FBI Files Reveal Why Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Became Part of a Federal Investigation

The late cartoonist and Dilbert creator Scott Adams became the subject of an FBI inquiry after his name surfaced in connection with an unusual blackmail scheme linked to former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz and a failed effort to free a former CIA operative held in Iran.

According to FBI documents released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, agents sought to preserve Adams’ Twitter account data, including private direct messages. The records were made public several months after Adams’ death and provide new insight into a little-known chapter of the cartoonist’s life.

The investigation dates back to 2021, when Gaetz was facing a federal probe related to allegations involving an underage girl. At the time, Gaetz claimed he was the victim of an extortion attempt connected to a plan to secure the release of former FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levinson, who had disappeared in Iran years earlier.

Text messages later published by media outlets showed Adams communicating with former journalist Jake Novak, who was involved in discussions surrounding the Levinson rescue effort. Novak suggested that negative publicity surrounding Gaetz was disrupting attempts to raise money for the operation and mentioned several individuals connected to the controversial initiative.

The alleged rescue mission eventually collapsed. In 2021, Florida businessman Stephen Alford pleaded guilty to making false promises related to a presidential pardon in exchange for funding the effort. Although other individuals connected to the case were not charged, the investigation attracted national attention.

Adams consistently denied any wrongdoing and never provided a detailed explanation for why he had become involved in conversations connected to the affair. He later suggested publicly that government agencies may have reviewed his personal communications because of contacts with individuals abroad.

The newly released FBI files appear to confirm that federal authorities took an interest in Adams’ online activity. While the documents remain heavily redacted and do not reveal the full extent of the investigation, they show that the famous cartoonist’s social media accounts became part of a wider federal inquiry involving politics, international intrigue, and an unusual extortion scheme.

Best known for creating the long-running comic strip Dilbert, Adams spent decades satirizing corporate culture and office life. The FBI records reveal a far less familiar chapter of his story—one that placed the celebrated cartoonist unexpectedly at the center of a real-world political and criminal investigation.

Source: Reason Magazine