Ex-cable news pundit who claims CIA career to be sentenced

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former cable news pundit whose stature derived from a phoney claim of a CIA career is scheduled for sentencing on multiple fraud convictions.

Wayne Simmons of Annapolis, Maryland, appeared frequently as an unpaid contributor on Fox News before his arrest last year. He pleaded guilty in April to defrauding the United States by lying about his credentials to obtain work with government contractors, among other charges.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, though, Simmons maintains he’s telling the truth about a 27-year covert CIA career. The CIA has explicitly denied any connection to him. Federal prosecutors spend hundreds of pages debunking his claims one by one in court papers.

Prosecutors will seek a 3-year prison sentence at a hearing scheduled for Friday in Alexandria.

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