FBI: Accused kidnapper Negasi Zuberi may have more victims 'in multiple states'

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Court documents revealed handwritten notes found in accused kidnapper Negasi Zuberi’s home appear to stress the need to target those without many people in their lives.

And as the FBI searches for others potentially violated by Zuberi to come forward, victim advocates say privacy will be paramount in providing a safe space for them due to the sensitive nature of his alleged crimes.

According to the FBI, Zuberi has lived in 10 states over the past 10 years and is linked to at least four sexual assaults in four of those states. Authorities believe there could be additional victims. The investigation has expanded to multiple states including Washington; Oregon; Colorado; Utah; Florida; New York; New Jersey; Alabama and Nevada.

Meg Garvin, the executive director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute, said these victims should be afforded privacy rights as well as the opportunity to share their stories *without being forced to participate in the criminal justice system.

"There is still a lot of public and cultural shaming that happens around sexual violence, no matter in what iteration it happens,” Garvin said. “That shouldn't exist, but it does, and so many survivors really want privacy. So that includes making sure that this survivor's name doesn't get out until she wants it to get out."

Garvin said this includes the privacy of the woman who escaped a makeshift cinderblock cell in Zuberi’s basement – ultimately exposing the crimes that would eventually lead to a national investigation.

"The system needs to honor her privacy, the system needs to make sure that she has access to counseling, if that's what she wants,” Garvin said. “I will also say sexual assault survivors still go through a really awful time and criminal justice because cultural legacies around that crime, and so she should really be afforded a lawyer at this point."

During a press conference on Wednesday, the FBI said Zuberi traveled from his Klamath Falls home to Seattle on July 15, 2023, where he approached a woman around midnight near Aurora Avenue and solicited prostitution, according to court documents.

Zuberi claimed to be a police officer and showed the victim a badge saying he needed to take her into custody, according to the documents, adding that he then pointed a taser at the victim before putting her in handcuffs and leg irons and putting her in the back of his car.

According to court documents, Zuberi appeared to target individuals who may be vulnerable with documents showing he "...Solicited the woman (Adult Victim One) to engage in prostitution” before posing as an undercover officer.

Officials also say Zuberi went by several aliases, including Sakima, Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi.

Stephanie Shark with FBI Portland said, "The disturbing evidence uncovered [Wednesday] points to an individual's ongoing and escalating pattern of violence, targeting women in multiple states throughout the country."

When investigators later searched the suspect's Klamath Falls home, they recovered handwritten notes titled “Operation Takeover,” allegedly outlining plans to leave the phone at home and "make sure they don't have a bunch of people in their life. You don't want any type of investigation."

But with Zuberi’s face and name in the media, Garvin says it's important for victims to seek counseling and other resources if they're feeling triggered.

"It's traumatizing, even if you're prepared to see a perpetrator,” Garvin said. “When you're not prepared to see them, and all of a sudden, they are there in front of you in any way, even from the media, or their voice…that can be incredibly traumatizing."

Stay with KOIN 6 as we continue to cover this case.