Leading officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection knew of an alleged sexual assault involving a female trainee and multiple male colleagues and superiors, but took no action for years, the former head of internal affairs told Newsweek.
James Tomsheck, the former head of internal affairs for Customs and Border Protection from 2006 to 2014, said that he was horrified to read the report describing a “disgusting sexual predator event,” that was called the “game of smiles,” at a graduation party in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 2000s. Despite an internal investigation that found that the alleged incident did happen, the probe “laid dormant for several months that became years,” following the attacks on September 11.
"I was extremely disturbed by both the findings of the investigation and the lack of action on the part of Border Patrol managers, senior leadership, to hold accountable those responsible for those gross acts that occurred," Tomsheck said.
He added that he only found out about the case after it was closed because the victim no longer wanted to cooperate.
"The conflict I faced was respecting the privacy of the victim, who in the final report she had clearly indicated she wanted no further involvement with the incident. She stated within the investigation that she did not want to cooperate any further," he said, adding that the investigation should have continued without her involvement.
"That report was the first indicator that I became aware of sexual misconduct problems within the ranks of Border Patrol," Tomsheck said. "Over the course of the next eight years, I came to understand that this was a very disturbing pattern and practice of abuse that existed within the ranks of the Border Patrol and appeared to be part of the Border Patrol culture."
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