A former Missouri police officer who took nude images from women’s phones during traffic stops was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday.
While he was employed by the Police Department in Florissant, Mo., northwest of St. Louis, Julian Alcala searched the victims’ phones during traffic stops under the pretense of checking their insurance or registration, the U.S. Justice Department said.
With his own cellphone, Mr. Alcala, 31, took photos of the explicit images he found. The episodes took place between February and May 2024, and he pleaded guilty in December. The photos were of the drivers, their loved ones, or both together, the Justice Department said.
In one day alone in February 2024, Mr. Alcala took nude images off the phones of five women he had pulled over, according to a plea agreement. During one stop, he used a woman’s phone to text a video to his phone before trying to delete evidence of the text, according to the Justice Department.
The owner of the phone found evidence of a deleted text message that sent one of her intimate videos to an unknown phone number and contacted the F.B.I., according to court documents filed in United States District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri.
After the report was made to the F.B.I., a forensic investigation revealed that Mr. Alcala had taken images from 19 other victims, prosecutors said in court documents.
Mr. Alcala pleaded guilty on Dec. 2 to 20 misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to court records.
Scott Rosenblum, a lawyer who represented Mr. Alcala in his criminal case, said his client has been in rehab for sex addiction and has become an active church member since his arrest.
“He has turned his life around completely and is excited to continue that journey,” Mr. Rosenblum said.
Mr. Alcala surrendered his peace officer license, said Mike O’Connell, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety. In Missouri, the surrender of a license is permanent, Mr. O’Connell said.
After Mr. Alcala was charged in November 2024, the Florissant Police Department said in a statement that the F.B.I. had informed it of its investigation in June 2024, at which point Mr. Alcala resigned from the department.
“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 statement said.
The statement also said Mr. Alcala was employed for 11 months as a police officer in Florissant, a city of about 50,000 people about 13 miles northwest of St. Louis.
Mr. Alcala is a defendant in five federal civil lawsuits filed on behalf of 11 people who have accused him of misconduct. Some of the lawsuits cited the city of Florissant as a defendant along with Mr. Alcala. All five lawsuits were paused pending the outcome of Mr. Alcala’s criminal case.
In several lawsuits Mr. Alcala is accused of sending the victims’ intimate photos to other people. One plaintiff was 17 when Mr. Alcala pulled her over and took nude photos off her phone, according to the complaint.
“While no sentence can fully undo the harm that occurred, the court’s decision affirms that no one is above the law and that abuses of authority have real consequences,” said Justin Summary, a lawyer representing one of the victims in a civil lawsuit. “My client hopes this outcome will bring some measure of closure to her and the many other victims affected by the defendant’s conduct.”
Mr. Alcala was also required to pay $2,681 in restitution to his victims, according to the Justice Department.
Rylee Kirk reports on breaking news, trending topics and major developing stories for The Times.
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