The conduct of 11 Secret Service agents and five military service members at the Hotel Caribe in Cartagena, Colombia is being investigated by congressional and military investigators, ABC News is reporting. The agents and service members, who were on a security detail at the hotel before President Obama’s visit, are accused of cavorting with prostitutes and drinking excessively.

Adult prostitution is legal in designated tolerance zones in Colombia. So the investigation will focus more on whether Secret Service and military protocols were violated than the moral or legal aspects of the alleged behavior.

The Secret Service members were interviewed yesterday in Washington. They have been placed on administrative leave until it’s determined if the allegations are true. If they are, the members could face reprimands, or even be fired.

The five other men, who are part of the Defense Department and were assigned to assist the Secret Service, will return to the U.S. for questioning at the end of their mission. Also investigating the allegations is the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the Secret Service.

Local authorities first became aware of the alleged misbehavior after a heated argument arose between at least one of the alleged prostitutes and at least one the Secret Service agents. One of the women believed to have stayed in one of the hotel rooms of the agents refused to leave until she was paid for her services.

Hotel authorities then became involved to see who signed in the female guests. After hotel authorities checked the identification of the guests, the names of the agents and special operations soldiers were then given to the U.S. military official on the ground.

Written by: Karen Benardello

Secret Service Scandal Hotel Caribe

By Karen Benardello

As a graduate of LIU Post with a B.F.A in Journalism, Print and Electronic, Karen Benardello serves as ShockYa's Senior Movies & Television Editor. Her duties include interviewing filmmakers and musicians, and scribing movie, television and music reviews and news articles. As a New York City-area based journalist, she's a member of the guilds, New York Film Critics Online and the Women Film Critics Circle.

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