This is a rather horrifying story: an IRS agent has been charged with rape, assault, and battery with a deadly weapon. The agent, James Clarke, allegedly put his firearm in a 21-year-old intern’s mouth, handcuffed her, and then raped her last July. This awful incident occurred in Boston, Massachusetts (via Boston Globe):
An Internal Revenue Service agent got a 21-year-old intern drunk last July and then allegedly handcuffed her in his government-issued car in Boston before shoving “his service weapon deep into her mouth” and raping her, a Suffolk prosecutor said Thursday.
The allegations were made during the arraignment of James R. Clarke, 44, in Suffolk Superior Court. He pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated rape, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and indecent assault and battery.
The agent — who was assigned to the IRS criminal investigations office in Boston at the time of the incident — was released on personal recognizance after a magistrate rejected a prosecution request that bail be set at $10,000 cash.
[…]
…the magistrate agreed to release Clarke without bail, citing factors including his repeated interviews with investigators and his compliance with the summons to appear for arraignment.
Clarke was ordered to stay away from the intern and any civilian witness and remain in Massachusetts while the case is pending.
Clarke’s lawyer said the acts were consensual, while Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum said the IRS agent gave his intern enough drinks to get her drunk before attacking her. He requested bail set at $10,000, noting that one of the charges carries a ten-year jail sentence.
Clarke is due back in court on May 9 for a pretrial conference, the Globe reported. The IRS refused to comment on the employment status of Clarke:
“The IRS cannot comment on specifics involving these serious and disturbing allegations.The IRS holds our employees to high standards, and we do not tolerate inappropriate behavior. The IRS treats allegations of employee misconduct seriously, and we work cooperatively with local law-enforcement authorities and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration whenever questions arise. Although we are prohibited from commenting on specific employee personnel matters, the IRS thoroughly considers all the relevant facts involved in all instances of alleged misconduct and, if substantiated, takes appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including removal.”