Garrison Courtney

Garrison Kenneth Courtney (born 1975/1976)[1] is an American former government official who served as the Chief of Public Affairs for the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2005 to 2009. In June 2020, Courtney pleaded guilty to wire fraud after it was uncovered that he had posed as a Central Intelligence Agency officer for four years as a part of an ongoing government contract scheme.[2] In October 2020 he received a seven-year prison sentence.[3]

Garrison Courtney
Chief of Public Affairs of the Drug Enforcement Administration
In office
2005–2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
AdministratorKaren Tandy
Michele Leonhart
Personal details
Born
Garrison Kenneth Courtney

1975/1976 (age 44)
Philippines
EducationUniversity of Montana (BA)
George Mason University (MPP)
Military service
Branch/service United States Army

Early life and education

Courtney was born in the Philippines, the son of an officer in the United States Air Force. He was raised in Great Falls, Montana, where he attended Great Falls High School.[4] Courtney attended Montana State University–Northern in 1996, where he served as the editor of The NoMoCo, the school paper.[5]

Courtney served in the United States Army, and graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2000.[6] He also earned a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University.

Career

Prior to working for the DEA, Courtney was the Seattle District public affairs and community outreach director with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for Northern Idaho, Washington and British Columbia. After the INS merged into the United States Department of Homeland Security, Courtney moved to Washington, D.C., serving as a senior spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.[2][7][8] Courtney also worked for Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Florida), as the Communications Director and Homeland Security Legislative Assistant in 2004.[2][9][10]

Courtney has also worked as a reporter and television weather anchor for CBS affiliates in several states, including KPAX-TV in Missoula, Montana and KVAL-TV in Eugene, Oregon.

After leaving the DEA, Courtney worked as a producer for TMZ on TV.[11][12] At the time of his arrest in 2020, Courtney worked for Huntington Ingalls Industries in Tampa, Florida, using the alias "Baer Pierson."[13]

Wire fraud

In June 2020, Courtney pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving his posing as a CIA agent in a scheme that spanned from 2012 to 2016.[14] He swindled at least a dozen companies out of over US$4.4 million by convincing them they would receive lucrative government contracts funded by the black budget in exchange for putting him on their payroll as a cover for his job as a spy.[15][16] To bolster his credibility, he developed a fake backstory, claiming that he was a U.S. Army veteran from the Gulf War who had killed hundreds in combat, suffered from lung injuries from smoke in Iraq’s oil fields, and was the assassination target of a foreign intelligence service that tried to poison him with ricin.[17] On October 28, 2020, he was sentenced to seven years in prison.[3][18]

References
  1. "Former DEA Official Pleads Guilty to Elaborate $4 Million Fraud Scheme". www.justice.gov. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  2. Weiner & Jackman, Rachel & Tom (11 June 2020). "Former government spokesman pretended to be CIA operative in $4.4 million scam". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  3. Rohrlich, Justin (2020-10-28). "Fake Spy Who Hoodwinked Gov't Officials for Profit Gets 7 Years". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  4. Rohrlich, Justin (2020-08-19). "How a Fake CIA Spy Fooled Everyone and Swindled Millions". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  5. A Northern Tidbit, Bill Lanier, Northern Network News, the official newsletter for MSU-Northern, April 20, 2007, p. 4.
  6. "About Alumni - - University Of Montana". montanan.umt.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  7. "Garrison Courtney | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  8. "Ex--federal worker pretended to be CIA to steal millions". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  9. Barakat, Matthew (11 June 2020). "Ex--federal worker pretended to be CIA to steal millions". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  10. Harris' staff quick to quit; They leave for better jobs, Katherine Harris says, but turnover worries watchers, Jeremy Wallace, Sarasota Herald Tribune, 28 November, 2005.
  11. "Tmz | Talk Show (TV) | Crew Members". staffmeup.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  12. Gerstein, Josh. "Ex-DEA public affairs chief pleads guilty to brazen scam". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  13. Sholes, Colin. "Spy Game". scammer.substack.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  14. Gerstein, Josh. "Ex-DEA public affairs chief pleads guilty to brazen scam". POLITICO.
  15. Blum, Howard (September 9, 2020). "Opinion | How One Man Conned the Beltway" – via NYTimes.com.
  16. Rohrlich, Justin (August 19, 2020). "How a Fake CIA Spy Fooled Everyone and Swindled Millions" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  17. "Former DEA Official Pleads Guilty to Elaborate $4 Million Fraud Scheme". www.justice.gov. June 11, 2020.
  18. "Con man and fake spy who once worked at DEA gets seven years in prison". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
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