It was just six months ago that the U.S. Border Patrol’s second-highest ranking official in the region was in Friday Harbor defending citizenship spot checks at the Anacortes ferry terminal and the agency’s enforcement of federal immigration law.

Now, Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Giuliano has trouble of his own with the law.

According to stories published Oct.15 in The Bellingham Herald and The Seattle Times, Giuliano, 55, is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl who began staying at his home as a foster child earlier this year.

Prosecutors on Wednesday filed charges in Whatcom County Superior Court accusing Giuliano of three counts of child rape, according to the Herald.

On Thursday Oct. 16, Giuliano, was arrested at his Sudden Valley home on suspicion of child rape and placed on indefinite suspension.

At the invitation of the San Juan County Council, Giuliano was in Friday Harbor in early March to explain the reasons why the Border Patrol initiated the spot checks in Anacortes at the start of the year, as well as the procedures for conducting those checks.

Authorities in Whatcom County reportedly learned on Oct. 13 of the alleged abuse after being notified by several of the girl’s high school classmates. Giuliano was confronted on Tuesday by sheriff’s deputies and, according to the Herald, admitted to having sex with the girl at least 24 times since she began living at his Sudden Valley home.

The girl reportedly began living with Giuliano and his wife, Patty, after her parents separated at the start of the year. Charging documents filed by prosecutors at the Whatcom County Courthouse on Oct. 16 indicated that Giuliano took on the role of a foster parent for the girl, although he is not a licensed foster care parent and she is not in the state foster care system. She and Giuliano, according to prosecutors, began having sex in April while on a family vacation to Arizona.

His bail was set at $50,000, and he must post the full amount in cash in order to be released. If he posts bail, Giuliano must surrender his passport and not contact the 14-year-old. The Herald reported that Giuliano has not hired an attorney and is scheduled to enter a plea Oct. 24. If convicted, he faces as many as 15 years in prison, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Mac Setter said.

Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said Giuliano is still under investigation and more charges are possible. He would not disclose the girl’s location.

“We hope he’s prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Elfo said.

A Border Patrol veteran of more than 20 years, Giuliano, the sector’s deputy chief patrol agent, commanded approximately 250 agents who protected the U.S. border in Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington. He had an annual salary of more than $130,000 and a government-issued Chevrolet Tahoe to drive to and from work, as reported in the Herald.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, complied with the investigation and put Giuliano on paid administrative leave Tuesday, spokesman Mike Milne said. Giuliano was suspended after being arrested Thursday.

On indefinite suspension, Giuliano will not receive a salary, and any government property issued to him – such as the Tahoe and a cell phone – will be taken away, as his firearm already has been, Milne said.

A member of the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector is flying to Whatcom County to take over as acting deputy chief of the Blaine sector, Bermudez said.

“We’re going to continue doing our duties in light of what has happened,” Bermudez said.