Benjamin Ashford|Ex-CIA officer gets 30 years in prison for drugging, sexually abusing dozens of women

VICTORVILLE,Benjamin Ashford Calif. — A former longtime CIA officer was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for drugging, sexually abusing, and video recording dozens of women over 14 years, including while serving abroad in Mexico City and elsewhere, federal prosecutors said.

Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 48, of La Mesa, California, was sentenced in U.S. District Court after prosecutors accused him of drugging and sexually abusing numerous women in multiple countries between 2006 and 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Raymond pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of sexual abuse, one count of abusive sexual contact, one count of coercion and enticement, and one count of transporting obscene material.

In his plea agreement, Raymond admitted to drugging and engaging in nonconsensual sexual acts with four women, as well as having nonconsensual sexual contact with six women, prosecutors said in a news release. He also admitted to drugging another 28 women and creating obscene material depicting them without their knowledge or permission, as well as drugging two additional women.

Prosecutors said many video recordings showed Raymond "touching and manipulating" the victims' bodies while they were unconscious. He then deleted or attempted to delete the obscene material after he learned about the criminal investigation, according to the Department of Justice.

Raymond "exploited his trusted position as a U.S. government representative to lure women into his confidence," FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg said in a statement. "He then drugged and sexually assaulted them and took explicit photos and videos of them without their consent."

Following his 30-year prison term, Raymond will be placed on supervised release and registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life, according to the Department of Justice. He was also ordered to pay $260,000 in restitution to his victims.

Hundreds of explicit photos, videos uncovered on former CIA officer's devices

According to court documents, Raymond was employed by the U.S. government. The FBI and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service said in 2021 that Raymond had previously worked for the CIA for many years.

Raymond resided in Washington, D.C. and San Diego, but often traveled and lived in other countries such as Mexico and Peru, according to the FBI. From August 2018 to May 2020, Raymond lived in Mexico City and worked at the U.S. Embassy.

The FBI said Raymond met many of his victims through various dating applications. The last known crimes occurred at Raymond's government-leased home in Mexico City.

The long-term sexual abuse came to light on May 31, 2020, when a naked woman was seen screaming for help from a balcony of Raymond's Mexico City home.

"Raymond admitted to having sexual intercourse with her, but the woman reported that she had no memory of events after consuming drinks and food provided by Raymond," according to an FBI statement.

During the investigation, the FBI and Diplomatic Security Service said they recovered Raymond’s electronic devices that contained hundreds of photographs and videos from 2006 to May 30, 2020, that showed numerous unconscious women who were nude or partially nude.

"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," according to the FBI.

If you have experienced sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE & online.rainn.org).