WASHINGTON, D.C. – Several officials working for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) hired prostitutes for sexual encounters while on official business in an undisclosed foreign country, according to the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Four FBI officials had reportedly hired prostitutes for sex while on duty, while a fifth solicited sex workers but did not have intercourse with them, according to the OIG probe released on Tuesday of this week. When inquired about their policy-violating actions, the officials in question lied and denied having partaken in such activities, according to Inspector General Michael Horowitz
The OIG – whose stated mission is to “promote integrity, efficiency, and accountability within the [DOJ]” – noted that all FBI officials are duty-bound to report misconduct of either their fellow officials or themselves, and not doing so is also a violation of Bureau policy.
In addition, one of the unnamed FBI officials in question also lied when asked if they had any knowledge of seeing or placing 100 white pills – containing an unnamed substance – into a parcel that was intended to be delivered to a foreign law enforcement officer; another of the five FBI officials involved in the probe neglected to report having the package provided to them.
Over the course of the OIG probe, two of the FBI officials have resigned, and two others retired; the fifth – the one who had solicited prostitutes but did not sleep with them – had been removed from active duty, pending the outcome of the investigation. Now that the probe has concluded, the remaining official will be subjected to disciplinary action, although what that action will consist of was not made known.
All five FBI officials were part of the agency’s Legal Attaché Office, and when reports of their misconduct initially surfaced, the FBI referred the situation to the OIG for investigation, during which time the officials were ordered to return to the United States, according to an FBI spokesperson.
“We have already completed numerous measures during the OIG’s investigation to ensure this type of behavior does not happen again,” they said. “We will take all appropriate disciplinary actions against the one remaining employee with substantiated findings now that our Office of Professional Responsibility is able to proceed from the OIG’s final investigative results.”
“The majority of our personnel, wherever they are stationed, represent the FBI with the utmost honor and respect,” the spokesperson continued. “We will not tolerate these few individuals, who chose to disregard their oath and the public we serve, tarnishing the good work the rest of the FBI accomplishes each and every day.”
Comments are closed.