In August 2013, Michael Goguen was a successful venture capitalist
who wanted to be an international Batman fighting global crime and terrorism.
He also loved to brag. Not about his wealth or his business, but about his love life.
Goguen was a partner at Sequoia Capital and had no problem telling
his employees about his bedroom conquests. One of his employee confidantes was Matthew
Marshall, who claimed to be a former CIA agent in a reconnaissance unit with the Marine Corps.
He proved himself by showing Goguen the prayer beads he said he took off an enemy's body. For
Goguen, Marshall was the most trustworthy person possible—or so he thought.
Goguen bragged about a 20-year-old woman he met on a night out in one message to Marshall,
who responded, "You're the man!" Over the next few months, Goguen exchanged
detailed messages with Marshall about his intimate encounters. He also revealed how
he maintained his public image by hiding his affairs. He used "safe houses" in Whitefish,
Montana, and kept tabs on possible enemies. Marshall was hired to help Goguen with an "off
the books" paramilitary mission in Mexico, thus helping him achieve
his goal of being a global hero. Goguen sent him an advance of $400,000.
They formed Amyntor Group, which was designed to focus on intelligence operations that would
help the most vulnerable people around the world. One of Goguen's many missions
was to rescue women from danger in Iraq. But Marshall had his own plans. He wanted to
lead assault teams on rescue missions and other operations. He just needed Goguen's
wallet. Throughout their partnership, Goguen wired Marshall more than $2 million.
However, Marshall wasn't the honest countryman he claimed to be. He was never a CIA agent and was
never involved with Marine Corps reconnaissance. Court documents later revealed that Marshall
served in the Marine Corps reserves between 1994 to 1999 and was dishonorably discharged
after 82 absences from inactive duty training. In 1996, he was hired as an Indiana State Trooper,
though he failed to mention that he had recently quit a different police department
when they suspected him of a burglary. Marshall spent all of Goguen's money on his own
family and friends, never putting a dime towards the people Goguen was trying to help.
Goguen is from Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1996, he joined Sequoia Capital,
a venture capital firm known for its early bets on businesses like Apple, Google, YouTube,
PayPal, and Cisco. He became a billionaire venture capitalist through the company.
As the money rolled in, he spent more time in the small town of Whitefish,
Montana. Goguen built a 75,000-square-foot mansion with a 30,000-square-foot bunker
that could house up to 25 people. He lived in Whitefish with his fourth
wife and owned the local bar called Casey's. He also had his own investment firm called Two Bear,
which invested in early-stage biotech and cybersecurity companies. His repertoire
also included Two Bear Farm and Two Bear Air Rescue Foundation. He became somewhat of a
Whitefish local hero by funneling millions of dollars into search and rescue operations.
Goguen had the town of Whitefish wrapped around his finger. Then,
he used it to his advantage.
Goguen painted himself as a philanthropist. But rumors circulated around Whitefish that
the police were looking into him. Thousands of court documents containing
text messages, emails, and testimony proved his womanizing ways. He used luxury "safe
houses," where he would take these young women for privacy. He installed a basement
"boom boom" room with a dancer pole at his bar. He wanted to keep his activities on the down-low
to maintain his pristine public image. He reportedly kept a spreadsheet listing over
5,000 women he was intimate with. The New York Post compared him to Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey
Epstein. Goguen's attorneys quickly sued The Post for "false and defamatory" statements.
Marshall was clearly a fraud, so why didn't Goguen notice it before? Did he fly under
the radar because Goguen was knee-deep in blackmail and misconduct allegations?
Things were souring between former workout buddies Goguen and Bryan Nash. Before 2008,
Goguen and Nash had a friendly relationship. But things changed when Nash's wife, Stephanie, filed
for divorce and thought Goguen was to blame. Stephanie and Goguen apparently had a long-term
love affair. Nash found out, and the divorce proceedings began. Goguen supported Stephanie
emotionally and financially throughout the process, giving her a credit card, putting her and
the children up in a five-bedroom home nearby, and paying her legal fees. However, Stephanie
denied any romantic relationship with Goguen. According to court documents, Goguen brought his
children and babysitter to Nash's home, where he was intimate with the babysitter. Nash found out,
called him a pedophile, and reported him to the police, but nothing happened.
In 2013, Nash demanded $250,000 in legal fees related to the divorce, but Goguen refused. Nash
threatened to expose Goguen's affairs if he didn't comply. In 2014, Goguen sent Marshall an encrypted
message saying Nash had to be dealt with. Nash kept sending harassing messages to Goguen,
his wife, children, and friends. Goguen reported Nash's blackmailing attempts to California law
enforcement, but charges were never filed. In 2019, he filed a federal criminal complaint
against Nash using information acquired by the FBI. Nash eventually entered a
plea deal for a single count of blackmail. In exchange, the charges were dismissed,
including interstate stalking and interstate communication with the intent to extort.
Things changed for Goguen in 2016 when ex-mistress and exotic dancer, Amber Baptiste,
accused him of misconduct between 2001 to 2014. Baptiste claims Goguen gave her a disease, and he
agreed to pay a $40 million settlement. However, he only ended up paying her $10 million.
Goguen also demanded that she call him "emperor" or "king." In 2012, Baptiste claimed that Goguen
left her injured in a hotel room, after which she had to get surgery. Goguen denied everything and
filed a countersuit. The California state court didn't believe Baptiste's claims and
issued a restraining order to keep her from making more false claims. The court found
Baptiste guilty of extortion and fraud and had to pay Goguen $14 million in damages.
