I've read a fair amount of stuff about Armstrong as well as quite a few of his "newsletters" that he wrote while still in prison. He had a web site (run by someone on the outside) dedicated to putting out the information.

If I had to make a wild guess (and that is exactly what this is) about what transpired, this would be it:

I think he was likely guilty as sin. Considering what he went through in prison (or at least what he said he went through), any sane person would had given up anything the government prosecutors ask of him (if it would have proven them innocent). My take is he had two choices. 1. he give up the documents and computer programming the prosecutor ask for and it would have proven him guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt (thus the "real" reason he did not want to give the evidence up) and he spend most of the rest of his life in prison or 2. he refuse to give the stuff up and take his chances on the court releasing him from the contempt charge, which was usually only 18 months.

In my guess, the prosecutors, lacking enough evidence to convict him because of him not giving up the evidence, they could not convict him. Therefore they would not be able to put him in prison. So they took the next best option. Just let him go to prison (and sit there and rot till he gave up the evidence) on the contempt charge.

So in my wild guess based on what I know about it, Martin decided is was better to rot in prison on a contempt charge which had the chance of him getting out at sometime, or give the prosecutor the evidence and for sure keep him locked up for a likely even longer time. Thus his big conspiracy story about how the government wanted his "super secret super duper computer program that could predict even the second coming of Chirst" computer program.

That is my best guess as how the situation played out. That Martin got out earlier on the contempt charge than if he would given up the evidence.

But I read him every chance I get. I don't believe all he says, but he has a brilliant mind (as many criminals do). He has some good ideas, worthy of consideration. But I would never give him any of my money (even for a newsletter subscription).

John