Joseph S. Martin, Christopher J. Heikkila, Sexual Assault, Arizona 2015

A 20-year-old man from Peoria, Arizona, and a 21-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Weilerbach, Germany, were convicted of sexual assault in a five-day jury trial in the District of Arizona.

Joseph S. Martin and Christopher J. Heikkila each face sentencing before U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell on November 16, 2015, for their roles in the October 19, 2013, sexual assault of a 17-year-old female in Landstuhl, Germany.

According to the trial evidence, Martin and Heikkila used social media websites to target the victim and plan the assault, which began on or before October 13, 2013. The two men also continued discussing the assault on social media after it occurred.

The Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act gave U.S. federal courts jurisdiction over the felonies committed abroad by certain persons employed by or accompanying the U.S. military. Martin and Heikkila were employees of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service on Ramstein Air Force Base in Ramstein, Germany, at the time of the assault.

The case was investigated by Army CID and the FBI’s Phoenix Division and Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Christine Duey and Michael Sheckels of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. Koehler of the District of Arizona.

Joseph S. Martin and Christopher J. Heikkila each face one count of sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. The outcome of their sentencing hearing on November 16, 2015, will determine the extent of their punishment.

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