Former Missouri police officer pleads guilty for searching for sexual photos in phones of women he stopped
A former police officer from suburban St. Louis has admitted that over several months last year he pulled over more than 20 women, took their cell phones from their vehicles, and searched them for nude images and videos.
Julian Alcala, a 30‑year‑old ex‑officer from Florissant, entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to 20 counts of willfully depriving individuals of their right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. For each count, the maximum sentence is one year in prison. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a felony obstruction charge.
Alcala remains out on bond while awaiting sentencing on March 11.
According to the deal, the first violation occurred in February 2024 when he pulled over a woman, allegedly to check her insurance information, and took her phone. Instead, he discovered a video showing her engaged in sexual activity and forwarded it to his own phone. He also viewed a nude photo and took a picture of it.
Over the next three months, he stopped 19 more women, again claiming to verify insurance or registration. He then searched their phones for nude material and photographed anything he found.
His conduct was uncovered when the first victim noticed a deleted text message that revealed a sexual video had been sent to an unknown number. She called the FBI, which traced the number back to Alcala. The FBI then secured a search warrant and uncovered the other nude images noted in the plea agreement.
Alcala’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
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