A former CIA agent pleaded guilty on Nov. 7 to multiple charges of sexually abusing and drugging more than two dozen women during his time as an employee of the U.S. government, the Department of Justice announced.
Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 47, of La Mesa, California, appeared in court Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to four of 25 criminal counts including sexual abuse, coercion, and transportation of obscene material.
Under a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Mr. Raymond faces between 24 and 30 years behind bars, supervised release for life, and mandatory restitution to the victims of his criminal offenses.
Prosecutors alleged Mr. Raymond—a San Diego native, who is fluent in Spanish and Mandarin—had drugged and sexually abused numerous women in multiple countries where he was stationed over the years, in some cases taking photographs and videos of the naked and unconscious women without their consent.
Mr. Raymond was an “experienced sexual predator” who kept a detailed catalog of potential victims which he organized by name, ethnicity, and physical characteristics, prosecutors claimed.
According to the DOJ, Mr. Raymond also attempted to delete the explicit photographs and videos depicting the victims after learning that a criminal investigation had been launched into his conduct.
During his court appearance Thursday, Mr. Raymond admitted to prosecutors that he drugged and sexually assaulted multiple women over a 14-year period in his embassy-leased housing and elsewhere.
The sexual abuse took place between 2006 and 2020, he said, and involved filming some of the women without their consent.
Additionally, Mr. Raymond “admitted other offenses that occurred over this 14-year period and involved a total of 28 women he photographed or video recorded nude or partially nude,” the DOJ said. “Many of the recordings show Raymond touching the women’s bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent.”
Suspect Arrested in Mexico
According to the FBI, Mr. Raymond previously worked for many years at the CIA but had most recently been employed by the U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, which is where he was arrested in 2020 after a woman he met on the dating app Tinder prompted concern among his neighbors.The woman, who has not been identified, allegedly ran naked to Mr. Raymond’s balcony at his apartment leased by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and began screaming for help.
Worried neighbors then called authorities who conducted a search of Mr. Raymond’s home and found various electronic devices containing photographs and video footage of his alleged victims.
His online web history also showed he had searched for phrases such as “Ambien and alcohol and pass out” and “vodka & valium,” prosecutors said.
In one email to an online pharmacy, Mr. Raymond wrote, “Hello, do you have chloral hydrate for insomnia?” according to prosecutors.
The woman found naked at his Mexico apartment told local authorities that she had blacked out after drinking a glass of wine, which prosecutors said was a common theme among the women who claimed to have fallen victim to Mr. Raymond’s sexual abuse.
Prosecutors had intended to call as many as 14 alleged victims during the trial before reaching a plea deal with Mr. Raymond.
His sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 19, 2024.
The CIA has publicly condemned Mr. Raymond’s crimes, and said in a statement Tuesday that his case shows the agency is “committed to engaging with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served.”
“In addition, we take any allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment extremely seriously and have taken significant steps to ensure we maintain a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for our workforce,” the CIA said.
It is not clear if Mr. Raymond has legal representation. The Epoch Times has contacted the DOJ for further information.
