Wednesday 21 September 2022 10:47 PM FBI agent accused of protecting Hunter Biden from laptop probe was previously ... trends now
FBI agent Timothy Thibault resigned from the bureau in August amid claims he allowed his political bias to influence the Hunter Biden laptop investigation
The former FBI special agent who allegedly suppressed negative information about Hunter Biden was also accused of flirting with a witness and concealing her sexual relationship with one of his agents when he was the lead investigator in a high-profile political corruption case that ended a congressman's career.
Today, Timothy Thibault, 55, is at the center of an escalating scandal after whistleblowers accused him of improper conduct during the investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop after it was dropped off at a computer repair store in Delaware.
As one of 13 special agents tasked with investigating the computer contents, Thibault is alleged to have miscategorized damaging evidence as 'disinformation' and attempted to 'close a stream' of derogatory information in the lead up to the 2020 elections.
Now, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that this is not the first time Thibault's professional conduct has been called into serious question.
In 2009, he was accused of an 'utter failure' to maintain appropriate boundaries in an investigation and his behavior was considered so egregious that defense attorneys in a landmark corruption case used it as grounds to push for a new trial.
DailyMail.com can now reveal Thibault was previously accused of misconduct when he was the lead investigator in the 2009 corruption case involving Louisiana Democratic Congressman William Jefferson (pictured) who was ultimately convicted
Jefferson's defense team accused Thibault of failing to disclose the fact that Special Agent John Guandolo (pictured) was having a sexual relationship with a government witness involved in the case
According to documents, Guandolo – who later resigned – was having a sexual relationship with cooperating witness Lori Mody, who Thibault was also accused of 'flirting' with during the investigation
Thibault was the lead agent in an investigation that led to Louisiana Democratic Congressman William Jefferson being charged on 16 counts of federal bribery and corruption. He was ultimately found guilty of 11 and sentenced to 13 years in federal prison. He ended up serving a little over five and a half years.
According to formerly sealed court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Jefferson's defense team was not informed that one of Thibault's agents was having a sexual relationship with a cooperating witness until three weeks after the trial started, even though the agency was 'on notice' of the matter for 18 months.
Thibault and the government informed the court that Special Agent John Guandolo was having an affair with witness Lori Mody on June 8, 2009. The trial began June 9.
Guandolo was posing as Mody's driver and security while she undertook covert recordings of conversations with the congressman.
Thibault claimed that he had only learned of the relationship three days earlier on June 5.
Yet according to the court filings, Guandolo resigned from the FBI in December 2008 and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding that resignation was ongoing.
In their motion for a new trial the defense points out: 'Prior to Guandolo's resignation, the FBI was in possession of a document indicating that Guandolo 'had had an intimate relationship with a confidential source that he thought could damage an investigation.'
In addition, the document notes: 'The record of Agent Thibault's interactions with Mody contains considerable evidence of mutual flirtation, and he may well have been aware of the risk that her interactions with others were inappropriate as well.'
Thibault's integrity and credibility are once again under fire after agency whistleblowers shed light on an alleged pattern of political bias from multiple high-ranking officials. He is pictured near his Virginia home after he stepped down
Thibault has remained hunkered down at his Virginia home since his retirement last month
