A sting operation against sex trafficking of the FBI that involves the posting of provocative photos of female coworkers online without formal authorization prompted a watchdog to report the action.

According to KION 5/46 News Channel, the Justice Department's inspector general released the report on Monday, August 2.

The report said that some FBI agents were sometimes using images of young female support staff employees to pose as minor children or sex workers to lure sexual predators on different social media websites.

It further noted that law enforcement agencies often send their employees to do undercover operations to catch criminals. However, in this case, the women who appeared in the images were not authorized to participate in undercover operations.

The report added that the FBI agents who posted the photos also did not get written permission or even notified their supervisors before doing the postings. 

The report said the non-authorization action most likely happened because there was no policy that required the agents to get approval before such action occur.

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FBI Used Provocative Photos of Female Office Staff

Based on the report, the women were clothed in the photographs, their faces were blurred, and there was no indication that they did not know that their photos would be posted online.

However, the watchdog emphasized that the photos could still be circulating, and the women were now at risk of becoming victims of crimes.

The watchdog further noted that they uncovered the said practice while looking into the file of an FBI agent who allegedly had an "inappropriate relationship" with a female coworker.

The FBI agent who was being investigated asked her female coworker to send "provocative photos" to be used in an online sex trafficking sting. 

The agent asked his coworker, even though she was an office staffer and not part of the law enforcement agent who had the authorization to take part in an undercover operation.

Not in the FBI's Books

The FBI apparently did not have a policy regarding the use of photos of non-undercover employees in operations like these. There was no requirement on the agency's books that stated that employees in this situation should be notified if their photos were used, which websites they were posted on, and how long they will be posted.

The watchdog then recommended that the FBI establish a policy in getting consent and advised managers if an incident like this happens in the future.

In response to this, a top FBI official said the bureau "fully accepts" the recommendation and they would teach the new rules to staffers involved in undercover operations.

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: FBI Used Photos of Women Staffers in Sex Trafficking Investigations - From Top News