Still, Goguen lost his job at Sequoia Capital. A representative for the company said that even
though Goguen was found innocent, they no longer wanted him working there. His exit from Sequoia
didn't seem to affect him much because he was still worth more than $5 billion.
While Goguen was submerged in controversy, his most trusted confidante, Marshall,
quietly scammed him. In 2013, Marshall texted Goguen requesting $500,000 for a covert mission
to Mexico. He said the money would go toward personnel, equipment, and bribes. In a later text,
Goguen sent Marshall a news article about women being abducted in Nigeria, saying that
he hoped Amyntor could help them too. Marshall was hired to help Goguen save the
world and spy on his enemies, including Nash and Baptiste. When Goguen said that
he wanted Nash taken out, Marshall had to talk him out of it. Marshall was tasked with hiring
a private investigator to follow Baptiste and use Amyntor's resources to target her. He even
tried to get Baptiste deported to Canada. But a year after Goguen asked Marshall to put
Baptiste under surveillance, he started having his doubts about Marshall and Amyntor. To make up
for his lack of expertise, Marshall hired a real CIA agent named John Maguire, who had decades of
experience. Another former CIA alum named Mary Beth Long joined the team. Since you probably
don't know, she used to be the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
Goguen needed international security clearance to accomplish his Batman-like goals,
but Long wasn't sure he could get it because of his legal battles. She suggested making Amyntor
a global company to bypass some of the United States' requirements. This never happened.
Between 2013 and 2015, Goguen sent Marshall over $2 million for paramilitary missions
that never happened either. One of the many assignments was to lead assault
teams to strike Syrian extremists and rescue anyone under their control. Instead, Marshall
spent the money on himself and his family. Marshall was also tasked with purchasing jewelry,
vehicles, properties, and more to pay off Goguen's mistresses or anyone who knew too much about his
misconduct. Marshall also funded their vacations, healthcare, and education. In exchange, they'd
dance for Guguen or keep their mouths shut. His mistresses had Marshall's number in case
they had any issues. One time, Marshall was called to Africa to help some Playboy Playmates
who lost their passports on a safari. In 2015, Goguen confronted Marshall about
how he was losing trust in him. He wasn't getting the transparency and honesty he hoped for from the
Amyntor CEO. Marshall panicked and sent Goguen a long text message detailing how much he valued
their friendship. He said he'd never betray their friendship or trust no matter what. Goguen had
permission to run him over if he was lying. Meanwhile, Amyntor was experimenting with new
ways to make a profit, such as working at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro or traveling to Iraq
to sell intelligence support to the Kurds. Another business venture involved designing a high-speed
boat to help foreign governments capture pirates. None of these ideas were very successful, and the
Amyntor vice president Chip McElhattan confessed to making things up as they went along.
Though it's never okay to be scammed out of $2 million, Goguen probably doesn't deserve
much sympathy. When women reported Goguen to the police, they basically
ignored their stories. Turns out, some members of the Flathead County police force were on
Goguen's payroll. Goguen also had installed a system to listen to police communications.
In 2018, one woman told a local police officer that Goguen took advantage of
her and then paid her $1200 to go away. At this point, even Marshall urged the officer to
report it to the FBI. But Goguen bribed the cop with luxury elk hunts and rides in his private
jet. Nothing came of the investigation. Instead, it was handed to Detective
Shane Erickson, who let the investigation fall through. Erickson told Marshall that
he was spending time with Goguen at his house in Whitefish Lake, and they went
on coyote hunting expeditions together. Finally, Goguen bribed Erickson by inviting
him on a $20,000 private Colorado elk hunt. Later, the female victim recanted her story after signing
a non-disparagement agreement with Goguen. Marshall realized that Goguen was bribing
Erickson and sent a message to police chief William Dial, who wasn’t a big
fan of Goguen. The two started conspiring to oust Erickson from the police force.
That summer, Erickson confided in Dial that Goguen was taking him on the luxury elk hunt.
It’s unknown whether Dial ultimately approved the trip, but he acknowledged in private messages with
Marshall that it would be a conflict of interest. Dial resigned from the force shortly after.
Marshall, Baptiste, and Nash were all unsuccessful in their cases
against Goguen. Somehow, the Billionaire always managed to come out on top.
In Goguen's countersuit against Marshall, Marshall pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering,
and tax evasion. He also admitted to lying to Goguen about where the company money was spent.
The indictment also showed that Marshall lied about his CIA and Marine Corps past.
Baptiste also lost her legal battle against Goguen when she failed to meet discovery requirements.
Goguen filed a counterclaim against her, and the court discovered that she had forged
medical documents and therefore lost almost all credibility. Goguen won the case.
Nash also lost his crusade against Goguen. He was charged with multiple counts of stalking
and communication with intent to extort. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor blackmail and
was sentenced to five years probation. Marshall, Baptiste, and Nash all lost their
individual legal battles. So they joined forces to take him down. In 2021, they filed a civil
suit against Goguen, claiming that he hired them to build a private security firm and used them
in a racketeering scheme against anyone who threatened to expose him. Marshall, Baptiste,
and Nash accused Goguen of silencing enemies and tampering with evidence. As of November 2021,
four of Goguen's former employees sought more than $800 million in damages.
When some of the allegations against Goguen made it into the news, Goguen turned around
and sued The New York Post for defamation. Every time someone tries to take Goguen down,
they end up shooting themselves in the foot. Are his accusers really just after his money,
like Goguen claims? Or does he just have outstanding lawyers?
As former Whitefish police chief Bill Dial said, "This man has to be stopped. He's
a billionaire like Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein. There's a lot of people
in this community who know what he's about, and they're afraid of him." I guess we'll see.
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