PORTLAND, Ore. – A man from Oregon has received a life sentence in federal prison after being found guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two women in unrelated incidents, one of which involved imprisoning a victim in a cinder block cell.
Negasi Zuberi, 31, was sentenced on Friday in federal court located in Medford, as reported by KGW, a television news station in Portland. A federal jury reached a conviction in October on multiple charges including kidnapping, transporting a victim for criminal sexual activity, unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon, and attempting to escape from jail by trying to break through his cell window in August 2023.
During the sentencing hearing, one victim expressed the belief that Zuberi posed a significant threat to society, stating, “This is not a man who deserves to be around others. He shows blatant disregard and lack of care for human life.”
Federal prosecutor Jeffrey Sweet characterized Zuberi as a serial predator who engaged in heinous acts against women, claiming, “Negasi Zuberi is a serial predator who committed acts of evil. He hunted women.”
The incidents leading to Zuberi’s conviction unfolded in July 2023 when he approached a woman on Aurora Avenue in Seattle and falsely presented himself as an undercover police officer. He reportedly showed her a badge, brandished a Taser, and restrained her with handcuffs and leg irons before forcing her into the back of his vehicle. He then drove several hundred miles to his residence in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he confined her in a cinder block cell located in his garage. The victim managed to escape after repeatedly hitting the door until it became dislodged, prompting Zuberi to flee. He was subsequently captured in Reno, Nevada.
Federal investigators also connected Zuberi to a previous kidnapping from May 2023, involving the abduction of another woman outside a bar in Klamath Falls. Prosecutors detailed that he threatened this victim with a Taser, restrained her in his vehicle, and sexually assaulted her.
Throughout the trial, Zuberi maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges. He chose not to testify during the lengthy 11-day trial but attempted to take the stand on the last day, which was disallowed due to his earlier waiver of that right.
