FBI isn't the only federal agency going undercover; investigators pose as lawyers, SCOTUS protesters
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Undercover work by at least 40 federal agencies has proliferated to such as extent that sometimes undercover agents end up investigating a person who, it turns out, is working undercover for a different agency.
In a couple instances, undercover agents have even drawn their guns on each other before figuring out they are both working for the feds, the New York Times reports.
Undercover officers at the U.S. Supreme Court pose as protesters during demonstrations near the court, the story says. The Internal Revenue Service allows undercover workers, with prior approval, to pose as lawyers, as well as doctors and members of the clergy or news media. The IRS said in a statement, however, that its officials are unaware of investigations where undercover agents posed as such professionals with the aim of gaining privileged information.
The newspaper provided several other examples of undercover work, such as Medicare investigators posing as patients, and investigators posing as minors in an effort to root out illegal alcohol and cigarette sales at convenience stores. Agencies using undercover agents include NASA, the Small Business Administration , and the Department of Agriculture.
The Justice Department issued new guidelines last year in response to the botched gunrunning probe known as Operation Fast and Furious. Prosecutors using undercover operatives have to consider several factors, including the necessity of the operation, whether it has a “clearly defined” goal, and whether it targets “significant criminal actors or entities.”
The guidelines apply only to federal agencies that report to the Justice Department.
The exact numbers of undercover agents is unknown, the story says. Even the U.S. Justice Department says its officials don’t know exactly how many agents are working undercover.
