Reporters held off on releasing the information they uncovered for years believing that they were doing what was best for Robert. However, when years passed without a development the reporters went forward with the information they had uncovered. What they revealed was a substantial CIA cover-up that, once exposed, ended the careers of a number of CIA analysts.
When investigators examined Robert’s computer and other evidence they found emails that showed almost daily communication with officials in the CIA. Robert Levinson was working under CIA orders and being paid by the CIA but higher level officials had no idea that he was hired as an independent contractor. It turned out that he was hired by Anne Jablonski, a senior intelligence analyst. She knew Robert from his work tracking Russian gangsters for the FBI and wondered if he would be willing to do some information gathering for the CIA’s Illicit Finance Group.
The Illicit Finance Group was not authorized to hire or manage spies, they were supposed to get all their information from the CIA’s clandestine operations. However, Anne Jablonski was frustrated with the lack of information coming to her and decided to take matters into her own hands. She hired Robert Levinson to work in secret not only to spy on others to gather information but to work in secret from the higher level officials of the CIA. Often Robert Levinson would mail information to her home address instead of to the CIA in order to avoid suspicion.
Robert Levinson circled the globe for Jablonski creating a network of informants that gave her all the information she could ever want, and the information that she was not getting from the CIA’s clandestine operations. It was Robert Levinson who brought up the idea of going to the Kish Island in order to track down another potential informant, no one in the CIA ever told him not to go.
Robert Levinson made contact with Dawud Salahuddin, an Iranian assassin who was wanted for murder in the U.S. but who could offer information about the Iranian regime. Robert hoped that by convincing Dawud Salahuddin that their arrangement was purely a business venture for a private company he could get information. Dawud Salahuddin has confirmed this but said that he has not seen or heard from Robert since their meeting ended.
Robert Levinson remains in Iran and the U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for his return.