Inspector General Finds FBI Sexual Relationship and Pornographic Misconduct Go Unreported

The Department of Justice's Inspector General wrote a memorandum advising new FBI Director Christopher Wray about serious allegations of misconduct by agents that were never properly investigated.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz warned of potential national security risks because the bureau failed to follow federal regulations that require employees with "high risk security" issues to report them.

"Despite these requirements, we identified several instances in which the FBI could not demonstrate that allegations of employee misconduct were referred either to the INSD or the OIG," Horowitz wrote in the memo.

In one case, the memo states a bureau IT specialist admitted to using computer system to view and print out pornography. 

The memo states, "The IT Specialist also admitted to creating a fictitious Facebook account and conversing with a foreign national for approximately 6 months before their communication ended."

He adds, "During the post-test phase of a polygraph examination, a Special Agent admitted to an intimate relationship with a former FBI criminal source of about 6 months that had occurred more than 20 years earlier."

Horowitz says, "Neither the INSD nor the OIG received any report of allegations involving the misuse of government equipment to view and print inappropriate photographs or the unreported foreign contacts."

The employee even maintained his top secret security clearance for 17 months after his admission, despite failing three separate polygraph tests during that time frame.

In another example, a Special Agent admitted, during a lie detector test, to having sexual relations with a former FBI criminal source. The incident, however, was never referred to the inspection offices.

"Independent investigations of misconduct allegations against employees with access to SCI are particularly important given the potential risks to US national security," Horowitz wrote.

Horowitz wants the the FBI to take "immediate corrective actions" and report back within 30 days.