While you can dress up for Halloween as someone who works for the government, you can’t tell people you work for them in hopes that it gets you connections. According to a federal criminal complaint that was unsealed, Robert Earhart Jr. appeared in court in Columbus, GA. He was detained and charged by the court with one count of false personation of an officer or employee of the United States. He could face three years in prison, followed by a year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fee.
Acting Like a CIA Officer
The complaint identified Earhart as allegedly leaving a voicemail with the U.S. Attorney’s office in January 2023. He called himself a “CIA agent” with the “protective operations division” and he said that he had a Top Secret security clearance. But it wasn’t Earhart’s first rodeo impersonating a federal official. According to the court documents, Earhart has also represented himself as a Homeland Security agent, and back in 2019, he identified himself as a DEA agent in order to attempt to free three inmates form the Muscogee Country jail in Georgia. Local law enforcement took Earhart into custody on February 8.
The FBI is investigating – the one agency where there’s no alleged impersonation from Earhart at this point.
CIA Name Thrown Out Before
This isn’t the first time people have tried to pretend to be a CIA officer, and it probably won’t be the last. Back in October 2020, a former DEA public affairs officer was sent to prison for seven years for defrauding companies out of $4.4 million due to falsely posing as a CIA officer. Garrison Courtney, a Florida man, claimed to be a covert CIA officer on a highly-classified program. He swindled victims then out of millions – all in the name of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).
Not a Status Symbol
The stories are crazy. However, some of it comes from a clear misperception of what it means to hold a security clearance and have access to classified information. It’s a privilege to have a security clearance and access classified information in order to support the federal government. It’s neither a right nor a way to look more important to others. Your security clearance may be a ticket to a great job, but it isn’t a status symbol.
And working for the CIA is an honor, but it should never be used to attempt to get something that you want. If there’s anything that the federal government takes seriously, it’s bribes, conflicts of interest, and fraud. Don’t lie about your job or who you are to get ahead in life. The cleared industry as a whole does important work. And if you want to work for the CIA, just apply.
