Daily TribuneAn internal watchdog report reveals how U.S. federal agents undermined their own anti-human trafficking efforts with years of sex tourism and impunity across Southeast Asia.
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The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building in Washington, DC, on 10 March 2025.
Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
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As American officials trained Southeast Asian police forces on how to combat human trafficking, several of their colleagues were simultaneously paying for sex — often in the presence of local law enforcement.
A newly released U.S. Justice Department watchdog report uncovers a years-long pattern of misconduct involving FBI agents posted in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Some of the behavior occurred while officials were in the region for conferences and anti-trafficking seminars — including a training course co-hosted by the Royal Thai Police and the FBI itself.
The damning document, released following a successful lawsuit filed by The New York Times, provides the most detailed account yet of how FBI agents — tasked with fighting exploitation — were actively participating in it.
In one case, during a 2018 event in Manila, FBI agents accepted prostitutes allegedly paid for by local police. Another incident involved American agents visiting bars in Bangkok to negotiate sex — twice — while attending official events. Some outings ended in hotel rooms where employees were handed keys corresponding to sex workers, and at least one supervisor participated, the report said.
The official misconduct spans nearly a decade, from 2009 to 2018, and includes scenarios where multiple FBI employees socialized and engaged in sex acts together, sharing hotel rooms and soliciting women, even while attending conferences on law enforcement cooperation.
Five employees were eventually removed, resigned, or retired during the investigation. However, the bureau and the Justice Department fought for years to keep the information secret. It was only after a federal judge in New York ordered disclosure that the more complete report was finally made public on Thursday.
Originally reported by investigative journalist Mara Hvistendahl for The New York Times, the findings paint a disturbing picture of how systemic misconduct was allowed to fester quietly behind diplomatic immunity and bureaucratic delay — even after previous scandals in Colombia had already embarrassed U.S. agencies like the Secret Service and the DEA.
The FBI has since said it has changed its overseas personnel selection and training, noting in a statement that all involved employees “were held accountable and no longer work for the FBI.” But questions remain about accountability, especially given that several incidents occurred with the knowledge or presence of foreign police — some of whom were partners in counter-trafficking programs.
The report also highlighted one case where an FBI employee handed a colleague a package of roughly 100 unidentified white pills to deliver to a foreign officer — raising broader concerns about transparency and potential corruption during overseas assignments.
Critics argue that this kind of misconduct severely undermines America’s credibility in fighting global human trafficking. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder had issued a memo banning solicitation of prostitution by federal employees, even where such practices may be legal or tolerated. Yet, according to the new report, some FBI personnel disregarded that directive.
The investigation now joins a troubling legacy of U.S. law enforcement scandals abroad — one that continues to raise questions about oversight, double standards, and the integrity of those sworn to uphold the law.
