Former Bank CEO Says He Lead A Double Life As A CIA Agent And Hunted Osama Bin Laden
Nov 5, 2014, 01:20 IST
WJZMost bankers spend their days building models on their Excel spreadsheets.
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But some of the projects Ed Hale worked on required a bit more gusto.
Hale, the former chairman and CEO of the First Mariner Bank, revealed that he led a double life as a CIA agent from 1991 to 2001 in an interview on WJZ, a CBS-affiliate.
"I was the perfect cover because I was all over the world with my vessels and trucking here in America, so I was the perfect person to take somebody and send them out to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan," he told WJZ. He even "found himself in the early hunt" for Osama Bin Laden towards the end of his involvement with the CIA, according to WJZ. "Getting people into places where they could figure out the traces and the pathways of Osama Bin Laden back in the 90s," Hale said. "I heard his name early on, Osama Bin Laden. I didn't know who he was. It wasn't the household name that it became." However, Hale's undercover days are long past. He retired from CIA work over 13 years ago, shortly after 9/11. Aside from banking and CIA work, Hale "is credited with developing the Canton Waterfront," in downtown Baltimore. He also owns the Baltimore Blast, a professional indoor soccer team. While this banker's double life may come as a shock to most people, there was one person who was completely unfazed. Hale told his mother about his role in the CIA five years after retiring, all she had to say was, "Can you pass the broccoli, please?" The CIA has not confirmed Hale's role due to privacy concerns. Read the full interview here at WJZ>