Man Sexually Assaulted Woman, Locked Her In Cinder Block Cell: FBI

OREGON — A man who authorities say kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman, keeping her locked in a makeshift cinder block cell, may be tied to other sexual assaults across multiple states, according to the FBI.

Negasi Zuberi, 29, also known as "Sakima," "Justin Hyche" and "Justin Kouassi," was recently taken into federal custody and charged with interstate kidnapping in Oregon. The woman Zuberi was accused of kidnapping apparently escaped from the prison built in his Klamath Falls home, the FBI said in a Wednesday news release.

Court records show that on July 15, Zuberi traveled from his home to Seattle, where he sought the services of a sex worker, posed as an undercover police officer, pointed a stun gun at the woman, placed her in handcuffs and leg irons, and put her in the back seat of his car, the FBI said.

He then traveled around 450 miles with the woman, sexually assaulting her during the trip, according to the FBI.

Once they arrived in Klamath Falls, the woman was locked in makeshift cinder block cell that Zuberi had made in his garage, the FBI said. The cell had a metal door installed in reverse so it could not open from the inside, but the woman was able to break it open and escape the room after Zuberi left, according to the FBI. Zuberi was taken into custody the next day.

"Her quick thinking and will to survive may have saved other women from a similar nightmare,” Stephanie Shark, an assistant special agent in charge at the FBI Portland field office, said in the news release.

The FBI says Zuberi has been linked to additional violent sexual assaults in at least four states and the agency said there could be more.

The investigation has extended to multiple states where Zuberi has lived since August 2016, including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada, according to the FBI.

"Sakima has several different methods to gain control of his victims, including drugging their drinks, pretending to be a police officer, and soliciting the services of sex workers and then violently sexually assaulting them," the FBI said in the news release. "Some of the encounters may have been filmed to make it appear as if the assault was consensual. The victims are threatened with retaliation if they notify the police."

The FBI has asked anyone who may be a victim or has information related to the investigation to fill out a short form.