# Protocols > Protocols - Skill: `fused-gaming/protocols` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add fused-gaming/protocols` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/fused-gaming/protocols/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: Fused-Gaming (https://skillmd.com/u/fused-gaming) - Updated: 2026-09-21 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/fused-gaming/protocols --- # true-crime/SKILL.md **Factual verification workflow** for true-crime narratives grounded in court records, public documents, and journalistic investigation. This mode prioritizes source-tier classification, primary-record cross-checking, and systematic escalation strategies for unresolved claims. ## Core workflow Use these four steps in order for every claim in your manuscript: ### [1. Source-tier triage](./verification-engine.md) Classify the claim's evidence quality: - **Tier 1** — Primary legal record (court dockets, DOJ press releases, sentencing transcripts, BOP records, indictments, FTC filings) - **Tier 2** — Direct subject statement (long-form interview transcript where subject speaks in their own words, with interviewer independently corroborating surrounding claims) - **Tier 3** — Journalistic paraphrase (NYT, Wired, Vice, NBC summarizing the subject's claims in the outlet's own words) - **Tier 4** — Marketing/bio copy (speaker bureau pages, podcast show-notes, consulting-firm bios — recycled self-description, usually not independently checked) A claim appearing only at Tier 4, however many times it's repeated, stays `[SINGLE-SOURCE]`. Repetition across marketing copy is not corroboration. ### [2. Query construction](./query-construction-guide.md) For subject-heavy cases, use specialized search patterns: - Always pair surname with **handle/alias** (e.g., "gollumfun"), **specific entity** (e.g., "ShadowCrew.com"), or **named associate** - Search court records specifically: `"[name]" "[case-specific term]" indictment OR docket site:justice.gov` - Discard false positives aggressively; don't pattern-match on partial fits - Log dead ends as `[GAP — searched, not public]` rather than `[GAP]` alone ### [3. Cross-source reconciliation](./cross-source-reconciliation.md) When multiple sources give different numbers or accounts: - **Convergence rule:** If 5+ independently-produced sources converge on one figure, replace the original with convergent figure and cite the convergence - **Split evidence:** If sources split evenly, keep both with per-outlet attribution ("X per [outlet], Y per [outlet]") - **Never average or guess** — count independent sourcing lines instead ### [4. Escalation for persistent gaps](./escalation-protocols.md) For facts that stay unverified after steps 1–3: 1. **PACER direct docket search** — by defendant name + district guess (if the district is known) 2. **BOP inmate locator** — historical only; live locator won't return released inmates 3. **Local news archives** — NewsBank, Google News Archive, specific time windows 4. **Genuine gap disclosure** — if none resolve it, the fact stays `[GAP]` with author's-note-level disclosure --- ## Example workflow **Claim:** "Brett Johnson served seven and a half years in federal prison." **Step 1 — Tier triage:** - Multiple journalist profiles (Tier 3) cite "seven and a half years" - Johnson's own Darknet Diaries interview (Tier 2) mentions total time served - DOJ press release (Tier 1) likely contains the sentencing order **Step 2 — Query construction:** - Search: `"Brett Johnson" "gollumfun" ShadowCrew sentence site:justice.gov` - Search: `"Brett Johnson" "gollumfun" indictment Newark PACER` - Search: "Darknet Diaries" "Gollumfun" transcript **Step 3 — Cross-source reconciliation:** - Journalist profiles: "seven and a half years total" - Darknet Diaries Part 1: "roughly seven years, with escape adding time" - One profile: "90 months for the original case, extended after escape" - Result: Use "roughly seven and a half years total, following a sentence reported as 90 months for the core ShadowCrew case" **Step 4 — Escalation:** - If the exact sentencing court/date is still missing after these searches, mark as `[GAP — PACER district narrowing needed]` - Next step: PACER search with "ShadowCrew defendants" + "Newark" to find the correct federal district --- ## What each submodule covers ### [verification-engine.md](./verification-engine.md) - Detailed tier definitions with examples - How to distinguish Tier 2 from Tier 3 (the critical boundary) - Why repetition is not corroboration - Red flags for overcounting sources ### [query-construction-guide.md](./query-construction-guide.md) - Common-surname poisoning and how to filter it - Site-specific search operators for court records, journalism, academic databases - Handle/alias/entity pairing strategies - False-positive screening protocols ### [cross-source-reconciliation.md](./cross-source-reconciliation.md) - The 5+ convergence rule and its rationale - How to handle 50/50 splits in evidence - When to use footnotes vs. integrated attribution - Precedent examples from journalism and academic history ### [escalation-protocols.md](./escalation-protocols.md) - PACER search strategies and district inference - BOP inmate locator workflow (and why it fails for released inmates) - Local news archive search patterns by region and decade - How to format `[GAP]` vs. `[GAP — searched, not public]` in your manuscript - Author's-note disclosure templates for remaining gaps --- ## Integration with narrative This workflow produces **sourcing annotations** that feed directly into: - Scene-by-scene outlines (which facts are Tier 1, which need reconstruction flags) - Character portrayals (what dialogue can be quoted vs. summarized) - Editorial checklists (where `[SINGLE-SOURCE]` items need corroboration) See [`../../../shared/narrative-architecture.md`](../../../shared/narrative-architecture.md) and [`../../../shared/editorial-checklist.md`](../../../shared/editorial-checklist.md) for how to translate verification results into narrative structure. --- ## When to stop searching - **Tier 1 fact with 3+ independent Tier 1 sources**: Use it, cite converging Tier 1s - **Tier 2 fact with 2+ independent Tier 2 sources**: Use it, note as Tier 2 - **Tier 3 fact with 5+ independent Tier 3 sources**: Use it, note convergence - **Fact appearing only at Tier 4**: Mark as `[SINGLE-SOURCE]`; don't use without Tier 1–3 backup - **Fact unreachable after PACER, BOP, archive searches**: Mark as `[GAP]` and disclose in author's note Genuine gaps are not failures. They're opportunities for transparent writing. --- ## Common pitfalls to avoid 1. **Assuming interview transcripts are Tier 2 without corroboration** — The transcript must show the interviewer independently verifying surrounding claims (e.g., "I read the police reports and it checks out") 2. **Treating speaker-bureau bios as Tier 3** — They're Tier 4; they recycle the subject's self-description without independent checking 3. **Counting repetition as corroboration** — Five articles copying the same press kit is one source, not five 4. **Skipping PACER when you have a quote** — If the court record says something different, Tier 1 trumps Tier 2 or 3 5. **Inventing specificity to fill gaps** — If you don't know the prison name, don't guess; mark `[GAP]` and move on 6. **Assuming "not found" means "doesn't exist"** — Document your search attempts; "not found after 3 reformulations" is different from "never searched" --- ## Resources - **PACER** (Public Access to Court Electronic Records): pacer.uscourts.gov - **BOP Inmate Locator**: bop.gov/inmateloc (historical archives available through Ancestry, some state corrections) - **NewsBank**: newsbankarchives.com (local newspaper archives, typically institutional access) - **Google News Archive**: news.google.com/newspapers (historical newspaper search, free) - **RECAP** (Free PACER archive): recapthelaw.org --- **This module is part of `@h4shed/skill-underworld-writer`.** See the root `SKILL.md` for the full skill overview and integration guide.