A former pundit who had appeared on “Fox News” and falsely claimed to be a CIA agent has pleaded guilty to fraud, according to federal prosecutors.
Wayne Simmons, 62, of Annapolis, Md., entered the plea in U.S. district court in Alexandria, Va., the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement Friday.
Simmons, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in October, had originally pleaded not guilty. He now faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of major fraud against the U.S. government, wire fraud and a firearms offense.
Simmons had appeared occasionally on “Fox News” as an unpaid guest analyst on terrorism since 2002. He claimed that he worked as an “outside paramilitary special operations officer” for the CIA from 1973 to 2000.
“His fraud cost the government money, could have put American lives at risk, and was an insult to the real men and women of the intelligence community who provide tireless service to this country,” Dana Boente, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said.
His sentencing is set for July 15.
