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<\/div>\nAn FBI field office director in upstate New York sexually harassed eight female subordinates and asked one to have sex with him in a conference room, according to a report.<\/p>\n
James Hendricks, who led the FBI\u2019s field office in Albany in 2018, supervised more than 200 agents and other FBI employees \u2014 but colleagues allege he was a \u201cskilled predator\u201d who leered at female workers and touched them inappropriately, according to 52-page Office of Inspector General report obtained Monday by the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
Hendricks\u2019 name was blacked out in the report, but law enforcement sources familiar with his case identified him as the now-retired FBI boss detailed in the report obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n
The alleged sexual harassment dated back to Hendricks\u2019 time at FBI headquarters, where he served as a section chief in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, according to the report.<\/p>\n
Six of Hendricks\u2019 accusers were in Albany, while two others said they were harassed by him in Washington. Some colleagues said he was routinely inappropriate around female co-workers, becoming \u201csuper giddy\u201d in their presence and being \u201cincapable of stopping himself,\u201d according to the federal report.<\/p>\n
One woman even carried a ruler at FBI headquarters so she could smack Hendricks\u2019 hands away when he groped her legs and breasts, it was claimed.<\/p>\n A second accuser said Hendricks tugged on her ear and kissed her cheek while at a closed-door meeting, according to the OIG, which serves as the Justice\u2019s Department internal watchdog.<\/p>\n Hendricks, who joined the FBI in 1998, was among several senior bureau officials who avoided discipline and retired with full benefits last year despite sexual misconduct claims against them being substantiated, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n One woman accused Hendricks of pressuring her into a sexual relationship, claiming he had been known to \u201cpush out\u201d those who crossed him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was in a powerful position, and she worried about what he would do if she did not respond to his advances,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n Hendricks also asked a female subordinate to sit in the passenger seat of a car so he could \u201cplay with that beautiful hair,\u201d according to the report. The woman said she didn\u2019t report the FBI official because her work required his approval and she \u201cwanted to be successful in the office,\u201d OIG investigators said.<\/p>\n Hendricks, 50, now writes a law enforcement blog and did not respond to messages seeking comment, the Associated Press reported. He previously told federal investigators his accusers had misinterpreted or exaggerated his behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an ugly, ugly laundry list of things that were said, and that\u2019s really hurtful to me and it really just disappoints me,\u201d Hendricks reportedly told investigators.<\/p>\n FBI officials, meanwhile, declined to discuss Hendricks\u2019 case, but said the bureau has a zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy and fosters a work environment where all employees are \u201cvalued, protected and respected.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"FBI](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hendricks-fbi-84.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=300)
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