Meet Dr. Joseph De Soto, Republican Nominee for the 91st Delegate District and Habitual Storyteller

Meet our Candidate

Some time has passed since the West Virginia primary elections, and while some of the results came as a surprise, others went as expected in the Republican stronghold. Although one of the biggest surprises may have come from the Republican primary for the House of Delegates District 91.

In District 91, political newcomer Dr. Joseph De Soto upset incumbent Don Forsht. The surprise was not the upset, but rather the interesting background and resume of De Soto. De Soto ran on a platform touting his professional experience, claiming to be a renowned cancer researcher, former Army Ranger, former CIA officer, and more. However, the facts do not align with De Soto’s narrative in quite the way you’d think.

Early Life

De Soto is originally from California. De Soto claimed to be a former Army Combat Medic and Army Ranger, previously listing military service on his LinkedIn page from 1986-1992. De Soto also claimed to be an Army Ranger on his Facebook page. However, a request to the National Personnel Records Center at the National Archives revealed De Soto served in the Army from September, 1987 to July, 1988, only ten months. In a phone call, De Soto admitted that he was not an Army Ranger and subsequently updated his LinkedIn profile. Following his military service, De Soto’s background is a bit unclear until he graduated from La Sierra University in 1995, although De Soto claims a period of homelessness around this time.

Shortly following his graduation from La Sierra University, De Soto attended Howard University where he received a M.D. and Ph.D. in 2005. De Soto, however, did not complete a medical residency and went straight into doing research work. In 2007, De Soto was hired by the Uniformed Services University for Health Sciences as a non-tenure track Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Nursing. This appointment was a three-year term to last until June, 2010. Despite being a non-tenure track professor in the Nursing College, De Soto claims on his LinkedIn to have been the “Director of Translational Research & Assistant Professor” and claims to have worked on things such as biological & chemical weapons, which was not a part of his job.

On a May 1, 2024 podcast with Tom Roten, De Soto claims that in 2010 he left the University because he was “bypassed for promotion because they needed to promote the gay lifestyle, so they promoted a person who was gay over me … .” However, the paper trail tells a completely different story. Despite being let go because his term ended, De Soto filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense in November, 2010 claiming he was let go because of religious discrimination. This lawsuit was later dismissed, but what was contained within the details of the lawsuit is what makes things interesting.

Despite being hired for the position, one interview reviewer had concerns with De Soto, claiming he “at times misrepresents himself” and claimed that De Soto was “very belligerent” and “socially immature.” In the Department of Defense’s motion to dismiss, the DoD outlined incidents of “aggressive, hostile behavior and other questionable conduct” by De Soto. One retired Captain of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps described De Soto’s behavior as “extremely irrational and frankly, very scary.” At the end of his pre-set term, De Soto was not re-appointed to the position.

A History of Escorts?

However, this lawsuit also revealed other interesting incidents. In June 2009, De Soto was attending a professional conference in Florida at the government’s expense. A police report from that trip revealed a story wild enough to be in a movie.

An Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at an address in response to a stolen vehicle call. According to the Deputy, upon arrival “Desoto advised me that he was attending several strip clubs and consuming several alcoholic drinks on Orange Blossom Trail last night.” After visiting the clubs, he stopped at a gas station to get a drink, where he was approached by a woman who said she “does private strip shows across the street.” De soto accepted the woman’s offer and went to her apartment complex across the street. While receiving a lap dance, two men walked into the apartment and left soon after. The woman asked De Soto if he wanted any “special favors.” According to the police report, De Soto understood that to mean sex. De Soto told her no, but told the officer that “I consider (sic) it, but I did not know her, she might have AIDS and I am not wanting to cross that line.” The woman became upset and told him to leave. That is when De Soto noticed his keys and car were missing. The car was found the next day and De Soto declined to press charges.

Interestingly enough, this may not be De Soto’s only incident with ladies of the night. In December 2019, an individual by the username “TheDocjd” commented on a Martinsburg adult escort forum about their experience with a named escort. The poster claimed “[s]he is in here (sic) late 40’s and likes to fuck and ride the ck, but that’s it, not good at head, etc. If you like a spinner who rides cock she for you, anything else. Probably not.”

Coincidentally, there is a Twitter account by the username “thedocjd” with the name “Dr. Joseph De Soto” which was created in November 2010. This account has one tweet which was directed towards the Uniformed Services University and claims harassment for “not being gay & for being Jewish.” The username “thedocjd” was also used by an individual in 2007 to edit Wikipedia pages to add information about De Soto. For example, the individual attempted to add De Soto to a Wikipedia page for a list of notable “Mexican Americans” and alumni of Hueneme High School. While it’s not guaranteed that the usernames belong to De Soto, the evidence certainly points in that direction.

