The Disappearance of Robert Levinson: A CIA Contractor Lost in Iran

Robert Levinson: A Decorated Career

• 🇺🇸 Robert "Bob" Levinson was a retired FBI agent with an impressive career, having also worked for the DEA.
• 🇷🇺 He specialized in Russian affairs, including Russian gangs and the mafia, demonstrating a keen ability to analyze and act on complex information.
• 🕵️‍♂️ After retiring from the FBI in 1998, Levinson worked as a private investigator until 2007.

CIA Contract and Disappearance in Iran

• 💰 In 2006, Levinson was hired as a contractor by the CIA's office of transnational issues for their illicit finance group, earning $85,000 to write reports.
• ✈️ In March 2007, while investigating cigarette smuggling in the Middle East, Levinson traveled to Kish Island, Iran.
• 👤 He was last seen by American fugitive Dawood Salah Houdin, who had previously killed a critic of Ayatollah Khomeini on US soil.

International Intrigue and Government Response

• 📞 Levinson's family lost contact on March 9th, 2007, prompting outreach to the State Department and embassy.
• 🗣️ President George W. Bush publicly called on Iran to provide information about Levinson's whereabouts.
• 💸 The CIA later paid Levinson's wife, Christine, approximately $2 million to avoid lawsuits and negative press, acknowledging his role as a contractor.
• ❓ Both the US and Iranian governments have offered differing theories, with Iran consistently denying knowledge of his location and questioning why a CIA operative would be in their country.

Decades of Uncertainty and Family's Plea

• 📸 In April 2011, photos surfaced of Levinson in an orange jumpsuit, appearing to be held captive, but the date of the photos was indeterminate.
• 📹 In December 2011, the family released a proof-of-life video received in November 2010, showing Levinson pleading for help and stating he had been held for 3.5 years.
• 💵 The FBI offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his safe return, later increased to $5 million.
• 🏛️ Despite numerous efforts, including a lawsuit filed by the family against Iran in 2017, and attempted private rescue missions, Levinson has not been returned.
• 💔 As of the podcast's recording, Levinson had been missing for 12 years, with his family maintaining hope for his return and expressing frustration with the US government's efforts.