A former CIA officer who has been described as an experienced sexual predator has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Brian Jeffrey Raymond pleaded guilty to various counts of sexual abuse, including drugging, recording and photographing his victims.
"When this predator was a government employee, he lured unsuspecting women to his government-leased housing and drugged them," said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia in a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. "After drugging these women, he stripped, sexually abused, and photographed them. Today's sentence ensures that the defendant will be properly marked as a sex offender for life, and he will spend a substantial portion of the rest of his life behind bars."
Raymond's crimes were conducted both within the United States as well as overseas during his postings, according to a posting on the FBI website seeking identification from Raymond's victims.
#FBIWFO & U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service’s Office of Special Investigations Seek Information Regarding Alleged Sexual Offender Brian Jeffrey Raymond https://t.co/3zxyJ42hdS pic.twitter.com/83EKPl56k6
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) December 15, 2020
"As this case shows, we are committed to engaging with law enforcement," said the CIA in a statement released on Wednesday. "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. ... We must get this right; our workforce demands no less."
The 48-year-old kept about 500 photos and videos of his victims dating back to 2006 spanning all the way up until May of 2020. In many of them, he can be seen sexually assaulting them as they are unconscious.
On May 31, 2020, a naked woman was seen screaming for help from the balcony of Raymond's Mexico City residence, triggering an investigation into him. In July of 2021, Raymond pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse and one count of transporting obscene material.
"Clearly ... he's a sexual predator," said U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of Washington as she handed down the maximum sentence possible following a November 2023 plea deal. "Certainly his criminal acts betrayed his government and his country."
Raymond, who served over 20 years in the CIA, assaulted dozens of women, many of whom were in the courtroom during his sentencing. Twelve spoke in court, and almost unanimously asked for him to be given the maximum sentence for his crimes.
"I know whatever I say will not erase what I have done, but I wholeheartedly apologize and I am deeply sorry," Raymond said in court. "This is not who I am, but it is what I became, and I am devastated."
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