Two Federal Emergency Management Agency employees were fired after an internal Department of Homeland Security probe found they engaged in sexually explicit conduct on government-issued devices, including hours of sexting with strangers and accessing pornography while on duty, DHS said Monday.
In a post on X, DHS’ Insider Threat Program said the workers used official equipment to carry out the conduct “at some of our government’s most classified facilities” and that the employees “had access to highly sensitive systems.” The agency said the conduct was unacceptable and that the individuals have been terminated.
One of the terminated employees worked in FEMA’s information technology services division and held a top-secret security clearance, according to reporting by the Daily Caller. That employee allegedly used Facebook Messenger to exchange multiple sexually explicit messages last month with a person believed to be in the Philippines, the outlet reported. Some messages cited by the Daily Caller said the worker could not bring a personal phone inside the workplace and described intimate scenarios while on duty.
The second fired employee, identified by the Daily Caller as an environmental protection specialist based in Alabama, repeatedly accessed a pornography site on FEMA’s unclassified network and engaged in explicit chats with multiple people. During one conversation, the worker reportedly shared a pornographic image uploaded from a computer file labeled “work memes,” the outlet said.
DHS said the actions came to light through its Insider Threat Program, which monitors for activities that could pose security risks to facilities, networks and classified information. The agency did not provide the names of the employees, the precise facilities involved or whether any classified information was accessed or compromised.
Last week, DHS announced the firing of two other employees after a probe found they had consumed what the department called “deviant pornography” on the clock, including bestiality and racially charged material. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said those individuals “had access to critical information and intelligence and were entrusted to safeguard Americans from emergencies—and instead they were consuming pornography.”
DHS did not immediately respond to requests for further comment Monday about whether the recent terminations will prompt additional reviews of access controls, clearance status or personnel policies at FEMA. The agency’s statements stressed that personnel entrusted with access to sensitive systems must adhere to conduct standards intended to protect national security and maintain public trust.
The incidents underscore ongoing concerns within federal agencies about insider threats and appropriate use of government devices and networks. Federal policy generally restricts personal use of government systems and subjects users with security clearances to additional scrutiny, though the specific procedures and monitoring protocols vary by department and program.
FEMA provides disaster response and recovery support for disasters nationwide and relies on personnel with a range of clearances and technical access to coordinate operations. DHS officials said the termination decisions followed the internal investigations, and the department will continue to monitor and act on insider threat indicators as part of its broader security posture.
