Former CIA agent from La Mesa gets 30 years in prison for drugging and sexually abusing women he filmed – NBC 7 San Diego

A La Mesa resident and former CIA agent who pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually assaulting several women and filming and photographing unconscious victims was sentenced to 30 years in prison in federal court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 48, sexually abused victims in several countries over the course of 14 years during various overseas deployments. He filmed and photographed the naked or partially naked victims, even when they were unconscious or otherwise “incapable of consenting,” and the footage shows him “touching and manipulating the victims' bodies,” prosecutors said.

Brian Jeffrey Raymond kept nearly 500 videos, including many in which he can be seen plucking victims' eyelids open, groping them or sitting on them, prosecutors say. The images date back to 2006 and cover much of Raymond's career involving victims in Mexico, Peru and other countries.

Raymond previously worked for the CIA and at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. When he was arrested three years ago, during his last assignment in Mexico City, he was meeting women through dating apps and inviting them to his embassy-rented apartment for drinks. During that assignment, a naked woman was spotted on the balcony of his apartment on May 31, 2020, “screaming for help,” according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. She told investigators she met Raymond through a dating app but passed out after consuming food and drinks he provided her, according to court documents.

The investigation found photos and videos on Raymond's cell phones and other electronic devices, according to the Justice Department. A search of his internet history revealed an incriminating online search history that included phrases such as “Ambien and alcohol and passing out” and “vodka and Valium.” In an email to an online pharmacy, Raymond wrote, “Hi, do you have chloral hydrate for insomnia?”, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors described Raymond, 47, as an experienced sex offender who kept a detailed list of his potential victims, organized by name, ethnicity and notes on their physical characteristics.

According to prosecutors, Raymond attempted to delete the photos and videos he took of the women after learning he was under investigation.

He was arrested in La Mesa in the fall of 2020 and pleaded guilty last year to four federal charges, including abusive sexual contact and transportation of obscene material.

In his confession, he allegedly admitted, among other things, to drugging 28 women without their knowledge or permission and “creating obscene material depicting these women.” He also admitted to having engaged in consensual sexual acts with four women and having consensual sexual contact with six women, the Justice Department said.

In addition to the prison sentence, Raymond must register as a sex offender and pay $260,000 in restitution to the victims.

“When this sex offender was still a government employee, he lured unsuspecting women to his government-rented apartments and drugged them,” said Matthew Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “After drugging these women, he stripped them naked, sexually assaulted them, and photographed them. Today's sentence ensures that the defendant will be branded a sex offender for life and will spend a significant portion of the rest of his life behind bars.”