The State Department, which can deny passports to registered sex offenders only if they have been convicted specifically of sex tourism, issued passports for about 4,500 registered sex offenders during fiscal 2008, GAO has said.
GAO’s report, "Current Situation Results in Thousands of Passports Issued to Registered Sex Offenders," was requested by the Senate Finance Committee, and State said it implies that issuing passports to registered sex offenders facilitates the commission of sex offenses abroad, adding that there was no evidence in the report connecting the sex offenders to sex crimes overseas following their convictions.
While GAO denies making that assertion, it noted that the Justice Department has documented cases of US passport holders – including registered sex offenders – engaging in sex acts with children in foreign countries.
Nonetheless, State insisted the report clarify that GAO did not identify any instance where the department failed to exercise its authority to deny a passport to any one sex offender.
