Two more FEMA employees fired after probe finds sexting and porn use on government devices

Two additional employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were terminated after an internal Department of Homeland Security insider-threat investigation found they used government-issued devices and networks to engage in sexually explicit communications and to upload pornographic material, DHS officials announced Monday.

The DHS Insider Threat Program (ITP) concluded the workers used official systems for sexually explicit behavior while on duty, a finding that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called a "clear national security risk." Noem said the employees had access to highly sensitive systems and that their conduct — which included sexting strangers, including foreign nationals, on encrypted government devices — was unacceptable and led to immediate termination.

Investigators reviewed message logs showing that one of the fired employees carried on multiple sexually explicit conversations with a Filipino national via Facebook Messenger while connected to the FEMA network. In one exchange cited by DHS, the employee wrote, "I saw your post on a Philippine dating group here, so I messaged you," and later referenced "Manila, Philippines" and plans to visit "in November or December." An August 28 message in the same review included, "but I can't bring my phone inside my workplace, so I leave it in the car. Only chat here on FB Messenger while I'm working," and sexualized comments such as "I wish you were here sitting in my lap while I work."

The second employee used an official government workstation to access an adult website, engage in graphic communications and upload an image of male genitalia to a platform, according to the ITP review. DHS documents identified that employee as an Environmental Protection Specialist in FEMA's Environmental Historic Preservation office in Alabama and said the image was uploaded from a file labeled "work memes." The uploads occurred between Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, the documents show.

Monday's terminations follow a separate ITP Operations Center (ITOC) action last week that led to the firing of two other FEMA employees who allegedly used government-issued devices to consume what investigators described as "deviant pornography." Those two employees were stationed at the isolated Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia, a facility that focuses on response planning for major national emergencies, including terrorism and nuclear contingencies.

In that earlier action, ITOC flagged one Mount Weather staffer for consuming material investigators characterized as involving bestiality and racially charged sexual content, and for other concerning behavior including repeated use of a chatbot to synthesize audio. The other employee reportedly logged onto the Reddit forum hundreds of times in a 30-day span and shared sexually graphic videos and photos, some of which were described in investigative notes as racially charged.

"This behavior and misuse of government resources is absolutely disgusting," Noem said Monday. "The revolting actions of these employees, now the second group to be caught at FEMA engaged in such acts, represents a clear national security risk. These employees, who had access to highly sensitive systems, spent their duty hours sexting strangers, including foreign nationals, on encrypted government devices. Such conduct is unacceptable, and these employees have been terminated."

The internal review also reported broader concerns about workforce habits: investigators found that as many as 47 percent of FEMA employees regularly use social media platforms that can contain openly accessible explicit content, a figure cited by DHS in outlining perceived vulnerabilities.

The personnel actions come amid heightened scrutiny of FEMA's performance in recent disaster responses. A separate report cited by news outlets found that thousands of calls to FEMA's disaster assistance line went unanswered in the days after widespread flooding in Texas in July; the report said nearly two-thirds of calls to the assistance line went unanswered in the two days after the floods, which killed more than 100 people. Documents reviewed by reporters indicated that hundreds of call-center contractors were not extended after contracts lapsed on July 5.

FEMA's handling of high-profile disasters has prompted debate at the federal level about the agency's structure and role. President Donald Trump, shortly after returning to office for a second term, said he was considering changes to the agency's mission and suggested a greater role for state governments in managing disasters, remarks that followed criticism of FEMA's response to recent wildfires and hurricanes.

DHS said the ITP and ITOC will continue monitoring insider threats and that the agency is taking steps to address misuse of government systems and restore public confidence in FEMA's ability to safeguard sensitive information. No additional personnel names were released by DHS.

The agency did not immediately provide details on any broader disciplinary measures, changes to device or network monitoring, or whether the incidents prompted new policy steps. Lawmakers and outside watchdogs have signaled interest in the findings as part of larger oversight of FEMA operations and personnel security.