A former CIA officer accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least two dozen women during several overseas deployments pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal sex abuse charges.
Brian Jeffrey Raymond kept nearly 500 videos and photos he took of naked, unconscious women, including many showing him opening their eyelids, groping them or straddling them, prosecutors say. The images date from 2006 and show much of Raymond’s career, with victims in Mexico, Peru and other countries.
The case was just the latest embarrassment for the CIA, which has seen a reckoning in recent months over its often secretive and outdated handling of sexual misconduct claims within the spy agency.
The Associated Press found that at least two dozen women have come forward to tell authorities and Congress about sexual assaults, unwanted touching and what they say are CIA efforts to silence them. A CIA officer trainee was convicted of assault and battery in August for wrapping a scarf around a colleague’s neck and trying to kiss her in a stairwell at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
The CIA has publicly condemned Raymond’s crimes, and CIA Director William Burns launched a series of reforms in May to streamline claims, support victims and more quickly discipline those involved in misconduct.
“As this case shows, we are committed to working with law enforcement to ensure justice is served,” the CIA said in a statement. “Additionally, we take any allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment very seriously and have taken important steps to ensure we maintain a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for our staff.”
Raymond’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors describe Raymond, 47, as an experienced sexual predator who kept detailed accounts of potential victims, organized by name, ethnicity and notes on their physical characteristics.
Researchers who combed his devices found an incriminating online search history for phrases like “Ambien and alcohol and passing out” and “vodka and Valium.” In an email to an online pharmacy, Raymond wrote: “Hello, do you have chloral hydrate for insomnia?”
When he was arrested three years ago, Raymond was stationed in Mexico City, where he met women on dating apps and invited them for drinks at his embassy-rented apartment.
The San Diego resident, who speaks fluent Spanish and Mandarin, was only discovered in 2020 after a naked woman Raymond met on Tinder screamed for help from his balcony, prompting a concerned neighbor to call authorities. U.S. officials searched Raymond’s electronic devices and began identifying the victims, all of whom described experiencing a form of amnesia during their stay with him. Prosecutors planned to call as many as fourteen alleged victims during the trial.
Raymond withdrew an earlier guilty plea in the case last year after successfully challenging the admissibility of certain photos that the judge ruled were illegally seized from his cellphones after officers forced him to give up his passcode. However, other images stored on Raymond’s iCloud account were allowed.
As part of the agreement announced on Tuesday, Raymond pleaded guilty to four of 25 offences, including sexual abuse, coercion and transporting obscene material. Prosecutors dismissed the most serious charge of aggravated sexual abuse.