“Damning Conduct”: FBI Agents Stationed In Asia Paid For Sex From Prostitutes Over Several Years

FBI agents stationed overseas engaged in sex with prostitutes in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand—sometimes while colleagues attended anti-human trafficking training, the New York Times reported.

The “damning conduct”, which occurred between 2009 and 2018, involved agents paying for or accepting sex while socializing with each other and local police, revealing a culture where women were routinely exploited.

The report, made public after a New York Times lawsuit, offers the most detailed account yet of a scandal kept largely under wraps since the early Trump years. It surfaces as new FBI Director Kash Patel vows to overhaul the agency.

Prostitution is widespread but illegal in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand—countries where FBI agents engaged in misconduct, despite the bureau’s ban on paying for sex and its stated focus on fighting human trafficking.

“The F.B.I. took swift action once alerted to the behavior,” the agency said, adding that those involved were fired and overseas personnel training has since been updated.

Some incidents occurred during official events. In 2017, agents in Bangkok twice visited bars to negotiate sex while accompanied by local police. That same year, the FBI co-hosted anti-trafficking training with Thai authorities. It’s unclear if the misconduct occurred during that specific training.

The Times wrote that in 2018, during another event in Manila, FBI employees accepted prostitutes reportedly paid for by a local law enforcement agency, according to the report.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in 2018 that several FBI employees had been recalled from Asia amid an investigation into alleged contact with prostitutes and other misconduct.

A 2021 inspector general summary confirmed five employees had solicited sex abroad, and one had given a colleague “a package containing approximately 100 white pills to deliver to a foreign law enforcement officer.”

The full report, now released after a legal battle with The New York Times, details multiple violations involving groups of FBI employees. In one case, agents at a karaoke bar were handed room keys or numbered slips tied to hotel rooms—at least one was a supervisor. Two employees reportedly engaged in sex acts with prostitutes while sharing a room.

The Justice Department under both Trump and Biden fought to keep the details sealed, citing privacy concerns. A federal judge ultimately ordered the release of the less-redacted version on Thursday.