A report released Thursday by the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the FBI failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements for some allegations of child sexual abuse.
The investigation audited the FBI's response to suspected child sex crimes and compliance with mandatory reporting requirements. ReportThe Department of Justice defines “hands-on” as a crime that involves “physical sexual contact.”
The report said there were “serious problems” with the FBI's response to the suspected child abuse.
Today, we released a report on the FBI's response to allegations of sex crimes against children, which is a follow-up to issues identified in our July 2021 report on the FBI's response to child sexual abuse allegations against Lawrence Gerald Nassar.
— Department of Justice Inspector General (@JusticeOIG) August 29, 2024
Between Oct. 1, 2021 and Feb. 26, 2023, the FBI opened 3,925 cases involving alleged direct child sexual abuse or similar crimes. (Related: FBI dismantles global cybercrime network used to commit child exploitation and other crimes, Department of Justice announces)
The OIG reviewed 327 case files and flagged 42 cases. – 13% – They called for further investigation by the FBI, and in one instance, the report said, the FBI failed to take “appropriate investigative steps” regarding allegations of sexual abuse by a registered sex offender for more than a year.
According to the OIG report, the FBI also did not notify state, local, tribal, or territorial (SLTT) law enforcement agencies in the area of the suspected child abuse. The report states that the perpetrator abused one other minor for at least 15 months. However, after the OIG notified the FBI of the incident, the FBI acted accordingly.
A new report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has found that the FBI continued to mishandle reports of child sexual abuse after promising reforms following its mishandling of the allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) August 29, 2024
The audit also found that only 43% of all reports of suspected child abuse were made within the stipulated 24 hours.
OIG also examined the FBI's compliance with mandatory reporting requirements, which require FBI employees to report suspected child abuse to appropriate SLTT law enforcement and social service agencies to investigate allegations or provide protection for children who are allegedly abused.
The OIG found “significant non-compliance” with certain mandatory reporting requirements.
Of the 327 cases investigated by the OIG, there was “no evidence” that mandatory reporting requirements to SLTT law enforcement agencies were complied with in 47 percent of cases and to social service agencies in 50 percent of cases, according to the report.
The report concludes with 11 recommendations for the FBI, states the audit is “resolved,” and notes that the FBI has agreed to the recommendations. The recommendations are marked “resolved” instead of “closed” because the FBI still needs to provide evidence that the recommendations have been implemented. (RELATED: Justice Department confirms decision not to prosecute investigators who mishandled Larry Nassar allegations)
“Ensuring the safety and security of children is not only a top priority for the FBI, it is a solemn duty that we strive to fulfill to the highest standards,” the FBI said in a statement to the Caller. “The FBI's work to combat crimes against children is one of the most important and demanding endeavors we undertake. The FBI deeply values the trust the public places in us to protect the most vulnerable in society. We are committed to maintaining the public's trust by implementing necessary improvements to ensure that the significant changes we made to our Violent Crimes Against Children program in 2018 and 2019 have their intended effect of promoting the highest levels of compliance and effectiveness.”
A senior FBI official acknowledged that the bureau made mistakes in child abuse investigations but said “most of its work” was handled properly, the Associated Press reported. Reported.
In 2021, the OIG investigated the FBI for its handling of sexual abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
Officers at the FBI field office in Indianapolis did not act with urgency on allegations of Nassar sexually abusing athletes, the 2021 report said. Report.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, announced that hearings on the report will be held in late 2024.
“The FBI's failure to allow Larry Nassar to abuse his young victims remains a stain on the bureau,” Durbin said. press release. “Today's report shows that new policies the FBI implemented to address these egregious failures have been effectively ignored, leading to the same misconduct we saw in the Nassar investigation. It is shameful that the FBI continues to fail victims.”
A new report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has found that the FBI continued to mishandle reports of child sexual abuse after promising reforms following its mishandling of the allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) August 29, 2024
