Secret Service investigator linked to prostitution

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- An official who investigated the U.S. Secret Service prostitution scandal in 2012 resigned his position in August after being questioned about hiring a prostitute himself.

Current and former U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials said David Nieland, the investigator, quietly resigned after he was implicated in a Broward County, Fla., prostitution investigation, The New York Times reported. A prostitute identified Nieland's photograph, saying he had paid her for sex, the Times reported.

Nieland resigned after declining to answer questions pertaining to the incident asked by the DHS inspector general.

DHS spokesman William Hillburg said department officials "became aware in early May of this year of an incident in Florida that involved one of our employees. While the law prohibits us from commenting on specific cases, we do not tolerate misconduct on the part of our employees and take such allegations very seriously."

Nieland was the head of the Miami office of the DHS when he was assigned to investigate the Secret Service after a 2012 scandal in Colombia. Thirteen agents, preparing for the arrival of President Barack Obama for an international summit, returned to the United States after they were accused of patronizing prostitutes. Eight were later fired.

Nieland denied the allegation against him. He has not been charged by federal or local authorities.