FBI Director Wray promises mishandling of child sex abuse cases 'should never happen again'
FBI Director Christopher Wray held a press conference Thursday on a newly released watchdog report that found the bureau failed to properly address a large portion of child sex abuse allegations.
The Department of Justice released a report Thursday finding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation regularly failed to properly handle child sex crime allegations.
The DOJ's Office of the Inspector General (OIJ) began working on the report following allegations the FBI mishandled reports against former USA physician Lawrence Nassar.
The OIJ audited 327 incidents out of 3,925 cases opened by the FBI that allegedly involved "hands-on sex offense against a child or similar offense."
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Former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar appears in court for his final sentencing phase in Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Michigan. The Department of Justice paid out more than $130 million in settlements after failing to properly handle a series of reports that Nassar was sexually assaulting children. (RENA LAVERTY/AFP via Getty Images)
The audit flagged 42 incidents (13% of all incidents audited) due to the belief they required "immediate attention."
"Specifically, we found no evidence that FBI employees complied with mandatory reporting requirements to SLTT law enforcement in 47 percent of the incidents we reviewed or to social services agencies in 50 percent of incidents we reviewed," the report states. "Of the reports that were made, we found that only 43 percent were made within 24 hours, as required by FBI policy."
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The Justice Department paid $138.7 million settling 139 claims that the FBI failed to adequately investigate Nassar despite years of pleas from athletes alleging abuse.
The report outlines 11 recommendations for the FBI to improve its handling of child sex abuse cases, including monitoring FBI employees' compliance with mandatory reporting, providing greater clarity on when incidents are required to be marked "Time Sensitive" or handled within 24 hours, and implementation of controls to ensure sex crime notifications are "appropriately documented."
Department of Justice inscription is seen on the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"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’s efforts combating crimes against children are among the most critical and demanding undertakings we do," the FBI said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday.
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"The FBI deeply values the trust the public places in us to protect the most vulnerable members of society," the FBI statement continued. "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."
OIJ officials are pushing for FBI agents to undergo "additional training, controls, and oversight — including determining an acceptable caseload for agents who work crimes against children cases."
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