Jury selection began in the case of an FBI agent who is accused of raping three women who were customers of his tattoo parlor.
Authorities said Eduardo Valdivia raped the three women after offering them free tattoos and a chance to become models. Valdivia had been acquitted in the December 2020 shooting and wounding of a fellow passenger on a moving Metro Red Line train.
Prosecutors said the 41-year-old Valdivia operated a tattoo parlor, from Gaithersburg and Potomac locations in Maryland, under the alias “Lalo Brown.”
In November 2024, Valdivia had been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting two women who were each in their 20s.
At the time of Valdivia’s first court appearance, Montgomery County police urged anyone else who may have interacted with him to come forward, suspecting there may be other victims.
According to charging documents, a third victim, an 18-year-old high school student, came across the Instagram account “DCFineLines.” She made an appointment for a tattoo, and received it at Valdivia’s studio in Potomac in August 2022.
During that visit, documents said Valdivia offered the woman a free tattoo in exchange for a modeling opportunity. She scheduled a second visit for Oct. 2, 2022, asking for a small tattoo above her rib cage.
The woman said Valdivia told her she should be topless for the tattoo. When he finished it, he took pictures of her, asking her to remain topless and use a blanket to cover her breasts, court documents said.
When Valdivia put a bandage on the tattoo, he picked her up and moved her to a couch. Court documents said the woman “became immediately aware of Valdivia’s intention to engage her in sexual contact.”
Valdivia’s attorney, Robert Bonsib, has said all of the encounters were consensual, and that his client did not force anyone to engage in any sexual activities.
Valdivia had previously been acquitted of charges connected to a shooting on a Metro train while commuting to work. He had been charged with attempted murder after shooting an unarmed man, but the jury determined he fired in self-defense.
Valdivia has been suspended by the FBI after his arrest, and he has remained behind bars.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
