Meet the mysterious Roger Von Bergendorff

He filed for bankruptcy, had a history of health problems and kept a vial of ricin

Roger Von Bergendorff’s signature on his bankruptcy filing documents is as enigmatic as his life story — and the reasons for his possessing a lethal poison.

By Abigail Goldman (contact)

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Man in ricin probe a loner (3-4-2008)
CDC enters investigation of ricin case (3-1-2008)
Vegas Puzzle: Deadly Toxin in Motel Room (3-1-2008)

He had some clothes, some cash and some vintage graphic art — and some $190,000 in debts.

Roger Von Bergendorff’s 2000 bankruptcy filing speaks of the man who lies silent in his hospital suite, comatose and in critical condition days after ricin was discovered in his Las Vegas motel room.

It lends credence, for example, to the otherwise counterintuitive statements Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie made Monday: Exposure to the deadly toxin might not be the reason Von Bergendorff is in the hospital.

It turns out Von Bergendorff has a history of medical problems, recounted in dollars and doctors’ visits detailed in the bankruptcy filing. He racked up debts for medical services he couldn’t afford: $1,730 at a Southern California cardiologist’s office; $3,800 at the Alvarado Community Hospital in Orange, Calif.; $375 worth of various work and X-ray services; and $62,890 owed to Sharp Health Care of San Diego, a group of hospitals and medical groups, for services unknown. Hospitals won’t reveal specifics about treatment.

The court documents don’t either, but they do reveal other aspects of his life.

When Von Bergendorff declared bankruptcy he had $15 in his wallet and $35 in the bank.

His rent for his home in La Mesa, Calif., was $6,000 past due. He might have been stuck watching network TV, since his cable bill was behind by almost $100. He perhaps wasn’t spending much time on the Internet by then either because he owed America Online $43 for subscription services. And his car must have been giving him heartburn because he was sued in civil court for a $13,000 unpaid auto loan.

Oh yes, he also owed the IRS about $54,500 for years of unpaid income taxes.

Von Bergendorff filed under Chapter 7, which requires the debtor to list and then liquidate his assets — sell his stuff, in other words — and give the proceeds to his creditors. Only Von Bergendorff, like many people who claim bankruptcy, didn’t have enough stuff for a half-decent garage sale.

He estimated his entire wardrobe was worth $300, and his household goods, including electronic equipment, were worth $1,900. He had $1,200 worth of “sporting goods/firearms,” and office furniture and supplies that he valued at $2,000.

The only other asset Von Bergendorff claimed was “vintage graphic arts,” which could be anything from books to posters, worth $2,500.

The attorney Von Bergendorff paid $750 to handle his bankruptcy could not be reached for comment. It’s unclear whether anyone bought the vintage graphic art.

In Vegas, Von Bergendorff’s luck apparently hadn’t changed.

Von Bergendorff got behind on his room payments at Extended Stay America, a bare-bones motel on Valley View Boulevard that squats in the shadow of the Palms. He called 911 on Feb. 14 with respiratory problems, ended up in the hospital and never checked out. By Feb. 26, motel management had started the eviction process. Motel employees called police when they found guns in Von Bergendorff’s room. The officers who responded also found an “anarchist-type textbook” in the room, with a section on ricin highlighted, Metro Homeland Security Capt. Joe Lombardo said.

About 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, Thomas Tholen, Von Bergendorff’s cousin, was cleaning out the room when he found a vial of what was later determined to be ricin. He brought the poison down to the motel’s front desk, and set in motion a massive law enforcement response. By 8 p.m., men in hazmat suits were wandering around the barricaded motel and seven people were in the hospital: three cops, three motel employees and Tholen.

All were released after showing no signs of ricin poisoning — and now only Von Bergendorff remains at Spring Valley Hospital, unable to speak to the cadre of investigators who would love to grill him. Ricin is deadly in minuscule amounts and has long been considered a potential weapon for terrorism, so the discovery of the stuff in Las Vegas forced Metro to spin into investigation overdrive while the world watches and waits for answers.

Federal authorities searched Tholen’s house in Utah, where Von Bergendorff was known to have lived before moving to Vegas about a year ago, and reportedly found no trace of the toxin.

Metro Police can’t say whether Von Bergendorff even made the ricin — just that he had it in his room, along with some castor beans, from which the poison is derived.

