BLUE ASH, Ohio — Former Cincinnati ICE officer Andrew Golobic — scheduled to go on trial in November on sex trafficking charges — is now being sued for damages by one of his alleged rape victims.
According to the lawsuit, Golobic raped an undocumented Mexican woman in her early 20s at his home.
"He forced her to have sex with him in exchange for his cooperation in allowing her to stay here," the alleged victim's attorney Konrad Kirchner said. "She still fears retaliation."
According to Golobic's indictment, he's charged with sex trafficking in connection with allegedly raping two women he supervised in an immigration program. Both alleged victims were detained in the Cincinnati area and required to report to Golobic, according to court records.
Golobic used ICE databases "as hunting grounds for victims," according to federal prosecutors.
According to court records, he worked in the ICE office in Blue Ash from 2015 to 2020.
Golobic is also charged with falsifying evidence and tampering with witnesses. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond, according to court records.
He and other ICE officers used a phone app to track undocumented residents under their supervision, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims when the alleged victim's phone app didn't work, Golobic told her to communicate with him on his personal cell phone.
Golobic wouldn't give his client her passport unless she came to his home, according to the lawsuit. Then, according to the lawsuit, Golobic only gave her the passport after he forced her to have sex.
After that, the alleged victim repeatedly rejected Golobic's sexual advances, according to the lawsuit.
But, the lawsuit claims, Golobic made comments that convinced her Golobic would retaliate against her undocumented family and friends. So she returned to his home where he raped her again, according to the lawsuit.
"She still fears retaliation," Kircher said. "She still fears that she may be deported. And it was that fear for a short period of time that allowed Golobic to exploit her before she reported it."
The alleged victim is suing the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States of America for compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, punitive damages and other fees and costs.
"The government is responsible for compensating my client for the harm that she has gone through and that harm has been extensive," Kircher said.
Kircher said the lawsuit may play a role in changing policy.
The government would have known his client was at Golobic's home, Kircher said, if they had required her and other detainees in the community to wear monitoring devices.
"We're trying to get closer supervision of agents of the government when they have exclusive control over vulnerable populations," Kircher said.
Golobic and the federal government have not responded to the lawsuit.
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