-up by the White House. Some other interesting details uncovered by Dimond include the fact that the Bravo network was actually filming the Salahis on the night in question, and captured the entire debacle on tape—a tape that somewhat backs up the Salahis' story. However, Bravo chose to sit on the tape for almost a year as the Salahis were skewered by the court of public—and media—opinion.

Dimond’s Amazon page summarizes the book accurately:

“Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust tells the INSIDE STORY of Michaele and Tareq Salahi—the never before revealed details of what happened before, during, and after their November 2009 appearance at the Obama administration' first state dinner. This journalistic autopsy reveals how one event can capture a ravenous media's attention, become the fodder for bogus political drama, and with razor-sharp and misplaced attention, ruin the reputation of a politically connected couple who did little more than attend a White House function for which they believed they had an invitation. Make no mistake. The copycat journalism surrounding the Salahis, which resulted in headlines like, "White House Gate-Crashers Investigated, Likely to be Indicted," could happen to any citizen who stumbles into the eye of a media storm.

“But this book is about more than what happens when the unsuspecting find themselves in the crosshairs of the national media. It reveals the truth about Michaele and Tareq Salahi: where they came from; what shaped their personalities; what obstacles they overcame; and what motivates them to do what they do. It is quite simply the background of the story heard 'round the world and how this couple, from the tiny town of Hume, Virginia, was able to survive the onslaught. What happened to the Salahis is much more than any reality television show can capture. The true story about this couple should serve as a mirror held up to the media to point out the disturbing trend of trimmed-to-the-bone newsrooms overreacting and exploiting certain stories. It also offers a wake-up call to Americans who believe that their news sources of choice are still trustworthy, when in reality they are often simply parroting the poorly researched work of others. The reader will be left wondering what ever happened to good journalism but not wondering what really happened that night at the White House.”

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Salahis won’t be going away anytime soon. Most recently, the Salahis’ attorney, Lisa Bloom, fired off a letter to media outlets threatening to sue anyone who referred to her clients as “White House Gate Crashers.” This sparked Michaele’s fellow “Real Housewives” cast mates to ridicule her using the defamatory term, but with air quotes and the word “allegedly” before it.

I can attest that I had zero interest in the couple, but Dimond’s Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust, is quite fascinating. If you recall, Diane Dimond is the sole reporter who broke the Michael Jackson molestation case and later wrote about it in her first book, Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case. She is methodical, descriptive, and very detailed in her findings. If you think Dimond was entirely “Pro-Salahi,” think again. Although she worked with the couple during her research, she was brutally honest in formulating her conclusions and opinions. She had sole editorial control over the book.

You may not have much interest in this couple, but if you are looking for an investigative story done right, Diane Dimond’s book is it.

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CRASHING OUT OF THE PARTY

by Lisa R. Cohen

Everybody is busy obsessing about the glamorous White House dinner crashers this week, but I'm still shaking my head at the reverse party crash in Philadelphia over the weekend. It was a daring prison break on Thanksgiving day, right from under the officers' noses. A 27-year old accused murderer named Oscar Alvarado took advantage of the holiday crowds and hubbub in the visiting room at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, aka Holmesburg prison. It's the first time anyone has made it out in the facility's 15 year history.

Other inmates later told authorities Alvarado may have been planning this for at least 10 days. How did he do it? Alvarado somehow got his hands on civilian clothes and wore them under his prison garb. Between his cell and the visiting room, he changed, not into the mandated orange jumpsuit inmates must wear in the visiting area to stand out amongst the public, but a light colored T-shirt and dark pants.

He also acquired a pass to the area even though he didn't have a visitor scheduled. Sounds like he had a little help. Then he just walked out with the other guests. He's still on the loose, and Philadelphia authorities believe he's skipped town.

But, it turns out, that's nothing in the history of daring escapes. There are real-life tunnel departures, a pontoon-raft that floated away from Alcatraz, and one Florida mother who "rescued" her child by heading up a small team that drove an 18-wheel truck through the four separate prison fences.

Mom followed in a second car to pick up her convicted murderer son, then sped off. They were pursued and caught soon afterwards, but not before killing a 55-year-old man in a head-on collision during the high speed chase.

Brit murderer Mark Ryder (photo left) escaped twice after two separate off-site expeditions. In 1991, he bolted from the first, a boating trip, and was on the run for more than a year before shooting a rival for his wife's affections -- which landed him back in prison with a 15 -year sentence.

Years later, remarkably, he was taken on another day trip, this time to the university town of Cambridge, to familiarize him with life on the outside in preparation for his eventual release. There he gave his minder the slip inside the British equivalent of a Nordstroms. Ryder was seen on surveillance video dodging customers as he ran down the escalator and out into the larger mall. It took three months before he was caught - in Spain - despite one big tip-off: a cross etched deep into his forehead.

Spain seems to be a popular destination for escape artists. That's where they finally found Frenchman Pascal Payet (below right), one of the most daring and prolific of the repeat bust-out offenders.

Payet's preferred escape route - by air. He caught his first helicopter out in 2001 and remained at large for six years. When he saw how well it worked, he went back IN via helicopter in 2003, to fly out three friends, all of whom were soon re-captured. Payet himself remained at large until his capture and conviction in early 2007.

Not for long, though, because by October of that year, four armed men hijacked this single-engine chopper from the tony seaside resort town of Cannes. They forced the pilot to land behind prison walls, where they picked up Payet yet again, flew off and disappeared. Spanish authorities finally recaptured him months later.

We should be encouraged that most of these men are eventually caught and returned back behind bars. Oscar Alvarado, who made himself blend into the crowd so successfully last week, may not be able to shuck his more identifying characteristics as easily as his blue prison uniform.

Like cross-bearing Mark Ryder, he's wearing multiple, distinctive tattoos, including this one on his upper left arm (photo right), and another on his forearm that reads: "NEVA FALL IN LOVE WIT LIFE CUZ U HAVE A PROMISE WIT DEATH"

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