A handful of former neighbors ferreted out by the media have largely described Von Bergendorff as a struggling and strange loner.

But he has had friends, it seems, and aspirations.

Two San Diego women each lent Von Bergendorff $15,000 in 1998, which he hadn’t paid back by the time he filed for bankruptcy. He also took out a $30 ad in The San Diego Union-Tribune, though it’s not clear for what, or whether he ever paid for it.

Shortly after he adorned the bankruptcy documents with his signature, a loopy set of twin squiggles that in no way read Roger Von Bergendorff, he was apparently hired as an advertising illustrator at a company called Saffire in St. George, Utah. The Sun’s attempts to locate Saffire were unsuccessful, but according to the court documents the company cut a $2,000 check to Von Bergendorff every month.

By the time he washed up in Vegas, he was a man living with two cats and a dog in a weekly motel, and, according to the sheriff, “a relatively unknown individual.”

That unknown individual is quietly racking up massive hospital bills that he probably won’t ever be able to pay, even if he wakes up.

Discussion: 8 comments so far…

By PappaSmurf

3/5/08 at 3:32 p.m.

Suggest removal

Dear Sun,

you said "The Sun’s attempts to locate Saffire were unsuccessful, but according to the court documents the company cut a $2,000 check to Von Bergendorff every month."

uhh try googling saffire & utah they are a start up company that does graphic novels and is looking to expand.

PS. vintage graphic art is geek code for his comic book collection. and it was probably worth 1/10th of what the price guide said it was worth.

Peace Out,
PappaSmurf
By OldFartArtist

3/5/08 at 4:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

Hey, Smurf: Sometimes "Vintage Graphic Art" is straight talk for vintage graphic art. The media keeps calling Bergendorff a 'graphic artist' because no one knows what a professional Illustrator is anymore, and Roger was one of the finest Illustrators in the world in his younger days. He worked for a VERY popular, hip greeting card company in the 80s that had a stable of only the finest illustrators, mostly refined airbrush artists from the best commercial art school in America.

Roger was a hard-working, precision artist the likes of which no existing Art School can turn out anymore, but he was socially awkward, a little paranoid, and very bad with money. That's how I always knew him. Deep inside was a good heart, and a man who wanted to be better than he was in every way.

It is very sad what has happened to an old friend I have not seen in nearly 20 years.
By OldFartArtist

3/5/08 at 5:59 p.m.

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OldFartartist has kindly let me use his account.Roger Bergendorff was no fly-by-night wannabe artist. He was a true craftsman whose skills were honed when he was an honor student at one of the world's finest art colleges. In the eighties his resume was studded with works he had crafted for major ad agencies, motion picture distributors, card companies,etc. One needs only to research his artist's portfolio to find the truth The combination of poor business decisions coupled with the advent of the digital age hastened to derail a promising career. Most of the illustrators of the time had to adapt. Some could not. It is quite true that Roger owned firearms but is equally true that he never used them. He was indeed socially awkward and the discomfort he could sometimes inspire was never intentional. I knew him as someone who would try his best to help someone and he really did want to better himself.
Smurf, perhaps in someone's world "vintage graphic art" may mean comic books but in the world of illustrators like Roger Bergendorff it means vintage graphic art.
By rogercarpenter

3/10/08 at 11:56 a.m.

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I'd like to add my own comments to those of OldFartArtist and PappaSmurf as my impressions of Roger Bergendorff are consistent with theirs. I met Roger when I was the Art Director of Paper Moon in Los Angeles, over 20 years ago. He was one of the gifted "California Airbrush" style artists that Dave Willardson and Charlie White III attracted to their studio. Most illustrators would, even by their own admission, label themselves "quirky" - Roger was none the exception, but his artwork was flawless and some of the best that Paper Moon offered during its heyday. Roger's work sits alongside that of Joe Heiner, Mick McGinty, Chris Hopkins, Rick Brown, Jeff Wack, Dennis Mukai, Pam Wall, the late John Alvin, Ed Scarsbrick, Stan Watts and dozens of other luminaries in the field of commercial illustration of the 1980's through the present. Roger and I talked a little over 3 years ago and he'd been responsible for designing and illustrating one of the most popular casino games featuring Kenny Rogers. It's probably not the most caring thing we can do to judge someone by their circumstances and not see the whole worth of a person. I think Artist's quote "someone who would try his best to help someone and he really did want to better himself" is fitting and accurate. I pray that Mr. Bergendorff will have more time with us to do some explaining or better his situation, and possibly, have a few more years to do what he has always done best - paint extraordinary art for others to enjoy. God speed, Roger.
By mushkane

3/16/08 at 3:33 p.m.

