Negasi Zuberi Threatened Neighbors And Lured Young Women Into His Home

FBI Portland

Former neighbors of a "con man" who reportedly sexually assaulted and held a woman prisoner inside a constructed cinder block jail say he was a "neighborhood menace" who terrorized locals and enticed young girls to live with him.

Those who lived near Negasi Zuberi in a quiet suburb of Vancouver, Wash., told The Post that he made money renting out rooms and mattresses inside a two-story property he appeared to own.

They further said Zuberi, a married father of two, would bring "prostitutes and weirdos" there at all hours of the night.

One neighbor, who only wanted to be identified as "Danny," said he saw a young woman shivering and crying outside the home in December 2022 after an intense argument with Zuberi.

AP

“I went up to her and offered her hot tea and some soup because it was freezing,” Danny said. “She told me [Zuberi] took her keys and cell [phone], and when I asked her if she wanted me to call the police, she said, ‘No, I don’t want to get in trouble with him. It’s not worth it! He’s crazy!’”

Zuberi, 29, was arrested on July 16 for allegedly sexually assaulting a sex worker he had abducted and confined in Seattle before driving back to his home in Klamath Falls, Oregon, nearly 450 miles away.

The woman, who was chained in the cell, was able to escape by beating down the door of the cinder block room Zuberi had built in his garage, FBI authorities claimed during a press conference on Wednesday.

Former neighbors who learned of Zuberi's arrest claimed that while they were horrified by the charges, many of them had their own explosive encounters with him.

FBI Portland

Another unnamed neighbor sought a restraining order against Zuberi in March after he allegedly sent a threatening text message that said, "I'm going to f— you up."

Zuberi became irritated when a neighbor approached him about his enormous RV parked in front of the house — a violation of the neighborhood's HOA guidelines — and when he was asked about the rubbish piling up on the property.

“It was a nightmare,” the neighbor told The Post. “He had pit bulls running around and random people coming in and out of the house. The cops showed up a bunch of times and I never knew what he was going to be up to.”

“I just didn’t feel good about him, so after he threatened me, I filed a restraining order because I have a wife and child to protect. I didn’t sleep very well for about six months because of all of the activity that was happening.”

Danny claimed Zuberi had threatened him after he was questioned for driving drunk and backing into the garbage cans of a neighbor.

“Obviously I came out and told him to go back to his house and to get off my property, but he started threatening me and took off his shirt,” Danny said. “He yelled at me and got in my face. That’s when I thought he was truly crazy and something was wrong with him. I knew he was capable of doing some crazy stuff.”

When police were present or even suggested, Prentice Gerald, who rented a room from Zuberi, said he appeared uncomfortable and suspicious.

Gerald stated that he met Zuberi after responding to a Facebook Marketplace ad for a room for rent.

Gerald stated that he only discovered Zuberi was not the genuine owner of the residence when the true owner began an eviction proceeding against Zuberi.

Gerald claimed he overheard conflicts between Zuberi and the mother of his two young children during his six-month stay at the four-bedroom home.

He left in November.

“They fought a lot, but it seemed like run-of-the-mill arguments between couples,” Gerald said. “But when I saw him on the news, I thought it was unbelievable. He didn’t strike me as the type of person who would be capable of such a thing. He seemed smart and told me he was an entrepreneur.”

Zuberi listed himself on LinkedIn as "Sakima," one of his identities, and claimed to operate a company named Forty 3. He claims to have studied cybersecurity at Klamath Community College.

According to neighbors, Zuberi would use Facebook, Craigslist, and other social media sites to deceive unsuspecting renters who thought he owned the Vancouver property.

Zuberi commented on Facebook on October 27, 2021: “If you contacted me about a room, I don’t have any of the messages. Facebook deleted my post for some reason. You must inquire again.”

Authorities did not reveal much about Zuberi's past, but they did say he has lived in at least ten different states since 2016.

He has since been linked to violent assaults in at least four states, prompting FBI officials to appeal to the public for assistance in identifying additional potential victims.

Between August 2016 and July 2023, Zuberi allegedly targeted sex workers or roommates in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada, according to the FBI.

Zuberi was reportedly with his wife and one of his children when he was detained after a heated standoff with police in Reno, Nevada.

The Post met with Zuberi's father-in-law, who requested anonymity.

He claimed he hadn't seen his daughter "in a while," but he doubted the couple was officially married.

“I saw what he is accused of and it was shocking to see his picture on the news in that context,” he told The Post. “I don’t know what he was doing to generate income because I never saw him have a job. 

“On the very rare occasions when I did see him, he only had a couple of words to say. We just didn’t talk because he didn’t seem to have much interest in talking to us.”

Investigators said in court records filed Wednesday that Zuberi pretended to be an undercover cop before kidnapping the sex worker in Seattle on July 15 and transporting her to his house in Klamath Falls.

Investigators discovered papers allegedly written by Zuberi outlining a heinous "Operation Takeover" plan, including instructions on how to dig a 100-foot-deep concrete block cell with foam insulation.

Danny, Zuberi's former neighbor, said the horrifying charges remind him of the times he observed ladies coming in and out of the Vancouver property Zuberi had rented.

He claims that the image of the grieving young woman he spoke to on that frigid December night in 2022 haunts him.

“I’m thinking of moving out of the area because I really don’t want to keep looking at that house,” he said. “Just thinking about the type of person he was and what he could’ve done inside of that house… it’s heartbreaking.

“I think about that girl and sometimes I wish I could’ve done something else to help her. I wish I looked inside that garage because who knows what else he had in there.”