Homeland security agent says he’s ‘untouchable’ after sexually assaulting women, feds say

A federal special agent sexually assaulted two women and tried to use his status to intimidate them into silence, according to federal prosecutors.

John Jacob Olivas, 48, who worked with Homeland Security Investigations, was found guilty Dec. 21 of three counts of “deprivation of rights under color of law” in connection with the sexual assaults, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The statute covers acts done by federal, state or local officials including sexual assault and “threatened use of a dangerous weapon.”

Olivas, who was employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2007 to 2015, tried to rape a woman in January 2012, authorities said. He told the woman that if she tried to report it, police would not respond because he was “above a cop” and “untouchable,” the woman said during trial testimony, according to the release.

He also said his position as a federal agent made him “invisible” to the police, according to the Attorney’s Office.

He threatened the woman and told her “he could make her ‘disappear,’ have her children taken from her, and get her arrested on fake criminal charges,” she testified, according to the release.

Olivas raped a second victim twice in 2012 — once in September and again in November — both times telling her that she should not bother reporting him because police would not respond, the release says. When he raped her in September 2012, he pointed his service weapon into her back, according to authorities.

A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in statement that all employees of the agency “are held to the highest standard of professional and ethical conduct.”

“ICE takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously and ensures they are appropriately investigated,” the statement says. “Any employee, regardless of rank or seniority, who has committed provable misconduct, will be held accountable. Where necessary, ICE works with federal and/or state and local law enforcement to help investigate allegations, and per agency protocol, the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) also review allegations.”

Olivas’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

“Both victims endured Olivas’s ‘violent, escalating, controlling, and intimidating behavior, which included his repeated brandishing of (Homeland Security Investigations) credentials to [them] and asserting that he was above the law,’” the release says.

Olivas is accused of assaulting the women in Riverside County, California, and “elsewhere,” according to an indictment.

Olivas is scheduled for a sentencing hearing March 11, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Homeland Security Investigations is responsible for investigating “transnational crime and threats” related to international trade, travel and finance, according to the agency. It consists of about 10,400 employees, including 6,800 special agents. Agents investigate crimes such as terrorism, national security threats, narcotics smuggling, human trafficking and more, according to the agency.

This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Homeland security agent says he’s ‘untouchable’ after sexually assaulting women, feds say."