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Dear OldFartArtist and rogercarpenter,

Please contact me ASAP regarding Roger Bergendorff. mushkane@yahoo.com or (702) 466-9078. Thanks.
By Sketchbox

4/10/08 at 10:25 a.m.

Suggest removal

Saffire Inc. was a third-party game developer. It was based in Pleasant Grove, UT and had a satellite development team in Saint George, UT. I was hired after Roger left in 2000, and can therefore make this claim with authority. Google can't tell an itching sarcastic everything he wants to know in order to make a wisecrack, nor is the Sun too diligent in finding out facts before making assertions.
Roger did not function as an advertising illustrator there, rather he was a 2D production artist. He mentioned that he felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole while there.
Read OldFartArtist and rogercarpenter comments and you can guess why he may have felt that way.
From a design standpoint, he was amazing, but lacked the digital expertise that his younger and less accomplished superiors posessed. Well, there's the state of the whole industry as it relates to phenomenal illustrators from yesteryear that are trying to make a go of it in a revolutionized creative environment.
I met Roger a few times and a few of the other artists from Saffire continued to keep in touch with the man for years after we were all laid off (post-911). For skill and creativity, Roger was a warlord among illustrators. I've only seen a handful of samples, and they are top-notch.
Unfortunately, this bean dip he was cooking may just be spicy enough to put him behind bars for the rest of his days. I hope he doesn't have to go there, but I don't see how a man can generate (if he actually did it) a poison that is this lethal and cart it across the country. A gun is used for self-defense. Poison has to be administered. It's a good thing he isn't dead, or worse, that someone else didn't die from exposure to the toxin.
By PappaSmurf

6/13/08 at 5:13 p.m.

Suggest removal

Dear all who responded to my post,

It was said "Google can't tell an itching sarcastic everything he wants to know in order to make a wisecrack" ouch. Nailed right on the button, and I apologize. It sounds like Roger was quite the talented individual, and after reading more, someone I would have liked to meet.

I also must admit that I haven't followed up on Mr. Von Bergendorff, but I wish him well. It seems maybey this incident will put him in touch with other compassionate individuals who know him and can help him at this time.

Best Wishes,
PappaSmurf

PS. I am also a artist who is having trouble still going from classic tools to the digital age.
By backusstudio

2/12/09 at 8:32 p.m.

Suggest removal

It is sad beyond imagination for me to read that Roger Bergendorff has come to this. I went to art school with Roger. He was one of those individuals so dedicated to what he was doing that he seemed possessed. Most of us just stepped back and let him be the best. In the mid 1970s commercial illustration was not just a viable living, it was a way to be a rock star in the visual arts. Movie posters, record album covers, Time magazine covers, TV Guide covers. The top illustrators earned incomes on a par with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. The dedication that Roger gave his studies and later his professional work was not unreasonable. It was a serious profession that offered considerable rewards.

What Roger did not know, that none of us could know, was that our profession would be rendered irrelevant by economics, technology and the whims of fashion. Movie poster work went to digital photo collage. Records gave way to CDs and on the smaller canvas any kind of graphic seemed adequate. Time, TV Guide and the other periodicals had their own challenges to deal with and soon settled for photography rather than artwork. The high profile projects that we had known through the 1980s dried up and even living wage jobs became a game of musical chairs. All of us had to learn to get by with less. For people like Roger who had health issues, being self employed meant no health insurance. In America the path to bankruptcy and homelessness is too often paved with medical bills.

The immediate assumption in this post-911 age when Roger was found with ricin was that he had become some kind of terrorist. My first thought was that he meant to do himself in with this toxin if his circumstances became intolerable. Wallace Wood, my favorite childhood cartoonist in MAD magazine, shot himself when his health and finances failed in later life. A sad way for bright, talented, dedicated professionals to end their lives. I hope that Roger can find the way back.

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