A CIA officer who drugged, photographed and sexually assaulted more than two dozen women learned his fate following an ‘emotional hearing’ on Wednesday.
Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 48, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after prosecutors found nearly 500 videos and photographs of naked, unconscious women dating back to 2006 - including many in which he can be seen opening their eyelids, groping or straddling them.
Raymond, a San Diego native and former White House intern, ultimately pleaded guilty to four of 25 federal counts including sexual abuse, coercion and transportation of obscene material.
As part of his sentence the judge ordered him to pay $10,000 to each of his 28 victims.
Raymond´s attorney, Howard Katzoff, sought leniency for the government worker claiming ‘he ignored his own need for help, and over time he began to isolate himself, detach himself from human feelings and become emotionally numb.’
Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 48, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after prosecutors found nearly 500 videos and photographs of naked, unconscious women dating back to 2006
Raymond, a San Diego native and now ex-CIA agent, ultimately pleaded guilty to four of 25 federal counts including sexual abuse, coercion and transportation of obscene material
Prosecutors described the now-former CIA officer as an experienced sexual predator who kept a detailed account of potential victims organized by name, ethnicity and notes on their physical characteristics.
Many of the recordings show Raymond touching and manipulating the victims bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent, a Justice Department release read.
Raymond attempted to delete the explicit photographs and videos depicting the victims after learning about the criminal investigation.
U.S. Senior Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said: ‘Its safe to say hes a sexual predator. You are going to have a period of time to think about this.’
About a dozen of Raymonds victims - who were identified only by numbers in court - recounted how the longtime spy upended their lives.
Some said they only learned what happened after the FBI showed them the photos of being assaulted while unconscious.
‘My body looks like a corpse on his bed,’ one victim said of the photos. ‘Now I have these nightmares of seeing myself dead.’
Prosecutors described the now-former CIA officer as an experienced sexual predator who kept a detailed account of potential victims organized by name, ethnicity and notes on their physical characteristics
Another spoke of a recurring trance that caused her to run red lights while driving. Many told how their confidence and trust in others had been shattered forever.
‘I hope he is haunted by the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life,’ said one of the women, who like others stared Raymond down as they walked away from the podium.
With a graying beard and orange prison jumpsuit, he sat despairingly as he heard his punishment for one of the most egregious misconduct cases in the CIA´s history.
Reading from a statement Raymond told the judge that he has spent countless hours contemplating his ‘downward spiral.’
‘It betrayed everything I stand for and I know no apology will ever be enough,’ he said. ‘There are no words to describe how sorry I am. Thats not who I am and yet its who I became.’
Prosecutors say Raymond´s assaults all follow a similar pattern as he would lure women he met on Tinder and other dating apps to his government-leased apartment and drug them while serving wine and snacks.
Investigators combing his devices found an incriminating online search history for phrases such as Ambien and alcohol and pass out and vodka & valium.
Once the women were unconscious he spent hours posing their naked bodies before photographing and assaulting them. At times he would open their eyelids and stick his fingers in their mouths.
About a dozen of the victims - who were identified only by numbers in court - recounted how the longtime spy upended their lives (pictured US Embassy in Mexico City where he worked)
Prosecutors described the now-former CIA officer as an experienced sexual predator who kept a detailed account of potential victims organized by name, ethnicity and notes on their physical characteristics
The CIA has since publicly condemned Raymond´s crimes and implemented reforms.
‘There is absolutely no excuse for Mr. Raymond´s reprehensible, appalling behavior,’ the agency said Wednesday. ‘As this case shows, we are committed to engaging with law enforcement.’
Raymond´s sentencing comes amid an evaluation on sexual misconduct at the CIA.
Last week another veteran CIA officer faces charges in Virginia for allegedly reaching up a co-worker´s skirt and forcibly kissing her during a drunken party in the office.
Another former CIA employee is scheduled to face a jury trial next month on charges he assaulted a woman with a scarf in a stairwell at the agencys headquarters.
The full extent of sexual misconduct at the CIA remains classified in the name of national security - including a 648-page internal watchdog report that found systemic shortcomings in the agency´s handling of such complaints.
‘The classified nature of the activities allowed the agency to hide a lot of things,’ said Liza Mundy, author of ‘Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA.’
The male-dominated agency, she said, has long been a refuge for egregious sexual misconduct, adding ‘for decades, men at the top had free rein.’