WARNING: This article contains details of abuse.
A Canadian teenager returned to Oregon, nearly three years after she was abducted and taken to the state from her Edmonton home, to see the man who groomed and abused her go to prison.
The girl, who CBC News is not naming to protect her identity as a victim of sexual assault, was 13 when she was taken from outside her junior high school, hidden away from her family for eight days and sexually abused.
Noah Madrano pleaded guilty in January to two of the six federal U.S. charges he faced after FBI agents caught him with the girl in a hotel room in a Portland, Ore., suburb in July 2022.
After contacting and manipulating the girl online for a year, starting when she was 12, Madrano travelled to Edmonton twice to abuse her in person — the second time, taking her back over the U.S.-Canada border in the trunk of his car.
Alongside her family members at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, the teen addressed the U.S. District Court in Portland.
“I stand here today with pride and strength,” she said.
“At first I felt as if I would be alone reading my impact statement up here. However, I’m not alone. I stand here with every other victim of sexual violence, that never got justice, in my heart.”
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman handed Madrano a 50-year prison sentence for sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
It falls short of the possible maximum life sentence that his second offence carries, and which Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chernick argued he should receive.
But with decades to serve, Madrano, 43, could still end up spending the remainder of his life behind bars.
Madrano will be required to register as a sex offender. He additionally faces U.S. state charges, which have yet to be resolved.
The Edmonton Police Service previously said in a statement that Madrano wasn’t charged in Canada, because his case was dealt with by U.S. authorities.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon William Narus said in a statement Tuesday that the sentence is “a result of the extraordinary efforts of the victim, the victim’s family, their community, and law enforcement here and in Canada.”
The teen girl said she has blocked out parts of what happened to her, but she still sometimes gets flashes of what she described as “endless nights of abuse.”
She told the court that Madrano forced her to dye her hair to disguise herself, repeatedly took videos of her, and threatened to kill her despite claiming he loved her. At one point, he held her head underwater in a hotel bathroom.
The girl’s mother told the court in her victim impact statement that her daughter had a cellphone, but the family implemented parental controls and monitored her activity. The mother said Madrano managed to contact the girl through a music program with a chat function that was on a school-issued device.
Chernick, the prosecutor, said Tuesday that it’s rare for her office to recommend a life sentence, but Madrano’s conduct “exhibited a level of depravity that we rarely see in this district.”
She called him “dangerous, unrepentant and persistent,” arguing his prospects for rehabilitation are virtually non-existent.
She said Madrano previously travelled to another state in an attempt to meet up with a different young teen before turning his focus to the Edmonton girl, lying to her about who he was in online conversations, and continuously escalating his exploitation.
Once Madrano was in jail, he continued to try to get access to a USB drive that contained child sexual abuse material, Chernick said.
“This defendant, even in his sentencing materials, is asking this court to view him as the immature one who was manipulated and coerced by the victim, who was 13 years old,” she told the court.
“The fact he can think that is a believable story to tell about what happened here shows how dangerous he is.”
Defence lawyer Justin Rusk asked Judge Mosman to consider a sentence of nearly 25 years.
He said that still amounts to roughly a third of his client’s life, saying Madrano needs a chance to address his “previously untreated issues” with mental illness and pedophilia.
Madrano gave his own statement in court.
He read from a letter he wrote before the hearing that he described as “a truthful account of my misdeeds,” apologizing for the impact of his actions on his family and a local community radio station where he previously volunteered.
He said he’s remorseful, and claimed he “only wanted what’s best” for the girl he victimized.
“Although I was only trying to help her, I am aware those actions were wrong and the consequences extend beyond just her and affect her family deeply,” he said.
When Madrano finished speaking, Judge Mosman said he “categorically rejects” that version of events.
“His story … is ridiculous, painfully blind, oblivious to the harm that it causes even to repeat it today, and not justified by any of the facts of the case,” he said.
“Mr. Madrano, while expressing the word remorse, continues to maintain a story that is a complete lie about what happened.”
The judge said he sees Madrano’s point of view as further evidence of his low likelihood of rehabilitation. But he ultimately decided against issuing the maximum penalty of life in prison.
At the end of her statement, the Edmonton teenager read poetry she’d written to express her feelings about what Madrano put her through.
She asked for a lengthy sentence for the man who abused her.
“I deserve to be free. He does not.”
If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
