A former Missouri police officer has admitted to pulling over 20 women's vehicles and searching their phones to obtain nude photos and videos over a period of about three months in 2024, prosecutors said.
In a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors on Dec. 2, former Florissant Officer Julian Alcala pleaded guilty to 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, online records show. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped one count of destroying records in a federal investigation.
Alcala, 30, had admitted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to unlawfully searching the phones of 20 women during traffic stops to obtain nude photos and videos, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said in anews release. Prosecutors said Alcala had pulled over these women while on duty, in uniform, and in a marked police vehicle between Feb. 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024.
Prosecutors said Alcala took each victim's cell phone under the guise of confirming their insurance coverage or vehicle registration. He told 19 of his victims he needed to use their phones to check their insurance coverage and told one victim that he was confirming her vehicle registration, according to the plea agreement.
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"Alcala then searched through the phones without a warrant or probable cause," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "He used his own cell phone to take photographs of one or more images that portrayed either the victim or a loved one or both in a partial or full state of nudity that he found in various folders and apps."
A grand juryindicted the former officer in November 2024, and prosecutors accused him of depriving the women of their rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. At the time, prosecutors said Alcala was thesecond former law enforcement officerto be indicted on such charges.
Alcala is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Each count of deprivation of rights under color of law is punishable by a year in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.
Plea deal: Ex-Missouri officer caught after victim found text message
Alcala's first victim was pulled over on Feb. 6, 2024, according to the plea deal. During the traffic stop, he took her cell phone back to his vehicle and found a video of the woman engaged in sexual activity.
He then texted the video to his personal cell phone, the plea agreement states. Alcala also discovered a nude photo of the woman and used his phone to take a picture of the image.
Following the traffic stop, the victim said she looked at her deleted text messages and found the video had been sent to a phone number that was unknown to her, according to the plea deal. She then reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI traced the phone number to Alcala and launched an investigation into the incident, according to the plea agreement. The FBI executed court-approved search warrants of Alcala's cell phone and his iCloud storage, which led to the discovery of 19 additional victims.
"The images photographed by the defendant contained individual females in a state of nudity," reads the plea agreement. "These images were stored in various places on the victims' phones, including the camera roll, within text messages with loved ones, and in folders within applications on their phones, including SnapChat."
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After Alcala was indicted in November 2024, the Florissant Police Department said ina statementthat Alcala had resigned in June 2024 after the FBI informed the department of its investigation. At the time, Alcala had been employed at the department for 11 months.
"We are disgusted at this behavior, which is a complete betrayal of the values we uphold and in no way reflects the professionalism and integrity of our dedicated officers," the department said. "We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community."
Florissant is a northern suburb of St. Louis.
Former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper accused of similar crimes
Alcala was the second former law enforcement officer to be indicted for destroying records in a federal investigation and deprivation of rights under color of law in November 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
David McKnight, a former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper, was indicted on Nov. 12, 2024, with one count of destroying records in a federal investigation and nine counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Prosecutors accused McKnight of searching the phones of nine women between Sept. 1, 2023, and Aug. 19, 2024.
McKnight searched the phones after stopping most of the women for alleged traffic violations, according to the indictment.
"He took their phones under the auspices of confirming that they had insurance coverage or verifying their identification," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Prosecutors said McKnight used his personal cell phone to take pictures of nude images he found on his victims' phones. He later deleted the photos from his phone, according to the indictment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Former Missouri officer admits to searching women's phones for nudes