Ex-Homeland Security agent told sexual assault victims he was ‘untouchable,’ feds say

A former special agent for the Department of Homeland Security whose sexual assault victims thought he was “invincible” has been sentenced to life in prison, federal officials reported.

John Jacob Olivas, 48, of Riverside, engaged in “systematic torture of women,” a judge said Monday, May 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Central California announced in a news release.

A jury convicted Olivas in December 2022 on three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, the release said.

Olivas sexually assaulted two women in 2012 and used his position at the time to threaten them to remain silent, prosecutors said. He left the department in 2015.

He told one of the women he was “above a cop,” “untouchable” and “invisible,” the release said. A second woman he attacked twice believed he was “invincible” because of his position.

“Olivas is a sexual predator who willfully abused his power as a federal agent to torment his victims, causing them physical, emotional, and psychological pain,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in the release.

The FBI and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Professional Responsibility investigated the case.

This story was originally published May 9, 2023 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Ex-Homeland Security agent told sexual assault victims he was ‘untouchable,’ feds say."