Former Noem Ally Madison Sheahan Accused Of Seducing 19-Year-Old Subordinate And Running 'Toxic' Controlling Relationship

Madison Sheahan, a former top aide to Gov. Kristi Noem who briefly served as deputy director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been accused by an anonymous former subordinate of seducing her when the subordinate was 19 and then maintaining a controlling and volatile relationship, according to reporting by the Daily Mail. Senior Department of Homeland Security officials also told the publication they observed Sheahan verbally abusing staff and targeting women she perceived as disloyal.

Madison Sheahan has been accused of being

Allegations And Timeline

The accuser says she met Sheahan in 2020 while working on the Trump 2020 presidential campaign. Sheahan was reportedly 23 at the time and a senior Ohio Republican Party official; the accuser was a junior staffer. After losing student housing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the younger woman says she moved into Sheahan’s home and the two began a secret sexual relationship.

Madison Sheahan is running a congressional campaign in Ohio. / screen grab

Three sources told the Daily Mail that in November 2020 Sheahan briefly became the woman’s supervisor while they were involved romantically. The couple’s relationship is said to have continued through 2022, when the accuser says it ended after a phone fight.

Madison Sheahan's congressional website. / screen grab

Specific Incidents Described

The accuser described what she characterized as two years of control and jealousy. One episode cited by the Daily Mail occurred on Nov. 29, 2020, when the younger woman sent Sheahan a photo of an outfit she planned to wear for a night out in Atlanta. According to the account, Sheahan reacted angrily, then later accused her partner of behavior that "cheat[s] on people."

Madison Sheahan reportedly created fear at the DHS. / Leah Millis / REUTERS

“She lost it on me… What the f---, you’re not gonna f---ing go. Are you actually f---ing serious? I’m not gonna talk to you again,” the accuser told the Daily Mail.

The accuser told reporters that Sheahan’s jealousy was focused on the prospect of her partner seeing men rather than other women, and that Sheahan expressed uncertainty about her own sexual identity during the relationship. The accuser also alleged that Sheahan discouraged job moves, dictated clothing choices, discouraged smoking and limited public displays of affection at work events.

Sheahan shared her goodbye email to ICE staff on X. / X

Allegations From Colleagues

Separately, senior DHS staffers told the Daily Mail that while Sheahan served at ICE she repeatedly targeted female staffers she considered disloyal, sought to be dominant in team settings and sometimes verbally abused aides. One source alleged that Sheahan would try to push to have strong women fired and at times threatened to “rip their faces off.”

Career And Responses

Sheahan previously served as Kristi Noem’s executive director when Noem was governor of South Dakota. She later joined ICE as deputy director; reporting describes her tenure there as lasting roughly 11 months before she left in January to launch a congressional campaign in Ohio.

Sheahan declined to comment to the Daily Mail. Her political adviser, Bob Pudachik, told the Daily Mail, “As the Ohio campaign manager, I can speak with authority that no such relationship existed. Madison was not and has never been in a relationship with a subordinate.” The Daily Beast said it reached out to Sheahan, her adviser, the DHS and ICE for comment.

In January, before Sheahan left her ICE post, Gov. Noem publicly praised her as a “work horse, strong executor, and terrific leader,” saying she would be “a great defender of freedom when she goes to Congress.”

What Is Known And What Is Alleged

These accounts are based on reporting by the Daily Mail and statements from anonymous sources and an anonymous accuser. They describe alleged misconduct and personal behavior; Sheahan and her adviser have denied the relationship and the reports. No public finding or official determination has been cited in the reports.