Several Drug Enforcement Administration agents who were under investigation for allegedly attending drug cartel-funded sex parties with prostitutes in Colombia received bonuses, awards and other favorable personnel actions despite federal regulations prohibiting perks during an investigation, according to a new report from the Department of Justice inspector general.
The sexual misconduct allegations allegedly took place between 2001 and 2004 and were first made public by the inspector general in a March 2015 report. The inspector general found that DEA officials in Colombia helped to arrange sex parties with prostitutes funded by local drug cartels and hosted at their government-leased living quarters, reported The Washington Times.
After that report, Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asked the inspector general to determine whether promotions or bonuses were given to the 14 DEA agents involved in the sexual misconduct, and the findings were released Thursday in the latest report.
The inspector general said that none of the agents were promoted during the investigation, however, there were 10 instances where DEA officials approved bonuses for the agents even though DEA policy usually prohibits employees from receiving such benefits for a three-year period "after being subject to discipline for significant misconduct or while a misconduct investigation is ending."
"We also found three instances in which there was no determination reflecting the basis for going forward with a favorable personnel action under these circumstances," the report said.
One agent was suspended for 14 days after allegedly hosting prostitutes on a regular basis in his government-leased quarters and also allegedly assaulting one of those prostitutes. Even after that, he received a $1,500 bonus while under investigation and is "currently assigned to another DEA office in the United States," according to the report.
An assistant regional director stationed overseas "made numerous inappropriate sexual comments; asked [an assistant] to watch pornographic movies; and, among other allegations, routinely threw items, yelled at employees, and used other vulgarities in the office and at official functions," and eventually received a $5,000 bonus and a letter reprimanding him for his actions, according to the inspector general.
During the investigation and in the three years after, one DEA regional director subject to the investigation received four performance awards, three Senior Executive Service bonus awards and one Meritorious Executive Rank worth a total of $68,000.
"The DEA did not consistently follow its policy or process and failed to document the rationale for its decisions," the inspector general concluded.
Chaffetz said it is "astounding that employees who should have been prosecuted, fired, or at a minimum, severely disciplined for their misconduct, were instead given undeserved promotions and bonuses," according to The Daily Caller. "It is troubling that supervisors who looked the other way at employee misconduct received substantial bonuses. Rewarding bad apples promotes a toxic work environment."
