CINCINNATI — A former Cincinnati ICE deportation officer testified on Thursday that he only had "consensual sex" with non-citizen women he supervised in a federal government immigration program.
"I always treated them very respectful," Andrew Golobic testified at his federal criminal trialin Cincinnati. "They always gave consent."
Golobic — an ICE officer in Blue Ash from 2006 to 2020 — is accused of sexually abusing two women who participated in the Alternative To Deportation (ATD) program.
As a deportation officer, Golobic had the authority to set reporting requirements for participants, determine their level of supervision and make recommendations on whether they should be arrested and deported.
In addition to being charged with violating the rights of two women, he's also charged with sex trafficking for allegedly telling a woman she could get her passport in exchange for having sex with him.
He's also charged with destroying evidence and tampering with witnesses.
"I think it's a bunch of bulls—t," Golobic testified when asked what he thought about the federal investigation into his conduct.
He testified that he knew he was in trouble when photos of him with a noncitizen woman were shared with others.
"They got me — caught red-handed," he testified.
Golobic, 52, testified for about four hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
He claimed he "never" heard or saw anything that suggested his alleged victims didn't want to have sex with him.
Last week, one of his alleged victims — a Honduran rape survivor seeking asylum with her son — cried as she testified that Golobic made her have sex at his home even though she told him she didn't want to.
The woman testified that she and Golobic were on their third date.
Golobic said he would fix her dinner, then drove her to his home, according to their testimony.
The woman testified that she was shaking and afraid as Golobic took her to one of his bedrooms and undressed her. They had sex, then he turned her around, the woman testified.
"No, not this way," the woman claimed she told him. "He was hurting me."
In his testimony, Golobic insisted that they were dancing and kissing in his bedroom.
Then, Golobic testified, they removed each others' clothes and had "passionate" sex.
"It was great," he testified.
Golobic testified that he had "relationships" with "three to five," "five-ish" "five to six" and "six" women he supervised in the ATD program.
The ex-ICE officer testified that he never knowingly destroyed evidence.
But Golobic admitted that he had searched online for how to delete apps, then he deleted apps and conversations he had with non-citizen women he supervised.
Golobic testified he "was not sure" if he erased messages after learning the FBI was investigating him.
He testified that he directed one woman to "delete our texts" because he was afraid of getting in trouble for having a relationship with her.
In his testimony, Golobic made numerous references to his inability to speak Spanish even though he was an ICE officer for about 15 years.
He insisted that he had to copy and paste phrases into Google Translate so he could communicate with non-English speaking immigrants, including the women he "dated."
But the Honduran rape survivor testified that she talked with Golobic and he understood her.
Golobic chuckled at times during his testimony, including when he described his "relationships" with the women and their sexual encounters.
He repeatedly portrayed himself as someone who joked around a lot.
Golobic claimed he was "joking" when he sent a message to a woman telling her she could get her passport back if she had sex with him.
"It was a complete joke" he testified. "That's how we talked."
He claimed he'd already had sex with her several times.
"Why would I try to use a passport to get her back to my house," he testified.
During his testimony, Golobic frequently started making statements before the prosecutor finished asking her question.
The judge told him several times to stop doing it.
During his testimony, Golobic occasionally interrupted one of his own attorneys and suggested how they should proceed, including when to introduce specific evidence.
Golobic testified that he bought gifts for some women he supervised; furniture, car repairs, and purses.
"I was always really nice with these people." he testified.
Closing statements are scheduled for Friday.
