U.S. Marshals Service director Stacia Hylton is resigning amid allegations of misconduct in the agency’s senior ranks, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) said today. Grassley said that the U.S. Justice Department had referred whistleblower claims to the department’s Inspector General for further investigation, and the Office of Special Counsel is pursuing separate inquiries of charges of retaliation against whistleblowers.
Grassley said that, “As the Marshals Service moves forward, the next director must be committed to bringing real, positive change to what appears to be a culture corroded by unethical hiring practices, misuse of funds and retaliation against whistleblowers.” The senator said he had been investigating claims by dozens of whistleblowers across several divisions of the Marshals Service, ranging from what he called hiring quid pro quos involving Hylton to misuse of funds to nepotism. Whistleblowers alleged that the agency’s asset forfeiture fund had been used for “extravagant office furnishings.”