Craig Joseph Spence (b. c. 1940–1941) was a Washington, D.C.–based “international business consultant” and high-society host. In the 1980s he cultivated a reputation as a gatekeeper to elite access, then became engulfed in scandal amid reports tying him to a male prostitution ring, late-night White House tours for guests, and claims of “bugging/blackmail.”
Spence sold power through performance: bodyguards, code names, walkie-talkies, and grand claims about his security. His proposed public-TV show title, “Spence & Friends,” captured the strategy: collect recognizable names, convert them into credibility, and use that credibility to attract more connections.
After early work in politics, broadcasting, and a Vietnam correspondent stint, Spence spent much of the 1970s in Tokyo building contacts. He arrived in D.C. in 1979 and presented himself as a Japan-facing liaison, convening journalists, diplomats, policymakers, and foreign visitors.
Spence’s network revolved around the Policy Study Group (PSG), a Tokyo-based group promoting Japanese business interests through seminars and elite dinners. Court records describe monthly payments to Spence and a major loan from PSG president Motoo Shiina that helped finance Spence’s Kalorama home on Wyoming Avenue. The partnership later devolved into lawsuits that settled out of court.
Spence cultivated a “mystery man” persona, hinting at U.S. intelligence work and using spy jargon. He told some guests his home was “bugged,” which others viewed as intimidation or theater. Associates often disagreed on the facts, but many described a consistent pattern: Spence blurred performance and reality to create leverage.
As allegations escalated, investigators scrutinized Spence’s after-hours White House tours and his ties to a uniformed Secret Service officer who acknowledged receiving a Rolex from him. In his final months, friends described him as increasingly unstable and isolated, repeatedly talking about disappearing and death.
Roy Cohn shows up as a known attendee/associate in the Spence party circuit in secondary summaries of Spence’s guest lists.
https://law.justia.com/cases/nebraska/court-of-appeals/1993/a-91-836-8.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations?utm_source=chatgpt.com