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Federal Agent Caught Having Sex in Public, Which Supervisor Then Covers Up
DEA supervisor charged with making false statements under oath to protect employee.
A federal agent was caught having sex in a public park by police, according to a new report, which a supervisor then lied about to help cover up the incident.
A Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge, who has since retired, “had contact with a local police officer” after the officer observed the agent “engaged in sexual activity in a public park,” according to an investigative summary from the Justice Department’s inspector general. The agent was on annual leave during the time of the incident.
The agent “failed to act in a professional manner as a DEA employee,” the IG said, and in so doing violated both federal regulation and DEA policy. Officials at the DEA and IG’s office both declined to make the former employee’s name public.
His immediate supervisor, the special agent in charge, also violated DEA policies and federal regulations by failing to disclose the incident to the DEA Office of Professional Responsibility after becoming aware of it. He subsequently provided false statements under oath to IG investigators regarding his knowledge of the allegations against the agent, and improperly showed favoritism to the employee.
An IG official declined to say how the office substantiated that the supervisor was lying or to provide any additional details into the investigation. The Justice Department declined to pursue prosecution of the special agent in charge, instead providing its report to DEA “for appropriate action.”
Barbara Carreno, a DEA spokeswoman, would not comment on what specific punishment the supervisor might face, but suggested some action would be forthcoming.
“DEA takes very seriously any allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct by our employees,” Carreno said. “Any claims of official or personal misconduct have been referred to the appropriate investigative authority for a thorough review. Employees that have been found to be in violation of either the DEA Standards of Conduct or DEA policies and procedures will be held accountable through the DEA disciplinary process.”