New York City, NY, USA: A Dutch commodities trader has initiated legal proceedings in a U.S. federal court, accusing a consultancy with alleged CIA connections of disseminating false information on behalf of an Indian entrepreneur. Court documents reveal that the businessman purportedly impersonated an undercover American intelligence agent to deceive the trader out of millions of dollars.

The civil lawsuit, lodged in August in the Southern District of New York, states unequivocally: “This case may have the hallmarks of a Hollywood film—fake spies, theft, and deceit—but at bottom it is quite simple.”

Legal experts point out that this case highlights the increasingly blurred lines between former intelligence professionals now operating in the private sector and clients who leverage that association for personal gain.