HHR Reps CIA Employee in Pro Bono Sexual Assault Case

May 2023 - Kevin Carroll is representing the first of over 50 women who have come forward to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Intelligence Committee alleging that the CIA is mishandling its response to sexual assault and harassment in its workforce.

The investigation started when Carroll’s client approached the Committee in January saying that, when she had been a CIA employee, the agency had not punished a male colleague who allegedly assaulted her. Carroll, who was once a CIA case officer, recently told Politico that the CIA is making it difficult for alleged victims to speak to law enforcement, calling it the agency’s “Me Too moment.”

Carroll’s client says she reported the attack to numerous offices at the CIA to no avail, and also said CIA officials told her that, if she reported the incident to law enforcement, they would no longer protect her from the alleged assailant. She also claims she was warned that moving forward with the allegation would end her career at the Agency. While Carroll and his client are appreciative of local law enforcement, if federal law enforcement had taken a similar interest, the charge would likely be felony sex assault, according to Carroll.

In response, the CIA claims that it refers allegations of criminal sexual misconduct to law enforcement, which in some cases declines to prosecute, leading the CIA to take “appropriate action.” The agency also admits that it needs to make changes and improvements to its reporting process, which many criticize as difficult to navigate.

The allegations are among several against the CIA to become public over the last 15 years. In 2009, former Algeria station chief Andrew Warren pled guilty to assault and served five years in prison, and in 2021 former CIA officer Brian Jeffrey Raymond pled guilty to several federal charges, including sexual abuse.

The investigation was also covered by CNN, which reported that the Senate Intelligence Committee, mere hours after speaking to Carroll’s client, called on the CIA Inspector General to initiate an immediate investigation into the mishandling of these cases.