- At least one of the agents is reported to have been found cavorting with Colombian prostitutes
- Several of the 12 men sent home are married
- The misconduct is believed to have occurred before the President’s arrival in Colombia for the Summit of Americas
- Hotel employee claimed that the men were drinking heavily prior to the incident
The Secret Service was alerted after one of the prostitutes complained to police that she had not been paid by one of the agents.
Men in black: U.S. President Barack Obama walks to greet well-wishers, with Secret Service agents at his side, in Tampa, Florida
U.S. President Barack Obama (centre) arriving for a dinner offered by Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos (left), his wife Maria Clemencia Rodriguez (second from left) and Colombian Chancellor, Maria Angela Holguin (right)Mr Obama flew into Cartagena on Friday to join more than 30 other world leaders at a conference on trade and economic policy.
The agents had arrived in Colombia earlier in the week to check security.
An employee at the Hotel Caribe claimed that the men had been drinking heavily before the alleged incident.
The Secret Service did not reveal whether the disgraced agents have been suspended.
The episode came to light after Secret Service insiders leaked details of the scandal to Washington investigative reporter Ron Kessler.
Mr Kessler said: ‘Prostitution is legal in Colombia and so the woman filed a complaint with the police. They complained to the U.S. State Department who complained to the Secret Service, who informed the White House and the 12 were removed and replaced.
Barack Obama arrives to Rafael Nunez airport in Cartagena, Colombia, today where 12 of his secret service agents were sent home from for misconduct with prostitutes
Arrival: Mr Obama is met by a Colombian marching band as he disembarks from Air Force One
President Barack Obama (blue shirt) surrounded by Secret Service agents during a visit to the Port of Tampa, Florida on his way to the Summit of the Americas in Colombia
‘The Secret Service had hoped to keep it quiet, but I was contacted by sources who are concerned that this is part of a pattern of rules not being adhered to or enforced.’
Several of the agents are married, according to Mr Kessler, a former reporter for The Washington Post and author of the book In The President’s Secret Service: Behind The Scenes With Agents In The Line Of Fire.
‘Any breach like this can open the door to an assassination attempt on the President,’ he said. ‘The fact that some of the agents are married could make them subject to blackmail by terrorists who need access to a secure area.’
Concerns surrounding the President’s security during the visit to Colombia mounted when two bombs exploded in Cartagena and two more in the capital Bogota on the day he arrived. No casualties or injuries were reported.
Security: Police patrol the waters surrounding the convention centre in Cartagena where the Summit is held
Greeting: Mr Obama shakes hands with Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos at the start of the summitA spokesman for the Secret Service, Edwin Donovan, refused to disclose details of the charges against the agents, but the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association said that at least one member of the President’s security detail had been accused of involvement in the scandal.
Mr Donovan said the allegations would be investigated by the agency’s internal affairs unit.
Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, described the charges as ‘very serious’, adding that the agency ‘needs to properly investigate and fairly ascertain the merits of the allegations’.
Recruitment standards for the agency are ‘tough on paper’, a Washington insider told The Mail on Sunday.
‘Agents must be between 21 and 37 years old, but a few particularly good veterans are allowed to stay on the detail into their mid-40s,’ he said. ‘The Secret Service prefers members of the presidential detail to be married because that is believed to make them “quieter” and more understanding of the President’s domestic needs.’
At least 20 agents surround the President whenever he leaves the White House and the expert said that twice that number are believed to have been dispatched to Colombia for advance arrangements.
As expert marksmen, their suits are tailored to hide SIG Sauer P229 handguns and they also are equipped with Remington 870 shotguns as well as Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns.
Their starting pay is about £60,000 a year, but with overtime and special allowances they can make twice that amount.
‘Their training includes a lecture on the John F Kennedy assassination and the dangers of drinking before any job,’ said the insider.
A senior Latin American diplomat said he was informed by his nation’s delegation at the Colombian summit that several agents ‘went as a group looking for sex’.
He said that after one of the women had complained, ‘the police confronted the secret agents and got nowhere’.
He added: ‘The matter was then referred to Colombian foreign ministry officials who in turn spoke with their US Department of State counterparts. They then confronted the Secret Service and demanded the group of agents involved leave before President Obama arrived’.
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