Inspector General

20151113-034269 9
discotheque, listen to music, you know, see local people and just
kind of, you know, be out and away for a period of time and then
get back to the grind of running the trips.
Our investigation of travel-related allegations against MG Lewis focused on allegations
stemming from MG Lewis’ conduct related to four TDY trips in 2015 with the Secretary of
Defense.
Secretary Carter told us that prior to November 10, 2015, when his staff brought
misconduct allegations to his attention, he was unaware of any of the conduct by MG Lewis that
is at issue in this report.
South Korea, April 9 – 11, 2015
GTCC use and official travel-related conduct in Itaewon, Seoul
In April 2015, MG Lewis travelled to Asia as a member of the Secretary of Defense
delegation for a 7-day trip. This was his first overseas trip as a Secretary of Defense delegation
member. 3 The delegation spent two nights in Seoul, South Korea. MG Lewis served previously
as a major in South Korea for 3 years from June 1999 to June 2002.
On April 9, 2015, MG Lewis arrived with the rest of the Secretary of Defense delegation
at their hotel in Seoul at 6:40 p.m. The delegation’s itinerary listed “RON [remain overnight]
2000 - 0700 [8:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.].”
Two receipts for charges to MG Lewis’ GTCC during his TDY travel in Seoul, dated
April 10, 2015, listed the “vendor” as “Candy” and the address as “1st Floor, 34 Usadan-Ro,
Yongsan-Gu, Seoul (Itaewon-Dong).” Our Internet research of the address revealed that this
area of Itaewon was commonly referred to locally as “Hooker Hill” because of the number and
variety of establishments associated with prostitution and other illicit activities. Defense
Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) special agents in Seoul who assisted with our
investigation provided the following details about Itaewon, Seoul, specifically the Hooker Hill
area within Itaewon:
Itaewon is a town within the City of Seoul, located adjacent and
East of U.S. Army Garrison, Yongsan (USAG-Y). … Further
East, and away from USAG-Y, is an area commonly referred to as
“Hooker Hill.” Due to the number of illicit activities, i.e.
Prostitution, Controlled Substances, Underage Drinking, a number
of these drinking establishments [in the Hooker Hill area of
Itaewon] are often identified as “Off-Limits Establishments,” by
3
MG Lewis was serving as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense at this time, in the rank of major general.
He later assumed his Senior Military Assistant duties in June 2015.