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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Ex-CIA Agent Blames PTSD for Sex Abuse

(CN) - A former CIA high flier convicted of drugging and sexually abusing a Muslim woman in Algeria sued the agency for not treating his PTSD, a condition he blames for his conduct.

In a complaint filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Andrew Warren claims the Central Intelligence Agency failed to get him treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and disclosed his name to the public without authorization, exposing him to numerous threats.

Warren, once a "rising star" in the CIA, worked as a high-level official for the U.S. Embassy in Algeria from 2007 to 2008, according to court records.

During his time in Algeria, he met a married Muslim woman, invited her to his house and served her alcoholic drinks mixed with prescription drugs.While she was semi-conscious, Warren moved the woman to his bed, removed her clothes and had sexual contact with her, but not intercourse.

Several months later, when the woman reported Warren to an official at the embassy, special agents searched Warren's home and found child pornography, Valium, Xanax and a handbook on the investigation of sexual assaults.

Agents also discovered that Warren had abused another Muslim woman in the same way, but she was too afraid to report Warren's conduct.

The CIA fired him in 2009 and he was indicted on one court of sexual abuse.

A judge issued a warrant for Warren's arrest when he missed a hearing, and police found him in a Norfolk, Va., hotel, under the influence of drugs and carrying a fully loaded semi-automatic Glock pistol. He resisted arrest and had to be subdued with a Taser.

Warren ultimately pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Under the sentencing guidelines, Warren faced 27 to 33 months in prison, but the court applied an upward variance and sentenced him to 65 months in prison.

A judge noted that Warren had "served this country well," but "there has to be a clear message that people should not abuse others in other cultures who may not be in a position to come forward and speak for themselves."

In his appeal, Warren argued that he suffers from PTSD as well as substance-abuse issues, and should be treated at a private facility rather than serving a long sentence.

The D.C. Circuit rejected that line of reasoning in 2012.

"While a PTSD diagnosis may mitigate criminal conduct that occurs spontaneously or unexpectedly - for example, Warren's resisting arrest - his conviction resulted from conduct, especially drugging his victim, that was planned and deliberate," Judge Karen Henderson wrote.

Warren's newly-filed complaint retreads the same argument in a civil suit.

"Mr. Warren had several medical exams while with the agency, prior to being deployed to any region overseas. At each of the exams, Mr. Warren informed the examining physician that he was suffering from symptoms indicative of PTSD," the complaint states. "However, not one physician with the agency ever followed-up on Mr. Warren's concerns or suggested that he was suffering from PTSD. As a result, Mr. Warren was forced to endure his symptoms while being stationed in dangerous locations around the world, including areas with active combat."

Warren claims that his PTSD developed as early as 2001 and continues to this day.

"Timely treatment would have likely prevented Mr. Warren's subsequent legal issues and fall from grace," his lawsuit states.

Warren also claims he has additional cause to fear for his safety ever since CIA Director Leon Panetta, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, confirmed his affiliation with the agency after his criminal charges.

Warren seeks $4 million. He is represented by Mark David Hunter with Hunter Taubman Fischer LLC in Coral Gables, Fla.

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