Former Fox News Pundit Lied About CIA Job: Feds

An occasional pundit for Fox News from Annapolis has been denied release on federal charges that he posed as a CIA operative to gain government clearances and contracts, authorities say.

Wayne Shelby Simmons, 62, of Annapolis, a former on-air commentator for the cable network, was arrested Oct. 15 after being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of major fraud against the United States, wire fraud, and making false statements to the government.

According to federal prosecutors, Simmons falsely claimed he worked as a special operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1973 to 2000 in order to obtain work as a defense contractor. At one point Simmons was deployed overseas as an intelligence advisor to senior military personnel.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Virginia denied Simmons’ bid for release while he awaits trial. The Huffington Post reports the judge cited Simmons’ 11 arrests for driving under the influence, a 2007 assault arrest and firearms convictions as the reason for his decision.

Simmons had appeared on Fox News since 2002 as an analyst on terrorism issues and policies, the website says. The news network says Simmons was an unpaid guest on programs.

Simmons’ website claims he was recruited by the CIA after he joined the Navy in 1972 and “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.”

The indictment says Simmons also falsely claimed on national security forms that his prior arrests and criminal convictions were directly related to his supposed intelligence work for the CIA, and that he had previously held a top secret security clearance. Prosecutors also allege Simmons defrauded a victim out of about $125,000 in a bogus real estate investment.

If convicted, Simmons faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud counts, 10 years in prison on the major fraud against the U.S. counts, and 5 years in prison on the false statements count.

»Screenshot of Wayne S. Simmons on Fox News, via YouTube video