A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been charged after being accused of ordering women to show him their breasts during the admissions process to enter the country, federal authorities said.
Shane Millan, 53, was charged with four misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, federal prosecutors in the Northern District of New York announced Thursday in a news release. He willfully deprived four different women of their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches, the prosecutors said.
During virtual processing concerning their admission into the U.S., Millan told three women to “expose their bare chests” to him over webcam and a fourth woman to unveil her breasts to him while her bra remained on, according to the prosecutors.
Millan made the demands “for his own gratification” and lied to the women by saying he was conducting legitimate searches, prosecutors said.
After being arraigned Thursday in Syracuse, Millan was released pending a trial.
USA TODAY contacted Millan’s defense attorney with the Federal Public Defender’s office on Friday but has not received a response.
USA TODAY also reached out to the Border Patrol to find out whether Millan remains employed but had not yet heard back as of Friday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Border Patrol agent told women they had to show their breasts: Feds