'Alarming' allegations: 3 Albuquerque firefighters arrested in woman's alleged gang rape

Three firefighters in New Mexico are facing felony sexual assault charges after a woman told police she was gang raped at an apartment complex this summer.

Angel Portillo, 32, Anthony Martin, 44 and Aden Heyman, 46, each face one count of second-degree sexual penetration in connection to the alleged July 15 sexual assault, Bernalillo County court records show.

Heyman, a lieutenant hired by the department in 2012, and Portillo, a firefighter hired in 2019, both work for the Albuquerque Fire Department, fire Chief Emily Jaramillo told USA TODAY on Wednesday. Firefighter Martin retired after the alleged incident, the chief said.

Court documents obtained by USA TODAY show the defendants were arrested by the Albuquerque Police Department and booked into the jail on Aug. 30.

'Alarming' allegations

In a statement released Wednesday, Jaramillo said the department learned about the police department's criminal investigation into the case in July and launched its own internal investigation. All three firefighters were immediately placed on administrative leave, Jaramillo said.

"The allegations were alarming and we determined a thorough investigation was necessary to determine the facts," the chief wrote.

The chief said she could not comment further now that criminal charges have been filed but said the department was "fully cooperating" with police.

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'Held down by her arms and their weight'

According to a criminal complaint, on the evening of the alleged rape, police responded to an apartment complex for a report of a sexual assault and found the woman by the swimming pool, nude from the waist down.

The woman told police she spent time with Portillo and Martin at a golf tournament earlier that day, the complaint reads, and eventually ended up at a pool at Martin’s apartment complex, where Heyman later arrived.

Police said the woman told officers, she "hooked up with (Portillo)" in an upstairs bedroom and the act was consensual. But at some point, she said, Martin and Heyman entered the room and Heyman instructed Portillo and Martin "to have sex with her."

The woman "told them to stop" the complaint continues, but Hayden told the other two she "liked it." "The three held (the woman) down by her arms and their weight while they each had sex with her without her consent."

At some point, the woman asked to use the restroom, police wrote, walked downstairs into a bathroom and climbed out a window as "she heard the men knocking on the door asking her if she was OK."

She then ran to the swimming pool, where, according to the complaint, she found two friends.

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'A consensual experience together'

On Wednesday, Martin's Attorney Ben Ortega denied the allegations against his client and said he intends to prove his innocence at trial.

"No one stopped her from leaving," he told USA TODAY. "From everything I know about this, the four of these folks were having a consensual experience together."

Detention hearings held Wednesday

Online records show all three defendants have been jailed since their arrest.

Ortega said his client had a detention hearing in court Wednesday and was released from jail on conditions including he wear a GPS monitor and refrain from violating any other offenses.

Ortega said Heyman was also granted conditional release by a judge. Court records show he is represented by Attorney Robert Bowles, who could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY.

Records show Portillo is being represented by a court-appointed attorney. The lawyer, Heather LeBlanc, could not also immediately be reached. Ortega had a bond hearing slated for Wednesday afternoon.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.