Dead Drop – November 19

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS:  A Whitefish, Montana man pleaded guilty last week to defrauding another man of $2.3 million by getting him to donate money for “off-the-books” rescue missions for the CIA. According to a Department of Justice Press Release, Matthew Marshall owned up to wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges.  Marshall reportedly started milking his (unnamed) benefactor back in 2013, claiming to be a former CIA “agent” and former member of the Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance unit. He said he needed the money to rescue people in Mexico and other locations. DOJ says Marshall never served with the CIA in any capacity. And while he was not in Force Recon – he did serve in the Marine Corps Reserve but received an “Other than Honorable” discharge in 1999, after “accumulating 82 absences from inactive duty training.” Marshall faces a possible 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine – but maybe he can find some good-hearted citizen who will spring to help get him sprung from jail.

ANOTHER UNLIKELY CIA TV SERIES:  Hardly a week goes by we don’t hear about another CIA-based TV series being created. They almost always are built on unlikely premises. Last week’s Dead Drop told you about a series in development based on a CIA station in Las Vegas. This week we learned more about a (yet to be titled) Netflix series about a fledgling CIA lawyer (played by Noah Centineo) who “becomes enmeshed in dangerous international power politics when a former asset threatens to expose the nature of her long-term relationship with the agency, unless they exonerate her of a serious crime.” Compared to reality, we can think of about five things wrong with that scenario – but watching TV and movies involves a willing suspension of disbelief, right? Among the lengthy list of executive producers is Adam Ciralsky who, in real life, briefly was a fledgling CIA lawyer and whose departure was a bit messy. We first mentioned this series to you back in May – but now they are busily casting it – so it looks like it may actually get produced.

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