The FBI did not comply with mandatory reporting requirements for some allegations of child sexual abuse, revealed a report released Thursday by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
The investigation was an audit of the FBI’s response to allegations of hands-on sexual offenses against children and compliance with the mandatory reporting requirements, according to the report. The DOJ defines “hands-on” as an offense with “physical sexual contact.”
There were “significant issues” with how the FBI responded to the allegations of suspected child abuse, according to the report.
Today we released a report on the FBI’s handling of tips of hands-on sex offenses against children. This is a follow up on issues identified in our July 2021 report on the FBI’s handling of child sexual abuse allegations against Lawrence Gerard Nassar.
— DOJ Inspector General (@JusticeOIG) August 29, 2024
From October 1, 2021, to February 26, 2023, the FBI opened 3,925 cases that allegedly involved hands-on sexual abuse of a child or a similar offense. (RELATED: FBI Dismantles Global Cybercrime Network Used For Child Exploitation And Other Crimes, DOJ Says)
The OIG reviewed 327 case files and flagged 42 incidents – 13% – for additional review by the FBI. In one example, the FBI failed to take “appropriate investigative action” for more than a year regarding an allegation of sexual abuse by a registered sex offender, the report found.
The agency also did not alert state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement in the jurisdiction of the suspected child abuse, the OIG report says. The report noted the offender allegedly abused at least one other minor for about 15 months. The FBI, however, acted accordingly after the OIG made the agency aware of the incident.
A new report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz finds the FBI continued to mishandle tips regarding sexual abuse against children after the agency promised reforms in the wake of its botched handling of allegations against former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) August 29, 2024
The audit also discovered only 43% of total reports regarding suspected child abuse were made within the required 24-hour time window.
The OIG also reviewed the FBI’s compliance with mandatory reporting requirements. FBI personnel are required to report suspected child abuse to the appropriate SLTT law enforcement and social services agencies to investigate the allegations or protect the allegedly abused child.
The OIG found “substantial non-compliance” with certain mandatory reporting requirements.
Regarding the 327 incidents reviewed by the OIG, there was “no evidence” of compliance with mandatory reporting requirements to SLTT law enforcement in 47% of cases or to social service agencies in 50% of cases, according to the report.
The report concluded with 11 recommendations for the FBI and stated the audit was “resolved,” noting the FBI concurred with the recommendations. Recommendations that are marked resolved and not “closed” are because the bureau still needs to provide evidence demonstrating the recommendation have been implemented. (RELATED: DOJ Confirms Decision Not To Charge Agents Who Mishandled Larry Nassar Allegations)
“Ensuring the safety and security of children is not just a priority for the FBI; it is a solemn duty that we are committed to fulfilling with the highest standards,” the FBI said in a statement to the Caller. “The FBI’s efforts combating crimes against children are among the most critical and demanding undertakings we do. The FBI deeply values the trust the public places in us to protect the most vulnerable members of society. We are committed to maintaining the public’s trust by implementing the necessary improvements to ensure the important changes we made to our Violent Crimes Against Children program in 2018 and 2019 have the intended effect of promoting the highest level of compliance and effectiveness.”
A senior FBI official agreed the agency made mistakes when investigating child abuse, but stated the “vast majority of work” was dealt with appropriately, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
In 2021, the OIG investigated the FBI for its handling of sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics physician.
FBI Field Office officials in Indianapolis failed to urgently respond to allegations of the sexual abuse of athletes by Nassar, according to the 2021 report.
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois, announced there would be a hearing later in 2024 regarding the report.
“The FBI’s failures enabling Larry Nassar’s abuse of young victims continue to remain a stain on the Bureau,” Durbin said in a press release. “Today’s report shows that new policies implemented by the FBI to address these egregious failures are effectively being ignored, leading to similar abuses as seen in the Nassar investigation. It’s shameful that the FBI is continuing to fail its victims.”
A new report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz finds the FBI continued to mishandle tips regarding sexual abuse against children after the agency promised reforms in the wake of its botched handling of allegations against former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) August 29, 2024