Ex-CIA Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Dozens of Women Amid Claims Agency Mishandles Sexual Abuse Complaints
As Congress puts pressure on the Central Intelligence Agency to clean up its act, a former CIA officer has pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges.
The guilty plea of Brian Jeffrey Raymond on Tuesday comes about two months after an officer trainee was convicted of assault in a sexual assault case that took place at the CIA’s headquarters, according to the Associated Press.
Raymond, 47, admitted in court that he had about 500 videos and images of women he drugged over a 14-year period, the Justice Department said, according to ABC. In some images and videos, he is recorded “touching and manipulating” the bodies of his unconscious victims.
Raymond had worked at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and used his “embassy-leased housing” to prey on women from 2006 through 2020, the Justice Department said.
In April, the Senate Intelligence Committee demanded the CIA Inspector General investigate how the agency handles sexual assault and sexual harassment cases, according to CNN.
At that time, the House Intelligence Committee said it was also investigating the CIA’s handling of those cases. The House probe was sparked by female CIA employees reporting that the agency is discouraging women from filing complaints alleging sexual misconduct.
The CIA’s image took a further blow in August when CIA officer trainee Ashkan Bayatpour was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery after wrapping a scarf around a female colleague’s neck and then trying to kiss her on the mouth, according to the Associated Press.
At that time, several lawyers said the dynamics of working in an agency devoted to espionage complicate the handling of abuse and harassment cases.
“There are harassers everywhere and bosses that try to cover them up,” attorney Kristin Alden, who represents some women alleging mistreatment, said.
“But the whole nature of intelligence work — the culture of secrecy and people working under assumed names — really elevates the chilling effect of retaliation and isolation that victims feel,” she said.
Kevin Carroll, the attorney for the woman who accused Bayatpour of misconduct, said the CIA is still clueless.
“This guilty verdict came despite and not because of the CIA,” he said.
“It is a gigantic problem that the agency has not yet begun to get its arms around. It’s an environment where a lot of stuff is secret, and that attracts some bad actors,” he said.
Attorney Kevin Byrnes said some clients are told national security concerns or a risk of revealing classified information have been used as reasons women are told not to report incidents.
In Raymond’s case, it was not someone from the CIA that reported him, according to AP. A woman Raymond met on a dating app was screaming for help from his balcony, triggering a review of his electronic devices that eventually led to charges and Raymond’s guilty plea.
The CIA, however, said the case showed “we are committed to engaging with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served. In addition, 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,” according to a statement it issued.
Raymond pleaded guilty to four of the 25 criminal counts against him. His sentencing is scheduled for September 2024. He faces between 24 and 30 years in prison.
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