A former FBI agent has been accused of setting up secret cameras to capture disgusting "revenge porn" images of up to 80 women - including his own wife.
Mark Allan Wells, 45, was arrested last May after three women, including his ex-partner, told police about their concerns, leading them to his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The disgraced FBI agent is accused of hoarding thousands of these scandalous images of up to 80 women he secretly recorded in his home, without their consent.
Wells was arrested after three women, including his ex-wife, came forward about the abuse last May. When they searched his home, investigators discovered a shocking 2,245 photos and videos on his laptop, organised into 55 albums, about 75 per cent of which were sexually explicit.
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The albums were labelled with up to 80 women's names, generally just with their first name, with sub-folders with labels such as 'texts' containing other materials, according to official court documents.
While police alleged they were secretly recorded without the women's consent, they didn't find any hidden cameras in their search, though they did find a fake smoke detector that could potentially hold a camera.
Wells also allegedly sent explicit images to at least eight people, some of which showed women engaging in sexual acts. It is unclear whether the women knew these were being taken.
Morgan Ballou, who dated Well for six months in 2016-17 and then again for almost four years from 2018 to 2022, said he bragged about his collection of explicit images.
After he showed her his vile collection, she contacted one of the women, his fiancée Savannah Smith, and told her about it. The pair complained to the police, beginning an investigation that saw multiple other women come forward after he was charged.
Wells tried to deny the existence of the collection before detectives found it on his hard drive.
"I can't imagine why I would brag to someone I was in an exclusive relationship with about having naked photos of other women," he said, according to an affidavit.
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Wells' ex-wife also claimed that the disgraced agent secretly recorded her and she "found a hidden camera on a bookshelf in their guest bedroom".
Ballou, a car dealer and part-time model and actress, sued Wells on January 18 for $150,000 in damages, as in addition to the secret recordings, he sent explicit images she took for him to at least two other people.
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Ballou told police that Wells is a "master manipulator" and discovering what he did make her feel "angry and very violated".
Suspended from the FBI, Wells now faces two felony Peeping Tom counts, and 11 misdemeanour charges for nonconsensual dissemination of sexual images, and will return to court on April 1.
The FBI suspended him as soon as he was charged, pending the case's outcome, saying such conduct "would not be tolerated".
"As soon as the allegation became known, the employee was removed from special agent duties and has been denied access to FBI facilities pending resolution of the matter," the organisation said.
"We strongly condemn any behavior that falls short of the highest standards. We are cooperating with local law enforcement and all relevant entities investigating the matter."
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