Treasury Enforcement Agent Exam Case Studies & Practical Application 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An agent conducting physical surveillance of a suspect notices the suspect has identified the surveillance team and begins counter-surveillance maneuvers. The BEST immediate action is to:
- Confront the suspect immediately
- Abort the surveillance, debrief the team, and reassess the operation (Correct answer)
- Increase the number of surveillance vehicles
- Continue surveillance using the same personnel
Correct answer: Abort the surveillance, debrief the team, and reassess the operation
A compromised surveillance team should withdraw immediately to preserve investigative integrity and prevent the suspect from fleeing or destroying evidence.
Question 2: During a witness interview, the witness provides inconsistent statements about key dates. The agent's BEST approach is to:
- Accuse the witness of lying and end the interview
- Document all inconsistencies, ask clarifying questions, and corroborate statements with independent records (Correct answer)
- Accept the most favorable version of events
- Disregard the witness entirely
Correct answer: Document all inconsistencies, ask clarifying questions, and corroborate statements with independent records
Documenting inconsistencies and seeking corroboration allows the agent to assess credibility and build a case that can withstand cross-examination.
Question 3: An agent obtains digital evidence from a suspect's seized computer. To ensure admissibility, the agent should FIRST:
- Open all files to review content immediately
- Create a forensic image and verify the hash value before examining the original (Correct answer)
- Delete temporary files to save storage space
- Allow the suspect to review the data first
Correct answer: Create a forensic image and verify the hash value before examining the original
Creating a verified forensic image preserves the original evidence integrity and establishes a documented chain of custody required for admissibility.
Question 4: A TEA agent learns through intercepted communications (authorized wiretap) that a suspect plans to destroy financial documents tonight. The agent should:
- Wait until morning to seek a warrant
- Immediately seek an emergency search warrant from an on-call judge (Correct answer)
- Enter the premises without a warrant to prevent destruction
- Monitor the situation but take no action
Correct answer: Immediately seek an emergency search warrant from an on-call judge
Imminent destruction of evidence supports an emergency warrant application; warrantless entry is generally impermissible absent exigent circumstances meeting a higher legal standard.
Question 5: An agent prepares to interview a target who has retained legal counsel. The attorney has not been present or notified. The agent should:
- Proceed with the interview since counsel is not physically present
- Notify the attorney and allow their client time to consult before any interview (Correct answer)
- Conduct the interview quickly before the attorney can intervene
- Use a different agent who the target does not know has counsel
Correct answer: Notify the attorney and allow their client time to consult before any interview
Once a subject has retained counsel, the Sixth Amendment prohibits deliberate elicitation of incriminating statements outside counsel's presence without a valid waiver.
Question 6: An undercover agent has been purchased counterfeit currency from a suspect. The suspect now wants to meet to sell a larger quantity. To avoid entrapment claims, the agent should ensure:
- The suspect initiates all communications and the agent only responds
- The suspect is predisposed to commit the crime and the government is not inducing unwilling participation (Correct answer)
- A supervisor personally approves each message sent to the suspect
- The agent never mentions the counterfeit currency topic first
Correct answer: The suspect is predisposed to commit the crime and the government is not inducing unwilling participation
Entrapment requires proof that the government induced an otherwise unwilling person; demonstrating the suspect's predisposition is the key defense against such a challenge.
Question 7: An agent receives a call from a foreign financial intelligence unit reporting suspicious transactions linked to a U.S. person. The agent should FIRST:
- Immediately open a criminal case
- Verify the request through official channels and consult with a supervisor and legal attaché (Correct answer)
- Share the information broadly within the agency
- Disregard foreign tips as outside U.S. jurisdiction
Correct answer: Verify the request through official channels and consult with a supervisor and legal attaché
Foreign intelligence tips must be verified through official channels to ensure authenticity, legal compliance, and proper international coordination protocols.
Treasury Enforcement Agent Exam Case Studies & Practical Application 3
An agent conducting physical surveillance of a suspect notices the suspect has identified the surveillance team and begins counter-surveillance maneuvers.
The BEST immediate action is to: