So widespread are the instances of illegal activities among FBI employees that the bureau has taken the drastic step of issuing a report detailing the spread of misconduct in an attempt to stem the tide.

From sexting to tax fraud, DUIs to secret surveillance of colleagues, the lurid and wide range of misconduct by FBI staffers over the past year was revealed Wednesday night in two quarterly reports published by CNN.

FBI assistant director Candice Will told CNN that the reports were issued to stem misconduct and that she hopes the newest reports can abet the "rash of sexting cases".

"When you are given an FBI BlackBerry, it's for official use. It's not to text the woman in another office who you found attractive or to send a picture of yourself in a state of undress," Will said. "That is not why we provide you an FBI BlackBerry."

One employee sent nude photographs to "several" employees and was said to have created "office gossip and negatively impacted office operations" and that their conduct "adversely affected the daily activities of several squads".

Some of the penalties for misconduct were moderate – an employee who paid for sexual favor at a massage parlor was suspended for 14 days. Other penalties were severe – an employee who knowingly dated and married a drug user, who is also possibly a drug dealer, was dismissed from the agency.

Fittingly for the agency, surveillance tactics were also used by and against the employees.

One employee secretly put a recording device in their supervisor's office and conducted an "unauthorized search" of the office. This while pursuing a lawsuit against said supervisor.

One employee used a lost or stolen debit card to take out money and another was caught shoplifting. They were caught by surveillance video.

According to reports, some employees treat their job with the same casual attitude of any seasoned worker.

One employee stored evidence, jewelry and more than $100,000 in a locked FBI filing cabinet for an extended period of time. Another left an FBI shotgun, computer and camera in an agency vehicle, which was then broken into.

Yet another drove an agency motorcycle off-hours and then "caused substantial damage to the motorcycle". Someone else walked the streets, drunk, while carrying an agency weapon.

"It is important to note that the ratio of disciplinary issues among FBI agents are among the lowest in the federal government and private sector," FBI Agent Association president Konrad Motyka told CNN.