In an anonymous lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast, a woman accused former CIA spy Shaun Wiggins of convincing her Wiggins could make her a candidate for the agency — by allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting her as part of a “training” to use her body “as a weapon.”
Wiggins allegedly claimed these acts were unofficially conducted by the CIA on a regular basis for aspiring agents. The woman said in her filing that Wiggins, her boss and CEO of data analytics firm Soteryx, told her it would be essential for her “technical skillset.”
The Jane Doe plaintiff alleged this occurred between 2017 and 2018 when she was in her 20s and accused Wiggins of “sexual assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment” under the guise of advancing her career.
“They want me to push you harder,” he allegedly told her in one of his “training” sessions.
Doe, a Soteryx cybersecurity specialist, alleged Wiggins said sex was useful to manipulate the enemy — and that sexual bonds “between case officers on missions together” were common. She was so traumatized by the abuse that she landed in a psychiatric facility.
Wiggins formerly worked for the Department of Defense and reportedly ran for local office twice on both sides of the aisle. While the CIA did not respond to Daily Beast’s request to confirm his past employment, Wiggins was previously cited as such by multiple outlets.
Doe was hired at Soteryx in August 2017 and hoped to join the CIA. She exclusively reported to Wiggins, who allegedly regularly withheld her pay during what she called an “extended job interview” that spanned 18 months to supposedly test her commitment.
“I’ve been amazed how potent very well trained women can use their bodies as a weapon … Very effectively,” Wiggins allegedly messaged Doe in December 2017, per the lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast.
“I’m working on developing you,” he allegedly wrote in another message, according to the outlet. “And I think you are going to be a superior officer … I need to get more self discovery out you [sic]. As a colleague.”
Doe claimed Wiggins first sexually assaulted her on Jan. 31, 2018. He allegedly told her his CIA contacts “still had doubts about” her commitment — and forced himself on her after ordering her to kiss another man. Doe believed this was a test, and did as she was told.
She eventually expressed concerns about his “training,” only for Wiggins to allegedly state she “must trust” him “completely.” In February 2018, Wiggins raped Doe a second time. She received the first monthly check of her $50,000 Soteryx salary in March.
By August, Doe had been raped eight times, according to the lawsuit.
Doe refused Wiggins’ advances for good in October and left Soteryx to become a waitress. She spent her spare time researching what kind of legal recourse was available, only for Wiggins to routinely stop by at her job and ask her to come back to Soteryx.
“[Doe] completed a four-week intensive outpatient program at Four Winds Saratoga, a psychiatric hospital, and she continues to recover,” stated the filing obtained by the Beast, which added that she sustained “serious psychological injuries.”
Doe credited her ability to legally accuse Wiggins to the New York State’s Adult Survivor’s Act, a new law which currently allows sexual assault victims to reopen cases that would’ve previously passed their statute of limitations.
Other famous defendants who have been accused under the law include former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit reportedly seeks “damages, compensatory, punitive, and liquidated commensurate with that life-altering trauma that she experienced, the effects of which continue to haunt and constrain Plaintiff’s career and personal life even now.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.