photo by: Edwardsville Police via AP

This undated photo provided by the Edwardsville Police Department shows former Kansas City, Kan., Detective Roger Golubski.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Federal authorities are investigating a former Kansas police detective who has been accused of sexually abusing mostly minority and poor women for decades and helping to frame a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for a double murder.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department issued a statement Thursday acknowledging it has been responding to subpoenas from the FBI since 2019 involving allegations against Roger Golubski.

“Despite many inquiries from both the public and media over the past three years, we did not disclose our cooperation with the investigation out of concern that it could interfere with the work of federal authorities,” spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand said in the statement.

CNN reported first on Thursday that prosecutors have convened a federal grand jury for the investigation into Golubski. Former Kansas City Police Chief Terry Zeigler, who was once Golubski’s partner, told the network he was among more than a half-dozen former officers who have or will testify before the grand jury.

Danielle Thomas, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas, said the office does not confirm or deny ongoing investigations.

Golubski, 69, and others have been sued by Lamonte McIntyre, who was freed from prison in 2017 after serving 23 years in prison for the 1994 killings. McIntyre alleged Golubski targeted him for arrest after his mother rejected the detective’s sexual advances.

Morgan Roach, an attorney representing Golubski, told The Kansas City Star via text message: “We won’t be commenting due to pending litigation.”

Last year, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said it had been investigating Golubski since 2019 and had shared information about “possible federal violations” with authorities.

During a deposition last year, Golubski declined to respond 555 times when he was asked if he understood that he was being accused of “raping women and coercing women into giving false testimony, some of the grossest acts of corruption a police officer can commit,” according to a joint investigation by The Star and KCUR.

Last year, a coalition of Kansas lawmakers, religious leaders and racial justice advocates asked the KBI to investigate Golubski and other members of the department who were involved in allegations of misconduct and abuse.

And in September, an organization run by rapper Jay-Z filed a petition seeking records from the Kansas City Police Department related to what it called a history of officer misconduct within the department.