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- 62-year-old receives a 33 month sentence for claiming falsely that he served as CIA agent
- Wayne Simmons had appeared regularly on the Fox News channel since 2002
- Fraudster was actually a low level street bookie and manager of a rent-by-the-hour hot tub business
- Simmons pleaded guilty in April to charges of major fraud against the US government, wire fraud and a firearms offence
A regular on Fox News since 2002, Wayne Simmons, 62, of Annapolis, Maryland, was sentenced to 33 months in prison Friday for lying about being in the CIA and frequently appearing on that channel under the guise of a “terrorism expert”.
“Wayne Simmons is a fraud. Simmons has no military or intelligence background, or any skills relevant to the positions he attained through his fraud,” said Dana Boente, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
An additional three year of supervised release was attached to the sentencing. He was also ordered to forfeit two firearms and US$176,000 in criminal proceeds and to pay restitution.
A grand jury indicted him in October for portraying himself as an “Outside Paramilitary Special Operations Officer” for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1973 to 2000 when in reality he was nothing more than a low level street bookie and occasional nightclub doorman. His other employment included managing a rent-by-the-hour hot tub business.
Simmons pleaded guilty in April to charges of major fraud against the US government, wire fraud and a firearms offence. His lawyer had hoped for a more reduced sentence.
Fox News has yet to comment on the sentencing.
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