CINCINNATI, Ohio — A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer will spend more than a decade in federal prison after using his position to exploit vulnerable women under his supervision.
Andrew Golobic, 53, of Cincinnati, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years behind bars after being convicted on multiple federal charges, including obstructing a sex trafficking investigation, deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering, and destruction of records, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Golobic, who worked for ICE from 2006 to 2020, was assigned to the agency’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program from 2015 to 2020. The program is designed to monitor asylum seekers and other low-risk immigrants while their legal cases proceed. Federal prosecutors say Golobic used his authority to pressure women into unwanted sexual encounters, preying on those who feared detention or deportation.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the victims were primarily asylum seekers and immigrants in vulnerable situations. A jury found that Golobic engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with women under his supervision, abusing the power of his position to coerce them.
When investigators closed in, Golobic went into cover-up mode. Federal authorities say he tampered with witnesses, destroyed evidence, and obstructed a federal sex trafficking investigation. In June 2020, after being approached by FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents, Golobic deleted evidence from his cellphones, a move that ultimately failed to keep him out of prison.
Golobic’s conviction marks a rare instance of an ICE officer being held accountable for misconduct involving the people he was supposed to monitor.