Former American CIA agent pleads guilty of raping drugged woman

Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 47, now faces up to 30 years in prison after admitting counts of sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, and coercion and enticement.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A former CIA officer on Tuesday pleaded guilty to federal charges after being accused of drugging and then sexually assaulting at least two dozen women.

Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 47, now faces up to 30 years in prison after admitting counts of sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, and coercion and enticement. He also pleaded guilty to transportation of obscene material after prosecutors alleged he kept almost 500 photos and videos of naked, unconscious women.

Raymond was most recently employed by the government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, according to the Justice Department. He admitted to drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women in his embassy-leased housing and in other locations between 2006 and 2020. Prosecutors say his offending took place in several countries where he’d worked for the U.S. government.

The DOJ says he now admits offenses which “involved a total of 28 women” whom he photographed or filmed nude or partially nude. “Many of the recordings show Raymond touching the women’s bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent,” the DOJ added.

Raymond also attempted to delete incriminating images when he learned that he was facing a criminal investigation, prosecutors say. He allegedly kept detailed records of potential victims, making notes on their physical appearance and categorizing the women by ethnicity.

Authorities became aware of Raymond’s offending in 2020. At the time, he was stationed in Mexico City and would use dating apps to meet women before inviting them back to his apartment. According to court documents, local authorities were called to his residence when a naked woman appeared on his balcony screaming for help. She told law enforcement that she had consumed food and alcohol given to her by Raymond, but had no memory of what happened after. Raymond admitted having sex with the woman but insisted it had been consensual.

During its subsequent investigation, the FBI released a public appeal asking for help identifying Raymond’s possible victims. The appeal noted that Raymond’s devices contained “hundreds” of images of naked, unconscious women. “Almost all of the women in the photos and videos experienced memory loss during their time with Raymond and had no knowledge of the photographs, videos, or any physical contact,” the FBI said at the time. It also noted that, for many years, Raymond had worked for the CIA and spoke fluent Mandarin and Spanish.

Investigators searching his devices also allegedly found incriminating internet searches. Among the phrases he allegedly wrote were “vodka & valium” and “Ambiden and alcohol and pass out.” Raymond was also accused of emailing one online pharmacy: “Hello, do you have chloral hydrate for insomnia?”

Raymond was arrested in October 2020 in San Diego and has been held in a Washington, D.C. jail without bail for more than three years. The following year he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual abuse and transporting obscene material.

In 2022, he withdrew his guilty pleas as he successfully challenged the admissibility of some photos. A judge ruled the images were seized illegally from his cell phones after agents pressured him to hand over his passcodes. Nevertheless, different images which he’d kept in his iCloud storage were admitted in the case.

“As this case shows, we are committed to engaging with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served,” the CIA told the Associated Press in a statement. “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.”

Raymond is due to be sentenced on Sept. 19, 2024.