Yvonne Bonner, who formerly worked in internal affairs in the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, has been in charge in Boston since December 2006. She was allegedly doing a favor to Joseph Band, a longtime U.S. Justice Department employee who has done work for Fox, the Boston Globe reported.

Bonner confirmed there is an investigation, the newspaper said.

The deputies allegedly drove Fox broadcasters Tim McCarver and Joe Buck to Fenway Park for both home games in last October's series between the Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies, and then watched the game from the broadcast booth. The Inspector General's Office is trying to determine whether the deputies used the blue lights on their unmarked cars to get through heavy traffic around the stadium.

Nancy McGillivray, a former U.S. marshal in Boston, said ordering law enforcement officers to provide taxi service would be "inappropriate" if that is what happened.

"They are professionally trained to do law enforcement work," she said. "It's demeaning to have them involved in anything that doesn't have the government's interests at heart."