Jury finds former deportation officer guilty of federal crimes related to depriving immigrant victims’ civil rights

CINCINNATI -- A federal jury convicted a former ICE deportation officer today for crimes related to abusing his position to deprive the civil rights of victims under his supervision in the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program.

Andrew Golobic, 52, of Cincinnati and Mason, Ohio, was found guilty on four counts including obstructing a sex trafficking investigation, deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering and destruction of records in a federal investigation.

The verdict was announced this evening following a trial that began on Jan. 8 before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. The jury began deliberations on Jan. 19 and found Golobic guilty on four of seven counts.

Golobic was convicted of depriving a woman under his supervision in the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program of her fundamental right to bodily integrity, by forcing her to engage in nonconsensual sex. ATD allows certain asylum seekers and other immigrants who ICE has determined pose a low risk to public safety to remain in their communities while their immigration cases are pending. After being approached by agents from FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General in June 2020, Golobic deleted evidence from his cellphones. 

Golobic was employed as a deportation officer with ICE from 2006 to 2020 and was assigned to the ICE office in Blue Ash, Ohio. He was assigned to the ATD program from approximately 2015 to 2020.

In his role, Golobic supervised immigrants with vulnerable backgrounds including those fleeing violence, exploitation, and sexual assault. Golobic knew he had power over women under his supervision. Golobic had discretion over the degree of freedom and movement afforded to participants under his supervision. He had the authority to decide the type of monitoring, frequency of reporting and level of supervision, as well as the authority to recommend that ATD participants who violated conditions of the program be detained or deported. 

Golobic’s sentence will be determined by the Court based on federal sentencing guidelines and other factors at a future hearing.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and John R. Pias, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (DHS-OIG) announced the verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo and Ashley N. Brucato are representing the United States in this case.

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