ARIZONA
An Arizona man and a U.S. citizen living in Germany will be sentenced in November for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female in Landstuhl, Germany, officials announced Thursday.
Joseph S. Martin, 20, of Peoria, Arizona, and Christopher J. Heikkila, 21, a U.S. citizen residing in Weilerbach, Germany, were each convicted of one count of sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact, according to authorities.
The sentencing hearing will be held in Arizona, officials said.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 19, 2013, Martin and Heikkila sexually assaulted a 17-year-old female in Landstuhl while she was incapacitated, officials said.
At the time, Martin and Heikkila were employees of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service on Ramstein Air Force Base in Ramstein, Germany, as well as dependents of civilian employees of the military.
The Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act gives U.S. federal courts jurisdiction over felonies committed abroad by certain persons employed by or accompanying the U.S. military, officials said.
Beginning on or before Oct. 13, 2013, the evidence indicated that Martin and Heikkila used social media websites to post comments and exchange a series of messages specifically targeting the victim and planning the sexual assault.
The evidence further demonstrated that two men continued discussing the assault on social media after it occurred, according to officials.