FBI Special Agent supervisor hired prostitutes on assignments, watchdog claims


A former FBI special agent supervisor hired prostitutes while on assignments, the Justice Departmentโ€™s watchdog body has claimed.

The Office of the Inspector General released an investigative summary Tuesday, which stated that the FBI came to the watchdog, claiming a then-special agent who supervised other agents hired and used prostitutes while traveling both domestically and overseas for work.

The agency also claimed that the agent, who was unnamed in the summary, used an โ€œFBI-issued mobile deviceโ€ to complete transactions related to the hiring of prostitutes, according to the summary.

The agent was accused of failing to self-report โ€œclose or continuous contactโ€ with a foreign national they were dating while overseas, the watchdog said.

A former FBI special agent supervisor hired prostitutes while on assignments, the Justice Departmentโ€™s watchdog body has claimed
A former FBI special agent supervisor hired prostitutes while on assignments, the Justice Departmentโ€™s watchdog body has claimed (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The watchdogโ€™s investigation confirmed the FBIโ€™s allegations, which included finding the agent hired and used prostitutes on โ€œnumerous occasions.โ€ It additionally found the agent failed to self-report โ€œclose or continuous contactโ€ with the foreign prostitutes he hired.

Despite the watchdogโ€™s findings, โ€œcriminal prosecution was declined,โ€ according to the summary.

When asked about the investigation, the FBI told The Independent Tuesday, โ€œWhile we cannot comment on specific employee matters, all FBI employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.

โ€œAllegations of misconduct are taken seriously and referred to the Inspection Division or the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General,โ€ the agency said. โ€œAfter reviewing relevant information on misconduct, the FBI took appropriate action to uphold our standards of integrity. Through the disciplinary process, the FBI will continue to hold employees accountable for any substantiated misconduct.โ€

This is not the first instance of an FBI agent paying for sex while overseas.

In March, a separate investigation by the watchdog accusing FBI agents of using prostitutes while stationed in Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand was made public following a lawsuit filed by The New York Times.

The investigation found from 2009 to 2018, those agents were paying for or accepting sex from prostitutes while socializing with other agents and the local police.

In a statement to the NYT in March, the FBI said, โ€œEveryone who engaged in this inexcusable behavior was held accountable and no longer works for the FBI.โ€

The agency said at the time it had changed its selection and training processes for agents working overseas. Itโ€™s unclear when the incidents detailed in Tuesdayโ€™s investigative summary occurred.

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