A former federal employee has filed a lawsuit against a prominent U.S. agency, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation that led to his wrongful termination. On November 21, 2025, Deon McQueen filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and several of its officials in their individual capacities.
The case revolves around McQueen’s employment with the DEA, which began on January 17, 2021. Despite over a decade of experience in similar roles within the federal workforce, McQueen was placed on probation for two years by the DEA. He claims this was just the beginning of a series of discriminatory actions taken against him due to his race. McQueen alleges that he faced a hostile work environment where biased discussions were rampant among colleagues, including derogatory remarks about minorities and offensive slurs directed at various groups. His complaints about these issues were allegedly dismissed by his superiors, particularly Shaun Moses, who accused him of trying to “change the culture” of the office.
McQueen’s attempts to address these concerns internally reportedly led to retaliation from his supervisors. Following his formal complaint on September 21, 2021, he received an unjustified negative performance review from Special Agent James Deluca—a stark contrast to his previous exemplary evaluations—purportedly orchestrated by Moses as grounds for termination. The situation escalated when management imposed discriminatory policies solely on McQueen, restricting his travel privileges necessary for family medical needs while not applying similar restrictions to white agents.
On October 26, 2021, McQueen was terminated under what he claims were false pretenses fabricated by Moses and Deluca. This followed an unsuccessful attempt to resolve matters through internal channels and an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint filed by McQueen on October 18. The plaintiff argues that these actions violated multiple statutes including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Ohio state laws against workplace discrimination and retaliation.
McQueen seeks compensatory damages for economic losses and emotional distress caused by the alleged discrimination and retaliatory acts. He also requests exemplary damages, lost wages with benefits both past and future, interest costs, attorney fees, and any other equitable relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing McQueen are attorneys Sean L. Walton from Walton + Brown LLP based in Columbus, Ohio, and Carla D. Aikens from Carla D. Aikens P.L.C., located in Detroit, Michigan. The case is identified as Case No: 4:25-cv-02552 before Judge [Name not provided].
Source: 425cv02552_McQueen_v_United_States_Drug_Enforcement_Administration_Complaint_Northern_District_Ohio.pdf