An Inconsistent Background

Following his tenure at the Uniformed Services University, De Soto jumped around multiple universities every couple of years, claiming to conduct varying types of research. Although it’s not listed on his LinkedIn, research into De Soto’s work history revealed an interesting forum post about him. On a student doctor forum, an individual claimed that De Soto was hired by Windsor University in St. Kitts as a Pharmacology Professor in July 2015. The poster claimed that De Soto was fired after six weeks for “bad behavior and criminal activity and falsifying reports.” The poster also claimed that De Soto “bad mouth[ed]” colleagues and promoted “false information.” The poster further claims that De Soto was “caught lying” to the University and local police and was “deported from the Island of St. Kitts for falsifying information and claims.” However, we have been unable to reach Windsor University or St Kitts & Nevis Police for confirmation.

In addition to his work, De Soto has touted many awards. One of these is the “International Distinguished Scientist Award” from the International Society for Engineering, Science, and Medicine (INSO). However, this is a pay-to-play award run by an Indian organization. Pay-to-play awards typically work by nominating yourself for the award, then paying a fee to receive it. De Soto’s recent research is also nonsense. He recently published a short report claiming that Covid-19 was a biological weapon created by the United States and China. His methodology for this report was “the literature was reviewed, and the scientific and intelligence evidence was assessed.” Of course, this report was published in the Journal of Virology Research & Reports, whose ‘Editor-in-Chief’ is none other than De Soto himself.

De Soto’s career oddities do not end here. De Soto claims to run a business called De Soto Medical, LLC and has run advertisements for this business. However, the business was not registered in West Virginia or any surrounding state until May 15, 2024 after De Soto was confronted about the missing business registration. De Soto has also claimed to work for a company called “American Pharmacogenomics & Toxicology,” but research for this company has turned up nothing to confirm its existence in any U.S. state records.

De Soto also makes wild claims about working in the intelligence community. During a January 17, 2024 interview on WRNR, De Soto claims he left a $100,000 salaried job with the federal government to run for office. When asked what the job was, De Soto stated “I was working for one of the intelligence agencies.” However, on his January 8, 2024 candidate financial disclosure filed less than 10 days before that interview, De Soto wrote that he was working for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a Patent Examiner. After reaching out to the USPTO, we confirmed De Soto was employed there May to October 2023, less than the time of the standard Patent Examiner training and probationary period.

In an April 17, 2024 WRNR candidate forum, De Soto claims he stepped down from working as a physician to run for office and gave up a $180,000 salary. During the same forum, De Soto also made claims that he negotiated with ISIS while working with the CIA. Despite his claims of working as a physician and helping “over 300 persons in South Berkeley with free health care,” De Soto is not licensed to provide medicine in West Virginia. And given the inconsistencies, lies, and nonsense we’ve covered in this article so far, I don’t think we even need to entertain De Soto’s claims about being a CIA superhero ISIS negotiator.

De Soto’s Legal Problems

Furthermore, De Soto has had encounters with the law which he has not disclosed. In November 2003, De Soto was arrested in Virginia for obstruction of justice and an open container violation. De Soto has also had financial problems judging by his 2004 bankruptcy filing.

De Soto’s campaign finance filings also revealed some irregularities. For example, De Soto’s May 2024 primary filing shows a $2,500 donation from his brother. His brother’s address is listed as 845 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California. However, this is the address for the State Bar of California, not a residential address. Furthermore, De Soto’s 2024 2nd quarter report filed in July shows a $490 donation from the “Eastern Panhandle Republican Association” and lists the address of the organization as the “Navajo Indian Reservation” in Shiprock, New Mexico, but no records we’ve been able to review confirms such an association even exists.

Conclusion

There are many other inconsistencies relating to De Soto’s background and claims, but these are just some of the highlights. The fact that De Soto has been able to make these outlandish claims for so long and not only have no formal media outlet investigate his claims, but to have certain outlets help proliferate his life of lies, shows a systemic failure of journalism in West Virginia. This also is an indictment of the candidates who ran against De Soto that failed to do simple investigations into their opponents’ backgrounds.

West Virginia as a state needs to do better to promote journalism, ethics, and accountability so incidents like this won’t happen again in the future. Journalists should not fear to investigate wrongdoings, publish their findings, and to challenge those in any position who make a claim without a strong basis of fact.

Without an informed public, the foundation of democracy crumbles as people are left vulnerable to manipulation, are unable to make sound decisions, and are disconnected from the realities shaping their communities. It’s essential for citizens to stay aware and engaged to safeguard their interests and navigate an ever-changing world.