Feds: Former cable news commentator lied about being in the CIA
/ CBS/AP
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Federal prosecutors say a Maryland man who offered national-security commentary on Fox News has been charged with fraud for falsely claiming a lengthy CIA career.
Authorities say they arrested 62-year-old Wayne Simmons of Annapolis on Thursday and charged him with fraud against the U.S. and making false statements to the government.
An indictment states Simmons lied about having a 27-year career with the CIA as an "Outside Paramilitary Special Operations" officer. The indictment alleges that Simmons made the claim as he sought security clearances and in seeking work as a defense contractor, and that he falsely represented himself to obtain a position of senior intelligence advisor.
As recently as April, Simmons was identified on air on Fox radio as a "Fox News contributor." In a 2009 Fox News clip, he calls House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi "a pathological liar" in a segment about CIA interrogation techniques.
A Fox News spokeswoman, Carly Shanahan, said Simmons was never more than a guest on the network. "He was never a paid commentator," she said.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Simmons is also accused of defrauding an individual out of $125,000 in a "bogus real estate investment."
Simmons' website biography claims he was recruited into the CIA in 1973 and that he "spearheaded Deep Cover Intel Ops against some of the world's most dangerous Drug Cartels and arms smugglers from Central and South America and the Middle East." His biography also states that he has been a "Terrorism Analyst" for Fox News since 2002.
Simmons could face up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud counts.
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Feds: Former cable news commentator lied about being in the CIA
/ CBS/AP
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Federal prosecutors say a Maryland man who offered national-security commentary on Fox News has been charged with fraud for falsely claiming a lengthy CIA career.
Authorities say they arrested 62-year-old Wayne Simmons of Annapolis on Thursday and charged him with fraud against the U.S. and making false statements to the government.
An indictment states Simmons lied about having a 27-year career with the CIA as an "Outside Paramilitary Special Operations" officer. The indictment alleges that Simmons made the claim as he sought security clearances and in seeking work as a defense contractor, and that he falsely represented himself to obtain a position of senior intelligence advisor.
As recently as April, Simmons was identified on air on Fox radio as a "Fox News contributor." In a 2009 Fox News clip, he calls House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi "a pathological liar" in a segment about CIA interrogation techniques.
A Fox News spokeswoman, Carly Shanahan, said Simmons was never more than a guest on the network. "He was never a paid commentator," she said.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Simmons is also accused of defrauding an individual out of $125,000 in a "bogus real estate investment."
Simmons' website biography claims he was recruited into the CIA in 1973 and that he "spearheaded Deep Cover Intel Ops against some of the world's most dangerous Drug Cartels and arms smugglers from Central and South America and the Middle East." His biography also states that he has been a "Terrorism Analyst" for Fox News since 2002.
Simmons could face up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud counts.
In:- Central Intelligence Agency
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