CINCINNATI — One of the alleged sexual assault victims of a former Cincinnati ICE deportation officer "cowered in the corner of his bedroom shaking" before he raped her, a federal prosecutor told the jury on Wednesday during opening arguments of the ex-officer's trial.
Andrew Golobic, an Immigration Customs Enforcement officer from 2006-2020, is charged with violating the civil rights of two alleged victims, tampering with witnesses and destroying evidence.
He's also charged with sex trafficking because Golobic, 52, allegedly coerced a victim into having sex by using her passport as leverage, according to prosecutors.
"This case is about the abuse of power," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ebunoluwa Taiwo told the jury.
Taiwo said one alleged victim feared "no one would believe her."
Both alleged victims will testify at trial, Taiwo said.
"He knew they were easy targets," Taiwo told the jury.
Angela Glazer, one of Golobic's defense attorneys, told the jury that it was unethical for Golobic to have sex with women he supervised and that he should have been fired for his actions.
But, Glazer said, Golobic had "consensual relationships" with the women.
Glazer questioned the motives of the alleged victims and their versions of what happened.
She told the jury that Golobic went on several dates with one alleged victim telling her that "he'd like to marry her and move to Costa Rica."
That alleged victim got mad when she found a woman's sunglasses in Golobic's car and saw a photo of Golobic with another woman on social media, according to Glazer.
"He kind of ghosted her," Glazer told the jury. "So, yeah she's upset."
Taiwo said Golobic used his personal cell phone to exchange text messages and photos with women under his supervision, including the alleged victims.
Jason Kacor, an ICE supervisor in Columbus, testified that officers should only use their government-issued cell phones and other ICE platforms to communicate with immigrants under their supervision.
Kacor testified that ICE deportation officers have the authority to increase or decrease the level of supervision for ATD participants and their reporting requirements.
Participants in the ATD program are required to surrender their passports to ICE, Taiwo told the jury.
Kacor testified that in the Columbus region, those passports were kept at ICE offices or in court files.
But Golobic told one alleged victim that "if she wanted her passport to come over to his house and f—k him," Taiwo told the jury.
Glazer told the jury that Golobic "joked" with the alleged victim about having sex in exchange for her passport.
Golobic has been detained without bond since December 2022.
