AUBURN – A former Lewiston City Hall employee, once touted by city officials as a leader of the local Somali community, is scheduled to appear in court Friday to answer charges that he used his power as a general assistance caseworker to solicit sex from a local woman.
Abdiaziz Ali, 35, is on this week’s trial list at Androscoggin County Superior Court.
He decided Monday not to pick a jury for his case, an indication that he intends to plead guilty to the charges or reach a plea agreement with the state.
Although the details of his plea are still being worked out, the clerk’s office has scheduled his hearing for 1 p.m. Friday.
Ali faces misdemeanor charges of engaging in prostitution and official oppression.
Police say they have a videotape that shows him pressuring a local woman to have sex with him by promising her reduced rent.
If convicted of the charges, he could be sentenced to up to a year behind bars.
One of the first Somalis to arrive in Lewiston in 2001, Ali quickly established himself as a leader of the community. Within months of his arrival, city officials hired him as an interpreter and caseworker.
His job was to help the city’s new immigrants with their basic needs: housing, food, employment, language translation, medical assistance and school registration for their children.
He was sought out by the local and national media for comments on everything from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to the rally held in Lewiston by a national white supremacist group in January 2003.
In stories about those and other events, Ali was commonly referred to as a leader or spokesman of the Somali community.
City officials placed Ali on paid administrative leave in August 2004 after he was charged. About a month later, Ali resigned from his post, saying it was the best thing for Lewiston’s immigrant population.
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