FBI Reportedly Is Lowering Hiring Standards and Allowing Hiring of Sex Buyers
On August 28, 2026, it was widely reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had circulated an internal memorandum to those responsible for hiring new recruits. The memo reportedly relaxes certain eligibility requirements, including eliminating its longstanding automatic disqualification of those who have purchased sex. This criminal behavior along with a list of other illegal acts has long been a barrier to becoming an FBI agent “not simply because it invites extortion, blackmail, and leaks of sensitive or classified information, but also because it undermines the Department's efforts to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking. If reports about the content of this policy change are accurate, we at Street Grace strongly object, and urge the FBI to revert to its previous disqualifications for these crimes.
Street Grace believes that this policy change undermines efforts to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking.
“All sex trafficking markets for both adult and child victims are driven by consumers of commercial sex,” said Bob Rodgers, President and CEO of Street Grace. “Every dollar that motivates criminal networks to sexually exploit their victims originates from the pockets of sex buyers. It is imperative that government laws and policies consistently and vigorously reinforce the message that purchasing sex is a serious offense and will not be tolerated.”
Removing it from the list of automatically-disqualifying behaviors for applicants sends precisely the wrong message, signaling that paying to sexually exploit others is not considered by the FBI to be an offense serious enough to be incompatible with the privilege of obtaining positions entrusted with upholding American laws and values.
The policy that is being modified has been in place for more than 11 years. In April, 2015, a memorandum from Attorney General Eric Holder to all U.S. Department of Justice personnel stated in clear terms that all Department personnel, including attorneys and law enforcement officers (emphasis added):
“…are prohibited from soliciting, procuring, or accepting commercial sex. This rule applies at all times during an individual's employment, including while off duty or on personal leave, and applies regardless of whether the activity is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, foreign or domestic.”
The memo said that employees who violate this rule would be suspended or terminated, and supervisors and managers who fail to report suspected violations would be subject to discipline.
While the memo referred to actions occurring while employed by the USDOJ, it was understood within the Department that the same prohibitions also applied to the background of those seeking to be hired.
The original justification for declaring sex buyers as ineligible for USDOJ employment is just as applicable today as it was a decade ago, and is well-stated in the 2015 Attorney General’s memo (emphasis added):
“The Department of Justice is measured by the conduct of those who work on its behalf. The solicitation of prostitution threatens the core mission of the Department, not simply because it invites extortion, blackmail, and leaks of sensitive or classified information, but also because it undermines the Department's efforts to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking. Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, soliciting [prostitution] creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery.”
According to current reports, this past June the FBI announced to staff who are vetting potential recruits that paying for sex was no longer an automatic disqualification for a job applicant. Applicants who paid for sex could remain eligible if they did so fewer than three times, and if the conduct occurred more than 10 years previously. Apparently, the change was part of a broader relaxation of criteria initiated in response to the FBI’s difficulty in hiring new recruits and retaining current employees.
We urge the FBI to take every opportunity to reinforce its commitment to ending sex trafficking by eliminating the revenue stream supplied by sex buyers. We believe that maintaining its longstanding commitment to disqualify sex buyers when making hiring decisions is consistent with that commitment, while relaxing this prohibition undermines efforts to abolish sexual exploitation.
Additional sources:
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-prostitution-recruitment-95e69779e41bd8f1bbc59d402a40222b
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-candidates-prostitutes-theft/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/29/fbi-apllicants-sex-workers
https://fakti.bg/en/amp/world/1077641-fbi-no-longer-treats-using-prostitutes-as-automatic-hiring-bar