MANILA, Philippines — As people around the world observed April Fools’ Day, American author Nicholas Kaufmann, best known for books such as 100 Fathoms Below and Chasing the Dragon, was bombarded by messages and comments from Filipinos mistaking him for Rodrigo Duterte’s lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman.
“Our names aren’t even spelled the same (he’s Kaufman with one n). It’s insane,” Kaufmann said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, April 1.
Kaufmann told Rappler in a separate email that he initially got messages from Duterte’s supporters supposedly wishing him luck and “God bless.”
The American author quickly worked to stop the flood of messages and debunk the mistaken identity in a Facebook post on March 21: “PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, I AM **NOT** THE ICC LAWYER NICHOLAS KAUFMAN WHO IS REPRESENTING PRESIDENT DUTERTE! PLEASE STOP MESSAGING ME!”
Kaufmann also shared a Rappler opinion article by columnist Antonio J. Montalvan II, noting the effect of the mistaken identity on his social media accounts.
He said that he later received apologies from Filipinos, mostly those who are critics of Duterte, but also noted that the flood has “only gotten worse.”
“It’s maddening…. This is not an April Fools’ Day joke. It’s real and it’s driving me crazy,” the author said.
Duterte’s next hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be on September 23. His lawyer, Kaufman, said he will seek to terminate the case before the hearing date.
Know more about what’s next for Duterte’s ICC case here:
– Rappler.com