Defendant Admitted That He Drugged and Sexually Abused Women
September 19, 2024 – WASHINGTON – Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 48, of La Mesa, California, a former U.S. government employee, was sentenced on Wednesday in U.S. District Court to 30 years in prison for drugging and sexually abusing numerous women in multiple countries, including photographing and video recording more than two dozen nude and partially nude women without their consent while they were unconscious or incapable of consenting.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Director Carlos F. Matus of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.
Raymond pleaded guilty November 7, 2023, to one count each of sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, coercion and enticement, and transportation of obscene material. As part of the plea agreement, Raymond admitted to drugging and then engaging in nonconsensual sexual acts with four women and nonconsensual sexual contact with six women. Raymond further admitted to drugging and then creating obscene material depicting 28 women without their knowledge or permission and drugging two other women.
“When this predator was a government employee, he lured unsuspecting women to his government-leased housing and drugged them,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “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.”
“Brian Raymond sexually exploited dozens of women over the course of 14 years, including while he served abroad as a U.S. government employee,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Argentieri. “Today’s sentence underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to prosecuting sexual abuse in violation of federal law—no matter where those violations occur or who commits them. We are grateful for the valuable partnership we have with the Mexican government and will continue to work with our domestic and international partners to pursue justice for victims of sexual exploitation.”
“This case demonstrates the strong commitment of the Diplomatic Security Service to work with our law enforcement partners here and abroad to investigate public servants in positions of trust who commit sexual assault anywhere in the world,” said DSS Director Carlos F. Matus. “It is a good example of how DSS’s global presence enables our agency to serve as a bridge between U.S. and foreign law enforcement counterparts to assist in bringing those who commit such heinous crimes to justice.”
“For 14 years, Raymond exploited his trusted position as a U.S. government representative to lure women into his confidence,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “He then drugged and sexually assaulted them and took explicit photos and videos of them without their consent. The FBI thanks the brave women who shared information that furthered this investigation. We recognize our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners who helped bring Raymond to justice for his reprehensible crimes.”
According to court documents, while Raymond was on assignment in Mexico City, Mexico, he drugged and sexually assaulted several women in his government-leased housing. Additionally, between 2006 and 2020, in Mexico City and elsewhere, Raymond drugged and then photographed or video recorded 25 victims while they were nude or partially nude. Many of the recordings show Raymond touching and manipulating the victim’s bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent. Raymond attempted to delete the explicit photographs and videos depicting the victims after learning about the criminal investigation.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Raymond to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to pay $260,000 restitution to the victims. After his release from prison, Raymond will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The DSS Office of Special Investigations, the DSS Computer Investigations and Forensics Division, and FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division provided valuable assistance. The FBI’s Legal Attaché office in Mexico City also provided valuable assistance.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Justice Department gratefully acknowledges the government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República, the Fiscalía General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México, and the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, for their extraordinary efforts, support, and cooperation during the investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Angela Buckner and Katharine Wagner of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP). Valuable assistance was provided by Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen and Paralegal Specialist Vanessa Douglas of HRSP, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hooks, Jolie Zimmerman, and Janani Iyengar for the District of Columbia. Additional assistance was provided by Victim Specialists Yvonne Bryant and Tonya Jones of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Victim Witness Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney April Russo with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Source: DOJ Release
