Former Bay Area FBI agent accused of cyberstalking law student
A former FBI special agent from the Bay Area was arrested and indicted on multiple federal charges after prosecutors said he made unwelcome romantic advances toward a law student and cyberstalked her for nearly a year.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced Wednesday that 54-year-old Paul Raymond Flood of Castro Valley was arrested Tuesday on charges of cyberstalking, two counts of witness tampering by intimidation, one count of witness tampering by harassment and one count of obstruction of justice. Flood was a special agent between 2007 and 2019.
According to the indictment, the victim met Flood in Oct. 2018 after being referred by one of her family members who knew the agent. The victim, a first-year law student, contacted Flood on pursuing a future career with the FBI.
Prosecutors said Flood began to make unwanted advances towards the victim and began to "engage in a pattern of harassing and intimidating conduct."
Over the course of 11 months, Flood sent a diamond ring to the victim and used at least 79 different numbers to call and text the victim, prosecutors said. Flood also told the victim he was surveilling her and her family and repeatedly pressured her relative to have the victim call or unblock him.
According to prosecutors, the victim initially did not report Flood due to fear of retaliation. In June 2019, the victim reported the stalking to federal and local authorities, which led to Flood's suspension and an investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General.
After Flood was suspended, prosecutors said he continued to harass the victim and pressured her to not cooperate with investigators.
He also persuaded the victim to agree into a sham marriage to have her avoid testifying and bought a $17,000 engagement ring, prosecutors said. The victim did not follow through with the marriage.
Flood made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday morning. He is on conditional release and his next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2025.