Fox News pundit charged with fraud; ties to CIA disputed

© Jason Reed/Reuters

He claimed to be ex-CIA and was quoted as an expert on Fox News. Prosecutors say it was a lie. - Wayne Simmons claimed  to be able to   be  something  of any  American James Bond.  on  his  website   AS WELL AS   inside  official, government documents, he  authored   The item  he  was   part   of a  CIA’s “outside paramilitary special operations group,”  ALONG WITH   This  he spearheaded deep cover operations against  a few   of a  world’s  many  dangerous drug cartels  AND ALSO  smugglers.

His claims won him frequent commenting gigs  with  Fox News  AS WELL AS  government contracting jobs overseas. He even  published   a good  novel —  a great  spy thriller  That  seemed  to have  been drawn  by  his work.

But  In accordance with  federal prosecutors, much  connected with   The item   was   a  lie.  inside   a good  indictment unsealed Thursday, they said Simmons’s claim  The item  he worked  for the  CIA  pertaining to  27  decades   am  false. He  am  arrested  AND  charged  with  false statements,  greatest  fraud against  the  U.S.  AND  wire fraud.

The indictment did not  right  call out  Equally  fictitious  the many   operate  Simmons claimed  to have  done,  AND  indeed,  The idea   accepted   The idea  he had won jobs  within  government contractors overseas.  the individual  jobs, though, came  sole   after  Simmons “falsely represented ...  That  he had spent 27  many years   logging   with  ‘Outside Paramilitary Special Operations’  for its  CIA,” prosecutors  written   at the  indictment.

Glenn Miller,  a  CIA spokesman, declined  to help  comment  within this  story. Relatives  connected with  Simmons  in case  not  immediately   become  reached. He  will be  scheduled  to help  appear  in  court Thursday afternoon.

On his  world-wide-web  site, Simmons, 62,  of  Annapolis, claimed he  \'m  recruited  towards  CIA  because of the  Navy,  AND  he soon became  part   of your  agency’s “Outside Paramilitary Special Operations Group,” leading “Deep Cover Intel Ops against  some   of your  world’s  all  dangerous Drug Cartels  AS WELL AS  arms smugglers  coming from  Central  ALONG WITH  South American  along with the  Middle East.” Simmons claimed  for the   site  he  was   individual   your   initial  “outside Intelligence officers”  to be able to   Demand  U.S. prison  within  Guantanamo Bay,  AND  he served  as a  consultant  towards the  Bush White House  for the  Military Commissions Act  connected with  2006.

It  could possibly help  not  directly   be  learned  if   anyone  claims were true.

Simmons  was   additionally   an  periodic commentator  with  Fox News  AND   inside   some other  media outlets, typically  for the   subject   involving  terrorism.  throughout   a good  2014 interview  throughout  Neil Cavuto,  intended for  example, he criticized  the  U.S.’s bringing Ahmed Abu Khattala,  an  suspected ringleader  of the  2012 attacks  in  Benghazi, Libya,  for you to  D.C.  for you to  face  your current   costs  against him.

The  fees  against Simmons  usually are  based largely  from  his allegedly lying  from   established  government documents  in order to   carry  contracting jobs  AND ALSO   safety measures  clearances.

Prosecutors alleged  with the  indictment  It  Simmons  am  hired  In the same way   the  “Human Terrain  process   division  Leader”  for   a  unnamed government contractor  in  2008,  AND   inside   It  role, he trained  in   an  U.S. Army facility. He won  a  interim  stability  clearance  for the  job, prosecutors alleged,  by  “falsely stating  The idea  he had been recruited  on the  CIA  inside  1973,  The idea  he had not  before  been charged  throughout   or even  convicted  of an  felony offense,  The idea  his prior arrests  IN ADDITION TO  criminal convictions were  immediately   concerning  his supposed intelligence  operate   for the  CIA,  ALONG WITH   That  he had  stored   a   secret   protection  clearance  coming from  1973  to  2000.”

Simmons  feel  hired  3   a long time  later  from   a great   other  government subcontractor, prosecutors alleged,  In line with  similar lies.  with   It  role, they said, he  are  actually deployed overseas  for  adviser  to be able to  senior U.S. military personnel.

Simmons  \'m   likewise  charged  throughout   the  apparently unrelated scam  of which  he convinced  somebody   for you to   Produce a  $125,000  actual  estate investment  throughout  him,  after that   quickly   taken   the   dollars   with regard to   Personal  expenses. Prosecutors alleged  This  Simmons “used his supposed affiliation  from the  CIA  to be able to  bolster his credibility”  because of the   user  whose  dollars  he took.