Top Border Patrol official resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct: report

A 20-year U.S. Customs and Border Protection official resigned last fall amid allegations of sexual misconduct against multiple women who worked with him, according to a new report from NBC News.

The agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility is now reportedly investigating Tony Barker, the former acting chief of Border Patrol’s law enforcement operations directorate, for his behavior toward the women, which allegedly included threatening one female employee in order to obtain sexual favors.

NBC News reported a woman who worked under Barker alleged that the Border Patrol official made the threats in retaliation against her when she tried to end their consensual relationship.

Other women are said to have come forward with similar stories after the first allegation was made.

Barker denied all the allegations in a statement to NBC, calling them “entirely and unequivocally false,” but stepped down from his post in October and is now looking for “other opportunities.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to The Hill that Barker was no longer a Border Patrol employee as of October, but declined to comment on the details of the case, citing federal privacy laws.

“We do not tolerate misconduct within our ranks. When we discover any alleged or potential misconduct, we immediately refer it for investigation and cooperate fully with any criminal or administrative investigations. This is the case whether the alleged misconduct occurs on or off duty,” a spokesperson said.

–Updated on Jan. 23 at 2:43 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.