25-year prison term imposed on man who abused online friend

A Georgia man will spend the next 25 years behind bars after pleading guilty to the sexual abuse of a teenager he met on Snapchat. The sentence includes credit for the nearly two years he spent in county jail waiting for trial. Once he is released, he must register as a sex offender and serve lifetime probation.

Prosecutors announced that Brallan Martinez, 25, entered a negotiated guilty plea to five felony charges. The charges include enticing a child for indecent purposes, statutory rape, child molestation, aggravated child molestation, and sexual exploitation of children. Court records confirm that Martinez knew the victim was 14 years old when he began befriending her on the social media platform.

Detectives found a video recording of the abuse on Martinez's phone. The abuse took place over a three-month period in 2024. Martinez lived in Coweta County, while the victim resided in another part of metro Atlanta. The Coweta County Sheriff's Office arrested Martinez after the recordings were discovered.

Martinez remained in the Coweta County Jail without bond for almost two years before his case went to trial. A judge ordered his transfer to the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve his sentence. He will not be eligible for release until he has served the full 25-year term, minus the time already served in custody.

Deputies previously expressed concern that Martinez may have targeted other victims online, though authorities have not disclosed additional names. The case highlights the risks associated with social media interactions between adults and minors in the metro Atlanta region.

The legal proceedings conclude with Martinez moving from local jail to state prison. He will remain under state monitoring for the rest of his life following his eventual release from custody.