TOPEKA – An Arizona man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting his victim at gunpoint as he transported her across state lines, according to the United State's Attorney.
A federal judge also sentenced Martin Brandon Gillen, 27, of Phoenix, Arizona, to 95 years in prison for other related crimes, to be served concurrent with his life sentence.
Gillen pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of transportation for criminal sexual activity, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
In late 2021, Gillen began an online relationship with a minor female who was then 17 years of age. He persuaded her to take and send him sexually explicit images and videos which he kept and later used to threaten the victim. Over the course of the online relationship, Gillen repeatedly made violent threats against the victim.
In March 2024, Gillen traveled to Illinois to pick up the victim then transported her across state lines, from Illinois to Missouri to Kansas. During this trip, Gillen sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.
Gillen and the victim were found in Kansas by officers with the Iola Police Department. In his possession, Gillen had a firearm, multiple magazines, and zip ties. Gillen admitted to officers that his cell phone contained child sexual abuse materials. Subsequent examination by law enforcement revealed hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse materials on his cell phone, as well as sexually explicit images of the female from when she was 17 years old.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also found images of Gillen sexually abusing an unrelated 4-year-old child from Utah on the phone.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Iola Police Department, the New Baden, Illinois Police Department, and the Illinois State Police.