'Rise, Fall of Fox News Fraud' Examines Maryland Case

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ANNAPOLIS, MD — Rolling Stone magazine has delved into the story of what it dubs “The Absurdity of Wayne Simmons,” a one-time pundit for Fox News from Annapolis who is jailed on federal charges that he posed as a CIA operative to gain government clearances and contracts.

Wayne Shelby Simmons, 62, of Annapolis, a former on-air commentator for the cable network, was arrested Oct. 15, 2015, 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.

Rolling Stone’s report says Simmons was one of a stable of military analysts, many of the others were retired military officers, who made money as TV commentators. Fox didn’t pay Simmons, but he used those appearances to leverage other business opportunities, the story says, including regular Republican speaking appearances and landing a book deal.

The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for its reporting that illustrated how the Pentagon used the analysts to build public support for the war in Iraq.
Simmons was a Fox audience favorite and endorsed by Pentagon officials as they tried to boost support for the war in 2004, the magazine says.

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.

In October, 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.

Rolling Stone’s article criticizes Fox producers for a lack of vetting Simmons, which was explained by his initial appearances on weekends, when a source says the network abandons most checks into guest’s backgrounds. “Once a guest proves capable, bookers for prominent time slots often snap them up when breaking news hits, and have little reason to question their credentials,” the story says.

His media profile was helped when the Pentagon noticed his appearances, which were marked by unflagging support for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and inflammatory comments such as a description of then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as a “pathological liar.”

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