2 Missouri officers accused of stealing nude photos from dozens of women's phones at traffic stops

Two former Missouri officers were charged in separate, unconnected cases in federal court this week over allegations that they illegally searched women’s phones during traffic stops to obtain intimate, explicit images found on the devices.

Julian Alcala, 29, who was employed as an officer with the city of Florissant, is charged with 20 counts of deprivation of rights and a count of destroying records in a federal investigation, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri announced Thursday.

The deprivation of rights specifically refers to being free from unreasonable search and seizure, established in the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

According to the federal indictment, Alcala would take women’s phones during traffic stops in order to confirm their insurance coverage or vehicle registration. But Alcala searched their phones for nude images and took photos on his own personal phone, the indictment said.

In one case, Alcala allegedly texted himself a video and deleted evidence of the text.

Alcala is accused of doing this to 20 women between Feb. 6 and May 18 of this year.

The Florissant Police Department said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday that it was completely unaware of the alleged behavior. Alcala had passed a “meticulous and thorough background investigation” during the hiring process and the department had not received a complaint about him in the 11 months of his employment.

“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.”

Alcala resigned in June after the Florissant Police Department was contacted by the FBI regarding an investigation into him, according to the department statement.

Civil lawsuits have also been filed against Alcala and the city, including one which echoes an allegation made by federal prosecutors. A lawsuit filed in the same district court last month alleges that Alcala sent himself a private video made by a couple having sex.

The Jane Doe was pulled over in February, where Alcala allegedly took her phone back to his vehicle when she presented the insurance information that she stored on the device. The lawsuit said that she noticed “there was a deleted text message” from the time of the stop.

Alcala sent himself the video, deleted the message “in an effort to hide his tracks,” the suit said. He’s also accused of obtaining a nude photo from her phone in the same stop.

Attorney Bevis Schock is representing six people in civil litigation against Alcala in the city. He told NBC News affiliate KSDK that his clients are “real nice, normal people who do what police officers say.”

“The way this started was, the FBI called the victims,” Schock said. “And each victim said, ‘Well I got pulled over and he took my phone back.’”

Court records show a warrant was issued for Alcala on Wednesday but it’s unclear if he is in custody. He has not yet made an appearance in court and does not have an attorney listed.

NBC News was unable to find contact information for Alcala using public records in an effort to reach him for comment on the case. An attorney representing the city of Florissant in a civil lawsuit in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A similar, but unconnected, case was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office on Tuesday against a former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.

David McKnight, 39, was indicted in the same federal court on nine counts of deprivation of rights and one count of destroying records. Federal prosecutors allege that he illegally searched the phones of nine women between September 2023 and August 2024 while working for the highway patrol.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, McKnight used his own phone to take pictures of nude images on the women’s phones after they gave him the devices to show their insurance or identification information. Most of the women were pulled over for traffic stops, the office said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety told NBC News that records show McKnight surrendered his state peace officer license, “which means he can never work as a Missouri law enforcement officer again.”

The federal prosecutor’s office told NBC News that McKnight and Alcala’s cases are not connected. It’s unclear if either of the men are in custody.

A public defender assigned to McKnight’s case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Ashley Johnson, special-agent-in-charge of the FBI St. Louis Division, told people not to hesitate to report uncomfortable encounters with officers. Both cases were investigated by the FBI, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.

“If you feel your civil rights have been violated, contact the FBI,” Johnson said. “Investigating criminal conduct by a law enforcement officer is among our top priorities.”