CINCINNATI — A former Blue Ash ICE deportation officer accused of kidnapping and raping two women he supervised in a government immigration program is on trial this week in United States District Court in Cincinnati.
Andrew Golobic, 52, is charged with sex trafficking in connection with one of the alleged sexual assaults, according to a federal indictment.
According to court records, both alleged victims were detained in the Cincinnati area.
They were required to report to Golobic through the Alternative to Detention (ATD) program, according to prosecutors.
"Golobic supervised asylum seekers and other immigrants with vulnerable backgrounds, including those fleeing violence, exploitation, and sexual assault," Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa Taiwo wrote in a court filing. "From at least March 2017 through June 2020, Golobic used his position to coerce sex from women under his supervision. He also used coercion, in the form of veiled threats, misleading conduct, and corrupt persuasion to cover up his crimes."
Golobic insists the sex was consensual.
"He readily admitted that he had sexual relations with multiple women involved in the ATD program, but he insisted that these relationships were one hundred percent (100%) voluntary and consensual," Golobic's defense attorney Scott Rubenstein wrote in a court filing. "He knew that this type of association with the women he supervised was improper, but he did not think that he was running afoul of the law."
According to Rubenstein, Golobic told federal investigators he 'dated' the women.
"For some, their courtship spanned a significant period of time," Rubenstein wrote. "FBI agents have interviewed at least a dozen women whom engaged in romantic relationships with him. These women acknowledge the voluntary and consensual nature of their connection to Andy."
Rubenstein cited discovery that showed "various 'victims' accompanied Andy on dates to parks, they went out to eat together, in some instances they traveled together."
Golobic's alleged victims are expected to testify at trial, according to prosecutors.
"The government intends to elicit testimony from testifying victims regarding their backgrounds, mental state before, during, and following the assaults, and how the assaults affected and continue to affect them," Taiwo wrote in the prosecution's trial brief.
Golobic is also being sued for damages by one of his alleged 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 told WCPO 9 in September 2023. "She still fears retaliation."
Golobic 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.
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.
At Golobic's trial, prosecutors will have to prove 'willfulness' to convict him of violating the alleged victims' rights, according to the prosecution's trial brief.
"The government will be presenting among other evidence, evidence concerning statements he made about female ATD participants, Latinas, and women more generally," Taiwo wrote in a motion filed last Friday.
In that motion, Taiwo wrote that prosecutors are moving to preclude evidence "concerning the culture of the Cincinnati ICE office."
"While it may be true that Golobic and others in the office were not reprimanded for inappropriate comments or workplace conduct, that office culture did not compel or authorize Golobic to engage in nonconsensual sex with the two victims," Taiwo wrote. "Such arguments would confuse the issues, attempt to deflect blame to the office or defendant’s co-workers, and impermissibly suggest to the jury that they should not hold the defendant responsible based on the facts and the law as instructed."
It's unclear if Golobic plans to testify.
Rubenstein declined to comment.
The trial is expected to last one week.
