High-ranking FBI agent 'groped 3 of his female subordinates, made sexually inappropriate comments and drank on the job'
A senior FBI agent described by his colleagues as 'slimy' and 'creepy' groped three of his subordinates, made inappropriate sexual comments and drank while working, according to an internal investigation.
The unnamed agent was a supervisory assistant special agent in charge, and worked in New York.
He was investigated by the Department of Justice Inspector General's Office, and the investigation was concluded in December.
It was unclear whether he was ever punished.
The FBI, with more than 35,000 employees, keeps a notoriously tight lid on such allegations. The last time the Office of Inspector General did an extensive probe of sexual misconduct within the FBI, it tallied 343 'offenses' from fiscal years 2009 to 2012, including three instances of 'videotaping undressed women without consent,' Associated Press reported in December.
The documents detailing the New York investigation, obtained by The New York Post via a Freedom of Information Act request, show that he would target his junior colleagues at alcohol-fueled after-work events at bars and in the office.
In one incident, he groped a woman while they were standing at a bar, with two other colleagues.
He allegedly asked one of his colleagues: 'Do you think I should try to sleep with her?'
He then openly groped her, and 'rubbed her vagina and buttocks over her clothing with his hand on multiple occasions for a few seconds each time,' the documents state.
A friend who witnessed the groping texted the victim later that night to check on her.
The friend wrote: 'You okay? I know I asked already, but we put up with a lot for the sake of not rocking the boat, so I just want to make sure.'
The victim replied: 'It was gross and creepy, he was touching the same parts of me repeatedly so not by accident. But like you said, we put up with a lot so as not to rock the boat.'
The victim filed a criminal complaint with an unspecified law enforcement body, but federal and state prosecution was declined, the Inspector General's Office said. The agent denied the allegation to investigators.
Another woman told investigators he would rub her shoulders while they worked together after saying 'she seemed tense.'
At a social event after work at a bar, he told her: 'Tell me that you want me,' and grabbed her behind.
He was enraged by her, and once yelled at her in front of other FBI employees, unintentionally spitting on her while screaming at her.
Other witnesses told investigators that he was 'over the top' and 'slimy.'
Another witness said he once asked about a female colleague: 'Do you think she does anal?'
He was also known to drink while at work.
Investigators found two bottles of wine and an empty box of Glenlivet Scotch under the agent's desk.
He was found to have drunk during work hours with foreign law enforcement officials and members of the US military, the documents state.
The agent was well-known for hosting drinks for those he managed, with an after-hours session often on a Friday.
'He stated that at the close of the meetings, his office door would be shut and he would tell the supervisors that they were 'in the trust tree,' and offer all of them a 'single malt Scotch,'' the documents state.
The FBI has not commented about the report.
An Associated Press investigation in December identified at least six sexual misconduct allegations involving senior FBI officials over the past five years.
Each of the accused FBI officials appears to have avoided discipline, the AP found, and several were quietly transferred or retired, keeping their full pensions and benefits even when probes substantiated the sexual misconduct claims against them.
Beyond that, federal law enforcement officials are afforded anonymity even after the disciplinary process runs its course, allowing them to land on their feet in the private sector or even remain in law enforcement.
'They're sweeping it under the rug,' said a former FBI analyst who alleges in a new federal lawsuit that a supervisory special agent licked her face and groped her at a colleague's farewell party in 2017.
She ended up leaving the FBI and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
'As the premier law enforcement organization that the FBI holds itself out to be, it's very disheartening when they allow people they know are criminals to retire and pursue careers in law enforcement-related fields,' said the woman.
The recurring sexual misconduct has drawn the attention of Congress and advocacy groups, which have called for whistleblower protections for rank-and-file FBI employees and for an outside entity to review the bureau's disciplinary cases.
'They need a #MeToo moment,' said Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who has been critical of the treatment of women in the male-dominated FBI.
'It's repugnant, and it underscores the fact that the FBI and many of our institutions are still good ol'-boy networks.
'It doesn't surprise me that, in terms of sexual assault and sexual harassment, they are still in the Dark Ages.'
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