Ron Rewald Ron Rewald ( born September 24 , 1942 ) is a former Hawaii investment advisor , professional football player and self - described CIA agent who was convicted of wire fraud and mail fraud in 1985 . Football career . According to Rewald , he attended the Milwaukee Institute of Technology , then spent a year working for the CIA monitoring underground anti - government activity at the University of Wisconsin – Madison before leaving the CIA and attending Marquette University , where he played football . There is evidence that this was a fabrication and that he only attended the Milwaukee Area Technical College . Rewald ' s football skills did attract interest from professional teams in the National and American Football League s . He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1965 and trained with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1966 . In 1965 Rewald played halfback for the West Allis Racers in the Central States Football League while on a one year leave of absence from the Chiefs . After his football career ended , Rewald became president of a sporting goods store in Wisconsin called College Athletic and expanded the business across Illinois , Minnesota and Ohio before selling the franchise and moving to Hawaii with his wife and five children . Bishop , Baldwin , Rewald , Dillingham and Wong . In 1978 Rewald established an investment firm in Hawaii called " Bishop , Baldwin , Rewald , Dillingham and Wong " . The firm ' s name incorporated the names of Rewald and his partner Sunlin Wong along with the names of three prominent kama ' aina who had no connection with the business : Charles Reed Bishop , Henry Alexander Baldwin and Benjamin Dillingham . The firm claimed that funds were guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $ 150 , 000 and that minimum returns of 20 % annually were guaranteed . ( As the firm was not a chartered bank it was not eligible for FDIC insurance . ) In 1983 , the Internal Revenue Service began an investigation of Rewald when his firm ' s false FDIC insurance claims were discovered . On July 29 , 1983 , Rewald attempted suicide at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel , allegedly because the media was on the verge of exposing his background . Six days later , the company was forced into bankruptcy . Rewald was arrested on August 8 , 1983 , immediately after his release from the hospital , and was charged with theft by deception . He was held in lieu of $ 10 million bail . He faced 98 charges and a maximum of 400 years in prison . Sunlin Wong pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years imprisonment . In reality , the investment firm had been a Ponzi scheme . Rewald used money from new investors to pay interest to earlier investors , all the while siphoning off funds to pay for his lavish lifestyle . Trial . Rewald presented a surprising defense , claiming that his business had been a front for the Central Intelligence Agency . Rewald claims that he was working for the CIA at the time and that the firm was set up by the CIA to serve as a cover for himself and 22 other CIA agents . Rewald claims that his work done at Bishop , Baldwin , Rewald , Dillingham and Wong and his lavish lifestyle were all part of his CIA cover and allowed him to gather national intelligence . In September , 1984 , ABC News broadcast a two - part investigation supporting his claims . The CIA denied any connection and filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) . Rewald did present substantial evidence of the CIA connection and , at the CIA ' s request , all documents from the federal proceeding against Rewald were sealed on national security grounds . Rewald ' s trial lasted for eleven weeks in 1985 . 140 witnesses were called , including Jack Lord , who admitted to knowing Rewald but denied that he was employed as a consultant . Rewald was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison . Release . In 1995 Rewald was released on parole from the Federal Correctional Institution on Terminal Island , California . Rewald remained on parole until 2001 . , Rewald lives in Los Angeles and works as director of operations for the APA talent agency in Beverly Hills .