A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent used provocative photographs of young female bureau staffers to lure suspected child sex predators while carrying out investigations, an internal Justice Department review has revealed, according to a report by USA Today.
In a practice that was largely unsupervised, the unidentified FBI agent posted the photographs on social media sites, says the probe spearheaded by Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
The agent in question also neglected to document where he'd put the images of the staffers, who were clothed and whose faces were blurred.
The agent in question also neglected to document where he'd put the images of the staffers, who were clothed and whose faces were blurred.
The review showed that the agent had not secured written consent to use the pics from the staffers, who were not certified for undercover work, "potentially placing (staffers) in danger of becoming victims".
When confronted, the (agent) “said he was 'fishing' on social media sites but not recording which sites he used…. the (agent) advised the support staff employees who provided photographs to not tell anyone, including their supervisors," stated the report. According to the document, neither the FBI agent nor his supervisor could document "how the photographs were obtained or used".
While there was no documentation regarding how long the photographs appeared on the websites or whether they were still there, the report added the images could have been “downloaded, copied or further disseminated".
In a memo on Monday, the federal watchdog added that his office had discovered that the unidentified agent's conduct was not an isolated incident.
Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz on Capitol Hill in Washington
© AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin
In response to the damning report, FBI executive assistant director Brian Turner informed that the agent's conduct is being reviewed by the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility.
To rule out recurrence of such practices, Turner also said an evaluation of existing policies was underway to determine which "require" adjustment or "new language to establish the needed guidelines."