A judge has ordered a former Border Patrol supervisor to pay $1,322 to two female employees of the Chula Vista Border Patrol station who were secretly photographed by a camera in the drain of the women’s bathroom.
Armando Gonzalez, 46, got a short delay until he reports to federal prison to start his 21-month term. U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez said he should surrender by Feb. 8.
Benitez ordered him to pay the $1,322 on Jan. 21, and he made payment that day, according to his attorney Gretchen von Helms. Most of the money is for therapy, as the employees were angry about being photographed in the restroom.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal officer and seven counts of digital voyeurism.
Gonzalez initially claimed he put the camera in the drain to catch illegal drug use but he later said that was not true.
Benitez ordered him to complete a sex offender evaluation while in prison and he is barred from using or possessing a computer. He lost his job with the Border Patrol.
Von Helms argued at his Dec. 14 sentencing that his post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) affected his judgement in putting the camera in the bathroom, although the judge said he could not understand how that had anything to do with his actions.
