Obama Secret Service agent found dead in apparent suicide

PanARMENIAN.Net - A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to President Barack Obama's protective detail has been found dead in an apparent suicide after coming under investigation for misconduct, The Guardian reports.

Rafael Prieto had been undergoing administrative proceedings for having an unreported romantic relationship with a foreign national, a law enforcement source said.

Max Milien, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the agent's death was being investigated by the District of Columbia police. "Rafael Prieto has a distinguished 20-year career with the Secret Service that was marked by accomplishment, dedication, friendships and the Secret Service is mourning a valued colleague," Milien said.

Prieto had not been under investigation for compromising sensitive or classified information, but because his relationship may have violated Secret Service rules, the source said.

Gwendolyn Crump, a spokeswoman for the DC Metropolitan police department, would not provide details about an ongoing investigation.

The Secret Service prides itself in unobtrusively protecting the president and vice-president but has found itself under unaccustomed public scrutiny in recent months.

Secret Service employees were accused of bringing women, some of them prostitutes, back to their hotel rooms in Colombia in April during a trip to prepare for a visit by the president. The agency said later that nine personnel were found to have been involved in serious misconduct.

A government investigation concluded their actions did not compromise the president's safety but the event was an embarrassment for the Secret Service and its director issued a stricter code of conduct afterwards.

In October a Secret Service officer was arrested for being unconscious on a Miama street corner a day after a visit by Obama. The officer was part of the Secret Service's support group, not a personal guard.