Border Patrol Agent Armando Gonzalez Charged With Voyeurism: Officer Recorded Coworkers In Woman's Restroom

Prosecutors say that Border Patrol agent Armando Gonzalez hid a camera in the women's restroom of his San Ysidro office. Gonzalez, 45, was arrested and question in early March, after a female coworker at the office reportedly spotted a camera in the bathroom. Video retrieved from the camera show women’s naked breast, buttocks and undergarments as the undress to use the restroom and, allegedly, images of Gonzalez himself, installing the device on a drain connected to the toilet, according to Fox 5 San Diego.

At an initial court appearance on Monday, Gonzalez was charged with a total of 19 federal counts, including 17 counts of video voyeurism that involved 12 women, according to ABC News 10. Most were employees of the Border Patrol, but at least one was from another government agency. A U.S. Magistrate forbade Gonzalez from contacting the alleged victims, after two of them requested restraining orders fearing reprisals from the defendant, pointing out that he has access to firearms.

Bathroom Drug War?

When confronted with the presence of the camera two weeks ago, Gonzalez allegedly lied to investigators, saying that the camera had only been present for a couple of days. Gonzales, a supervisor at the San Ysidro Border Patrol office, allegedly admitted that he captured images of the women, saying that is was part of an “investigation” over suspected drug use at the office. He also allegedly told investigators that he deleted the nude images. In addition to the voyeurism, he is being charged with two felony counts of making false statements.

“He told agents when he self reported that the camera had been there for only a few days when in truth and in fact it had been there for at least two years, we have evidence of videos going back that long,” said Alessandra Serano, Assistant U.S. Attorney, in an interview with Fox 5.

Gonzalez’s attorneys did not immediately respond to either Fox 5 or the Latin Times regarding how the agent would plead or what his defense strategy is.