'Disturbing': ICE's own background check investigator busted in sex sting

A federal contractor who conducted background checks for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other government agencies was arrested last week during a prostitution sting in a suburb about 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said Tuesday that Brashad Johnson, 36, of Maple Grove, was among 30 men arrested during an undercover operation targeting individuals seeking to pay for sex, according to Minneapolis TV station KSTP. Johnson is a Department of Defense contractor who performed background investigations for ICE, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies.

“This is the most disturbing arrest that we’ve had here,” Hodges said during a Tuesday news conference, the station reported. “He is a backgrounder for ICE, Homeland Security and federal agencies. So when you’re getting your security clearance, this is one of the guys that does your backgrounds, which is kind of scary.”

The operation, dubbed “Operation Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places,” resulted in a department record for arrests in a single sting, Hodges said. Johnson’s arrest comes less than three months after an ICE agent was arrested in Bloomington on suspicion of soliciting sex from a minor, KSTP said.

The arrests come as President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown continues to target Minneapolis. The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.