Former Boise probation officer accused by second woman of sexual-related offense
BOISE – Another complaint has been filed against the state’s prison and parole system over allegations the agency “failed to properly supervise” a former probation officer who has been accused of forcing a woman he supervised “into engaging in sexual activity.”
In February, Ada County prosecutors charged Saif Sabah Hasan Al Anbagi, who worked as a probation and parole officer in the Boise area, with felony grand theft by extortion after he allegedly asked the girlfriend of a man he supervised to send Al Anbagi compromising photos and videos of herself.
That woman filed a tort claim against Al Anbagi in June. Now, another woman has accused Al Anbagi of forcing her “to have sexual relations” with him, according to a two-page tort claim filed this month against the Idaho Department of Correction and Probation and Parole District 4.
The Idaho Statesman obtained the tort claim through a public records request. Tort claims are required before filing a potential lawsuit in order to notify a government agency about an individual’s intent to sue.
“Officer Al Anbagi used his position of power and authority to manipulate (the woman) into engaging in sexual activity which eventually resulted in extreme mental trauma,” Boise-based attorney Justin Volle wrote in the tort claim.
The alleged abuse lasted for several months, the complaint said. The woman, suffering from anxiety, depression and severe PTSD, is still receiving mental health treatment “due to the trauma she experienced,” according to the complaint. She’s asking for at least $500,000.
Volle is also representing the woman Al Anbagi is accused of extorting. In her claim, the woman said Al Anbagi asked for help “making a decision” about her boyfriend’s drug use after Al Anbagi said the man on probation was using illegal substances and receiving explicit videos, including a “pornographic video” Al Anbagi said he saw on the man’s phone in January.
“The defendant used his position of trust and authority to extort the victim,” Shawn Kelley, a legal intern for the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, said in court in February.
The Statesman typically doesn’t identify survivors of alleged sexual crimes and is not naming either of the women who have filed complaints.
When the woman admitted it was her in the video on her boyfriend’s phone, Al Anbagi asked her to send him the video so he could “confirm” that was the case, adding that he’d “help out” her boyfriend by not giving him a violation for using illegal substances if she sent the video.
The woman said that if she didn’t cooperate, Al Anbagi told her he would violate her boyfriend’s probation, according to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, leading her to feel as if she didn’t have a choice because she also was under court supervision.
Volle said he’s attempting to negotiate with IDOC in the first woman’s case but so far hasn’t heard anything back. He added that anyone with information about the case has been asked to contact his office, Clear River Legal.
“We are taking these cases very seriously,” Volle said in a phone interview with the Statesman.
Al Anbagi wanted on nationwide warrant
Al Anbagi worked in the IDOC’s Probation and Parole District 4, which encompasses the same area that makes up the 4th Judicial District – dealing with any criminal or civil cases in Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties. He was placed on unpaid leave on Feb. 16 and resigned five days later, according to IDOC.
He was charged with the felony on Feb. 20, court records showed. Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Delaney Peugh said that after Al Anbagi was charged, at least 10 more possible victims came forward.
Days after Al Anbagi was released on a $150,000 bond, he didn’t show up for a hearing. Peugh said in March during that court hearing that he was anticipating “additional charges.”
“I was advised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that this defendant got on a plane to Iraq a few days ago,” Peugh said. “So I do believe this is a failure to appear and that he does not plan on appearing.”
Al Anbagi still hasn’t been found. An initial nationwide warrant was issued for him in March and then another $1 million warrant was issued in October, according to online records.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment or answer a question asking why a secondary warrant was issued. The Idaho Department of Correction didn’t respond to an email seeking additional information; the agency typically doesn’t comment on pending litigation.