A Meridian man who secretly filmed himself raping an unconscious woman and then shared those videos in an online group has been sentenced to life in prison in Ada County.
Prosecutors say 51-year-old Thomas Spencer repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted the same woman over an extended period, recording the attacks and posting some of the footage in a Telegram chat. Investigators ultimately recovered dozens of videos that tied Spencer to the crimes and to the victim. He was sentenced on June 29.
According to an Ada County Prosecutor's Office press release summarized by Law&Crime, Spencer uploaded at least eight videos of the woman to a Telegram group, and investigators later found "hundreds" more clips on his phone. Federal agents first flagged the encrypted chat in January, officials said, and Meridian detectives then worked backward from the footage to identify and contact the victim. Prosecutors say the woman frequently woke up with unexplained headaches and pain consistent with sexual assault.
Project Medusa Ties Local Case To Global Crackdown
The case unfolded in the shadow of Project Medusa, a Europol-backed international push launched in April 2026 to disrupt networks that enable drug-facilitated sexual assault. Europol reported that the operation identified 156 victims and perpetrators and generated 274 new investigative leads. The U.K.'s National Crime Agency said investigators from several countries met in London to share intelligence.
Authorities say the FBI was among the U.S. partners in those talks and that information exchanged through Project Medusa helped fuel local cases like Spencer's.
How Investigators Broke Open The Telegram Trail
Prosecutors say Spencer openly bragged in the chat about drugging the woman, using her name and boasting, "Can't count how many times I've done that!" That language, attributed to the Ada County press release and reported by Law&Crime, became a key piece of the case.
When detectives showed the victim clips from Spencer's phone, officials say she recognized herself but had no memory of the assaults because she had been incapacitated. Investigators then assembled device records and chat logs, which prosecutors say formed the backbone of the plea agreement.
Life Sentence With Long Road To Parole
Spencer pleaded guilty to rape on June 29 and received a life sentence in prison, with the possibility of parole only after 40 years, according to True Crime News. Several additional counts were dismissed as part of that deal. At sentencing, District Judge Annie McDevitt called Spencer's conduct "unfathomable," officials said.
Help For Survivors And What Comes Next
Authorities and international partners note that drug-facilitated sexual assault is often underreported and can be enabled by online communities where offenders trade tips, images, and videos. Victims may not even know an assault occurred until much later, if ever.
Survivors seeking confidential support can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE or connect with a trained specialist via RAINN for 24/7 assistance.
In a July 10 post, FBI Salt Lake City highlighted how the Spencer case fits into the broader Project Medusa picture, publicly thanking a Boise resident whose information helped Meridian police and the Ada County Prosecutor's Office secure the life sentence. The bureau tied the local conviction back to the international intelligence exchange, and the U.K.'s National Crime Agency has said that the operation's intelligence sharing has already produced dozens of new leads, a reminder that global coordination can land squarely on a local doorstep.
