A former police officer in Florissant, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to federal charges for pulling over 20 women and searching their phones for nude photos and videos. Julian Alcala, 30, entered the plea on Tuesday as part of a deal with prosecutors.
According to the plea agreement, Alcala stopped a woman in February 2024 and took her phone to his vehicle, claiming he needed to verify insurance information. Instead, he found a video of the woman engaged in sexual activity and texted it to his own phone. He also photographed a nude image from her phone.
Over the following three months, Alcala conducted similar stops with 19 other women, taking their phones back to his vehicle under the pretext of checking insurance or registration, then searching for and capturing nude images. He was caught after the first victim noticed the video had been sent to an unknown number and contacted the FBI, which traced the number to Alcala.
Alcala pleaded guilty to 20 counts of willfully depriving individuals of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Each count carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a felony obstruction charge. Alcala remains free on bond pending sentencing on March 11.
