A former US government employee Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 47, accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least two dozen women during various overseas postings pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal sex abuse charges.
According to documents by the Department of Justice, the ex-CIA officer was employed by the U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. He admitted to drugging and sexually abusing several women in his embassy-leased housing and elsewhere between 2006 and 2020. He also admitted that over 14 years, he photographed or videotaped 28 victims while they were nude or partially nude.
As per the documents, the recordings show the accused touching and manipulating the victim's bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent. The ex-CIA officer also tried to delete the explicit pictures and videos of the victims after learning about the criminal investigation.
The former US government officer will face between 24 and 30 years in prison and supervised release for life. He has been ordered to pay mandatory restitution to the victims of his criminal offences. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 18 and 19, 2024.
"CIA condemns in the strongest terms the crimes committed by former Agency officer Brian Jeffrey Raymond, who was arrested in 2020. As this case shows, we are committed to engaging with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served," a CIA spokesperson told CNN.
The investigation into Raymond began in 2020 after a naked woman was seen screaming for help from the balcony of Raymond's Mexico residence, according to a news release from the US Embassy in Mexico. The release further said that the woman later said that she could not remember what happened after consuming food and drinks provided by the ex-CIA officer.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse and one count of transporting obscene material in 2021. However, a year later, he withdrew his guilty plea and said that he was innocent of the charges. He said that the agents unlawfully searched his phone.
