Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to raping 12-year-old, sentenced to at least 21 years in prison
An Allentown, Pennsylvania, man was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to rape and sexual assault charges, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said.
Joshua Mickey Martel, 32, pleaded guilty to two cases of child rape, human trafficking, and statutory sexual assault, according to the DA's office. Martel will spend a minimum of 21 years in prison after negotiating a plea deal. Judge Robert L. Steinberg ordered him to serve 21 to 50 years behind bars. Martel will also have to register as a sex offender for life.
In the one case, the DA's office said that Martel raped a 12-year-old girl after her mother sold her for money and drugs inside an Allentown motel room.
In April 2024, the 12-year-old told investigators that her mother took her and her siblings to a motel to meet Martel on the 1000 block of Airport Road in Allentown. According to the DA's office, the 12-year-old saw Martel give her mother money and drugs before leaving her in the room alone with Martel.
The DA's office said the 12-year-old's mother is also charged in the case, but she won't be identified in order to protect her daughter. She was charged with rape of a child, sexual exploitation of a child and other offenses, according to the DA's office.
Martel also pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in a separate incident in May 2024, according to the DA's office.
The DA's office said that police found Martel inside the same Allentown motel on Airport Road with the 13-year-old after he had sent an Uber to her middle school. The 13-year-old told police she was sexually assaulted by Martel.
The cases were investigated by Allentown police and the Lehigh County DA's office.
