A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counterterrorism official found herself on administrative leave Wednesday, following an internal investigation into allegations that she defrauded a former boyfriend of $40,000, whom she met through a dating app.
“Julia Varvaro is currently on administrative leave due to this investigation, and she is no longer fulfilling her role as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at DHS,” stated an official, subsequent to the initial report by the Daily Mail about the claims.
The ex-boyfriend, reportedly a divorced business executive named Robert B., encountered the 29-year-old DHS counterterrorism deputy assistant on Hinge last December.
Over a three-month period, the pair reportedly traveled together to destinations such as South Carolina, San Diego, Italy, and Aruba. However, Robert B. alleges that he was exploited financially, serving merely as a “sugar daddy” to support her lavish lifestyle.
In response, Robert B. lodged a complaint with the DHS Office of Inspector General, although the office has neither confirmed nor denied the initiation of an investigation.
Varvaro, who has yet to provide further comments, dismissed the allegations, describing them as “nonsense” manufactured by an “angry ex-boyfriend.”
“It’s just really weird,” she told the Mail.
