The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a report that the FBI failed to report all child sexual abuse cases to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Released Thursday.
The report looked at more than 300 cases of “direct sexual offences or similar offences against children” that took place between 2021 and 2023.
The report found that FBI compliance with mandatory reporting requirements to local police was observed only about 50 percent of the time, and when reports were made, only 43 percent were reported within the FBI-mandated 24 hours.
After former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was convicted of abusing dozens of athletes, including stars of the U.S. Olympic team, the FBI was forced to change how it handles such cases.
“Since its handling of the child sexual abuse allegations against Lawrence Gerald Nassar, the FBI implemented a new report management system that provided additional management for ongoing allegations of abuse,” the report states. “However, we found that the FBI did not record and process all allegations in the new system.”
The report also found that victim services were not provided to everyone, even though FBI and Department of Justice policies require them to be identified and provided with information about available services. Thirty-six percent of those surveyed were not provided with appropriate services or updates on the progress of their cases.
According to an OIG press release, the FBI largely followed in-person forensic interviews with minors.
The OIG said one of the problems facing the agency may be a lack of available resources.
The FBI's caseload in the program could mean agents are unable to quickly respond to allegations that come in. The number of reported allegations has increased in recent years, and FBI officials have said resources have become a “significant challenge” for the program.
OIG noted that the FBI stated that additional training is needed to improve current rates of non-compliance with FBI-established policies and procedures.
The watchdog group made 11 recommendations, and the FBI agreed with them and has already taken corrective action on two of them, according to the report.
The Hill reached out to the FBI for comment. A senior official said: Associated Press The department said it made mistakes but that “the vast majority of the work” was handled properly.
Officials said this was a “no-fail mission” to ensure the safety and security of children, and that the FBI was “committed to performing it to the highest standards.”
