Judge detains accused fake CIA agent; deems him a "danger to the community"
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The former cable news commentator accused of faking a career with the CIA was remanded to custody after a judge deemed him a "significant danger to the community" on Tuesday, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson.
Wayne Simmons, 62, was indicted on federal fraud charges for claiming that he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1973 to 2000, and using those claims to obtain security clearances and work as a defense contractor.
The Washington Post reports that Simmons had 11 charges for drinking and driving, as well as convictions for gambling, assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a DOJ statement, Simmons falsely claimed on national security forms that his previous arrests and convictions were related to his work at the CIA, and that he once held a top secret security clearance.
The DOJ spokesperson also said that at the Tuesday hearing, Judge Ivan D. Davis noted that when Simmons was recently arrested he was in possession of multiple firearms.
On his website, Simmons describes himself as having been a "Terrorism Analyst" for Fox News beginning in 2002, a consultant to the Bush White House, and a member of the Citizens Commission on Benghazi.
Simmons is scheduled for an arraignment on the multiple federal charges against him on Friday morning.