Randolph Parker, a 72-year-old American, was undoubtedly shocked when two detectives greeted him as he picked up a counterfeit passport in Cork last year. However, he quickly regained his composure, giving the impression of a man who is accustomed to pressure. This encounter marked the beginning of an odd story continues to leave many mystified.
An eyewitness at the scene said, “He was definitely taken aback. He certainly did not anticipate bumping into two police officers when he came to pick up his passport. However, he remained cool and collected. He did not become agitated or distressed.”
Previously, Parker has demonstrated characteristics of an international man of mystery. Last month, he was sentenced to a term of 3.5 years, with 15 months suspended, for fraudulently applying for passports using the identities of two deceased infants. He admitted to four charges of supplying fraudulent information to obtain an Irish passport and possessing a false driving licence in a fifth charge.
Yet, apart from his admissions, Parker remained largely reticent, refusing to give any further explanation on his true identity and the reasons for obtaining the passports under the names of the deceased Irish children. This added curiosity to the enigma that is Randolph Kirk Parker.
Details of Parker’s life prior to his arrival in Ireland are scant. The US embassy informed the police that he reached Shannon Airport in 1988 with his valid US passport bearing his real name, only to vanish soon after. While his time in America, it was found that he once lived in Jackson, Michigan, having been arrested in 1970 in Lapeer County, north of Detroit, for drug possession, but the trial never commenced as the prosecution dropped the charges.
Further deepening the intrigue surrounding him; Parker was observed reading novels by Mario Puzo, the man behind ‘The Godfather’, and thriller author Lee Child during court proceedings. Like Child’s protagonist, Jack Reacher, who evades the radar, Parker stayed off-grid.
Following his arrest for drug possession, information about his life in the US becomes scarce.
In an episode of criminal intrigue that unfolded in Ireland in 2023, an individual was arrested for fraudulent passport activities. This individual had submitted applications for an Irish passport under the deceased infant’s name, Phillip Francis Morris, making this his seventh attempt using similar manipulative tactics that involved identities of infants who passed away in the 1950s.
Acquiring passports through the birth certificates of departed children is a method well-documented in popular literature. This ploy is evident in Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 thriller, “The Day of the Jackal”, where the main character picks an infant’s grave that matches his age and the infant’s identity is used to fabricate a fictitious persona.
The guilty party’s real identity, Parker, came to light in 2017 when facial recognition technology from the Passport Services Integrity Section detected similarities between a passport holder named Geoffrey Warbrook residing in Dublin since 2012, and the various passports issued to Phillip Morris in West Cork, since 1998.
Despite the revelations, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation was unable to locate any individuals by those names. But in 2023, they discovered another passport renewal application by Phillip Morris, whose collection point was based at the Cork Passport office.
This information led to his arrest when two detective officers located Parker at the South Mall passport office on September 14th, 2023, before taking him into custody under the suspicion of falsifying documents for a passport under Geoffrey Warbrook’s name.
A testimony from Gillian Shiels, the late Geoffrey Warbrook’s sister, assured the officials that her brother had died in infancy in 1952. This meant that Parker had fraudulently applied for passports under Geoffrey’s identity, whose resting place is in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harold’s Cross, Dublin.
Upon arrest, though cordial, Parker declined to reveal his motives for the fraudulent passport acquisition or willingly assist officials in their investigation. Following a succession of eleven court appearances, he was accused of two counts of supplying deceptive details for the Warbrook passport. When Parker’s identity remained uncertain for the authorities, they ultimately rejected his bail application.
When he appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, authorities realised he wasn’t Phillip Morris following a statement from David Morris, who confirmed the birth and early death of his brother, Phillip Morris. As explained by Det Garda Hanly during Parker’s sentencing hearing, they were struggling to establish the man’s identity, as he was using two aliases and had four false Irish passports – two under the name of Geoffrey Warbrook and two under the name of Phillip Morris.
After reaching out to Interpol, American authorities, and other government organisations, fingerprints were shared with international law enforcement, which confirmed his identity as Randolph Kirk Parker, born on 3rd July 1951, with a previous arrest in Michigan from 1970.
Gardaí reached out to his acquaintances in Ireland, one of whom, a woman in west Cork, had her address used by Parker for mail. They shared that they knew him as American, Ray F, not as Randolph Parker. One Garda source revealed that Parker, also known as Ray Travis, was a charming man who was passionate about writing, music, and film production; he mixed with people across the country but never owned any formal documents with the name Ray Travis.
Interestingly, many of his Irish contacts met him whilst he lived intermittently for two decades on a houseboat in Amsterdam, frequenting Irish bars and immersing himself in traditional Irish music. Rather peculiarly, Parker would always travel by ferry and train between Ireland and Amsterdam, thereby avoiding airlines that would have a record of his passport information. This behaviour suggests a deliberate attempt to maintain anonymity and, despite no past imprisonment, he seems unshaken by the situation. This leaves many wondering about his true intentions. His legal defence team, Cork solicitor Frank Buttimer and barrister Brendan Kelly BL were left to provide the only explanation.
During the late 80s, an American, Parker, had journeyed to Europe due to business obligations. At the point of his sentencing, Kelly informed Judge Jonathan Dunphy that Parker encountered visa related issues. A business associate had counselled him on the process needed to secure an Irish passport. Judge Dunphy, who was officiating the sentencing, said Parker posed a risk to the country’s passport system’s authenticity.
There was also news that Parker gained employment at the prison’s library while he was under arrest. This came as no shock to Det Garda Hanly as Parker seemed fascinated by books. What heightened the interest surrounding him was his choice of literature during the court sessions. The two novels he’d favoured were written by Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, and Lee Child, a thriller writer famous for his creation, Jack Reacher. Interestingly, Jack Reacher also prefers to lead an overly simplistic, incognito lifestyle, much like Parker.
Another fascinating fact was that, in his application for an Irish driving license, Parker opted to use ‘Francis’, which is Phillip Morris’s middle name. Coincidentally, a man named Frank Morris happens to be among the trio of individuals who’ve ever been successful in their attempt to escape the notorious American Alcatraz prison.
Since his capture the previous year, Parker has shown exemplary behaviour as a prisoner, handling roles in the prison’s library and horticulture segment. A solitary figure, Parker maintained his distance from the other inmates. One prison insider stated that he’d adapted rather well to life in prison, far more than one would expect from a first-time inmate. It sparked a sense of curiosity about him.