News / Military

US Secret Service supervisor accused of sexually assaulting female subordinate

Thursday, 09 April 2015 9:55 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 09 April 2015 9:54 AM ]

The US Secret Service has placed a senior supervisor on leave after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances to a female coworker late last month.

The US Secret Service has placed a supervisor on administrative leave and suspended his security clearance after a female agent accused him of sexually assaulting her, the latest embarrassment for the agency.

Xavier Morales, a senior supervisor of the security clearance division, allegedly made the advance on a female subordinate, the Washington Post and ABC News reported Wednesday.

The Washington, DC police sex-crimes division and the US Homeland Security Inspector General's Office are investigating the female employee’s allegation.

“The Secret Service is an agency that demands that our employees conduct themselves with the highest level of integrity. These allegations as reported are very disturbing,” Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy said in a statement.

“Any threats or violence that endangers our employees in the workplace is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” he added.

The woman told investigators that Morales grabbed her arms after a party at a downtown Washington restaurant on the night of March 31, and said he was in love with her and would like to have sex with her.

The gathering at the restaurant celebrated Morales' new assignment to head the agency's field office in Louisville, Kentucky. He was scheduled to take the helm in Louisville this week.

The latest incident comes on the heels of a series of scandals and security lapses by Secret Service agents.

The Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency that is part of the US Department of Homeland Security. The agency is in charge of protecting the current and former presidents as well as vice presidents, presidential candidates and visiting heads of states.

A major security lapse occurred in September, when a US war veteran was able to enter the main floor of the White House with a knife, an unprecedented security breach in recent decades.

That incident led to the resignation of the head of the agency, Julia Pierson in October. She had been director for two years, named to the top job after a dozen Secret Service agents were swept up in a sex scandal while preparing for the arrival of President Barack Obama in Cartagena, Colombia in 2012.

AHT/AGB

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