FLORISSANT, Mo. — A former Florissant police officer is facing 21 federal charges relating to a scandal involving nude photos he's accused of stealing off victims' phones during traffic stops, court documents show.
The officer, named Julian Alcala, was formally indicted on Wednesday. Each of the charges relates to one of the 20 victims, including another obstruction of justice charge.
“These are all real nice, normal people who do what police officers say,” said Defense Attorney Beavis Schock, who represents six of the women. He said he learned about the indictment on Tuesday.
“I got a call from the U.S. Attorney who knew I was working on the case. That was the inevitable part of the process. He violated these women’s civil rights,” Schock told 5 On Your Side’s Robert Townsend during an interview this afternoon.
“The way this all started was the FBI called the victims, and each victim said well, I got pulled over and he took my phone back. He probably had in his mind something about getting power over people,” added Beavis Schock.
"The four victims we represent are beginning to see justice work. This is another avenue for these victims to get closure from the trauma they’ve endured," Attorney J.C. Pleban, who represents some of the victims, told 5 On Your Side.
Alcala allegedly took possession of each of the victims' phones, searched through them without a warrant or probable cause, found photos and videos of the victims engaged in sexual activity, and sent the media to his personal cell phone, according to the charges. Alcala then deleted the texts before handing the phones back to the victims.
"The defendant, Julian Alcala, while acting under color of law, willfully deprived (the victims) of the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, a right secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States," the federal court documents said.
The charges are separate from the four civil lawsuits Alcala faces filed by eight of the victims, one of which also named the City of Florissant as a defendant.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety said the former officer has permanently surrendered his Class A peace officer license.
The Florissant Police Department shared the following statement:
"Alcala has been charged with multiple Federal Civil Rights Violations related to his actions during his employment with the City of Florissant.
"In early June of this year, the FBI St. Louis Division informed our department of an investigation involving Alcala. Upon becoming aware of these serious allegations, he immediately resigned from his position. The department fully cooperated with the investigation.
"Alcala was hired as a full-time Police Officer with the City of Florissant after a meticulous and thorough background investigation, which revealed no areas of concern. During his eleven months of employment, he received no complaints or accusations of misconduct.
"We want to assure our residents that we had no knowledge of any illegal activity or improper behavior by Alcala during his time with our department. Importantly, no other members of the Florissant Police Department were involved in this matter.
"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. We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community. Rebuilding that trust is our top priority, and we are committed to transparency, accountability, and regaining the confidence of those we serve.
"Every member of our department is held to the highest standards of integrity, and we remain steadfast in ensuring that our interactions with the community reflect respect, dignity, and professionalism."