Probation officer who admitted extorting offenders was leading Columbus anti-violence efforts

A former federal probation officer, who admitted receiving Xanax pills, cash and other compensation for not reporting violations by offenders she was supervising, had been tasked with leading Columbus' group anti-violence efforts.

Helwa Qasem, 45, resigned via email from her position as a management analyst with the Department of Public Safety at 2:49 p.m. Monday — roughly 45 minutes before court documents containing her guilty plea for her offenses as a federal probation officer were filed.

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Mayor Andrew Ginther and other city officials have touted the group violence intervention efforts Qasem was leading as being a key component to their plan to reduce violence in the city following two consecutive years of record-breaking numbers of homicides.

On March 22, Safety Director Robert Clark sought to hire Qasem within the Department of Public Safety for the role of "managing the anti-violence team," according to Qasem's personnel file obtained under a public records request by The Dispatch.

"This position will build, implement and maintain the anti-violence team," according to a job description contained in Qasem's personnel file.

Clark noted in his recommendation to hire Qasem that she had more than 15 years of experience as a probation officer at the local and federal levels, and her skills would "immediately make an impact to our operations."

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Court records state that Qasem, while working as a federal probation officer between 2016 and 2018, received Xanax pills for her personal use, as well as cash, goods and free or discounted services from offenders she supervised in exchange for Qasem not reporting them, including a drug offender who was possessing and selling Xanax. The services included home and car repairs and moving services, court records state.

At some point during the same time period, a Columbus police officer provided Qasem with a confidential report that identified an individual who told police Qasem had a quid pro quo relationship with a probationer who was trafficking drugs, including 250 grams of cocaine and heroin a week. That report also included a photograph of the informant, which Qasem told the alleged dealer she was supposed to be supervising about and told the dealer to stay away from, court records state.

Qasem left her job as a federal probation officer in 2020 and began working as a case manger for the city's Department of Public Health.

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She began working at the Department of Public Safety on March 27 at a hourly rate of $44.24 an hour, or $92,000 annually, to supervise the city's anti-violence efforts.

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Less than a month later, on April 22, she was placed on administrative leave with pay after city officials were told of an ongoing investigation into her conduct while a federal probation officer. Qasem resigned Monday before her plea.

Qasem faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines at her sentencing, a date for which has not yet been scheduled.

On Tuesday, Columbus City Council held a public hearing regarding the city's group violence intervention (GVI) efforts that Qasem was heading, which will offer members of gangs, associated groups of individuals or posses a way out of their lifestyle.

City officials said during the hearing that people identified to be in groups where they are at risk for committing violence or becoming a victim of violence will be approached by a "custom intervention team" of trained individuals and Columbus police and encouraged to give up that lifestyle in exchange for resources like jobs, training and education. If they refuse, they will be warned that they face increased scrutiny from law enforcement and enforcement for any laws broken.

Boston was the first city to implement a GVI program in 1990, and several other major cities have implemented the program, including Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and Oakland, California, according to the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) website.

A 2021 report by NNSC, which was contracted by the city, found that 17 gangs or groups composed of an estimated 480 total members — roughly .05% of Columbus’ population — were confirmed or suspected to be involved in 46% of homicides in 2020, either as victims, perpetrators or both.

Ginther first announced that Columbus would participate in the GVI program last October. The program, which is now expected to begin sometime this summer, came under criticism at Tuesday's meeting from Mary Counter, representing the interfaith social justice group BREAD (Building Responsibility, Equality And Dignity).

Counter said implementation of the GVI program was moving at a "snail's pace."

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Probation officer who protected offenders was leading anti-violence effort