American man gets 50 years for ‘horrific’ sex abuse, kidnapping of Edmonton teen

An American man who developed an online relationship with an Edmonton teen and groomed her for over a year before whisking her away to the U.S. and subjecting her to “horrific sexual abuse” has been given a 50-year prison sentence.

The decision against Noah Madrano was handed down Tuesday in court in Portland, Ore., almost three years after the girl was located and Madrano was arrested by FBI agents at a hotel in the state.

The 43-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to sexual abuse and kidnapping charges.

A manhunt for Madrano began in the summer of 2022, after the girl, then 13, didn’t show up for class at her junior high school in Edmonton. Court heard she was smuggled across the border in the trunk of Madrano’s vehicle.

Madrano was also accused of using the girl’s voice as part of a political satire skit on his podcast weeks before the kidnapping. On the podcast, he claimed that he had obtained a recording of Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz having phone sex with an underage girl.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chernick sought life in prison for Madrano, arguing the man subjected the girl to a week of “horrific sexual abuse” and showed no remorse.

“Instead, he bragged about (the abuse) publicly on his social media accounts and radio show,” Chernick said in court filings, adding he also tried to lure a child in Washington state.

“(The) defendant’s cruelty towards his victims and their families, his complete lack of remorse, and the danger he would pose to the community if he were ever released are extraordinary.”

Madrano’s lawyer, Justin Rusk, asked for 24 years in prison, as it would be an incentive for rehabilitation and give Madrano “a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“A life sentence for Mr. Madrano, a first-time offender who was dealing with personal and mental struggles coming out of the extreme isolation of the pandemic and who has no prior sexually aggressive or violent tendencies, is a substantially unwarranted sentence,” Rusk argued.

A plea deal document says Madrano was in an online sexual relationship with the girl for one year. The victim, often at the request of the offender, sent sexually explicit photos and videos that he posted on social media.

Madrano travelled to Edmonton in May 2022 and recorded the girl as she performed oral sex on him in a hotel. He came to Canada a month later and picked her up from her middle school, hiding her in another hotel, where she was abused multiple times.

On Canada Day in 2022, Madrano hid the girl in the trunk of his car and took her across the border to a hotel in Oregon, where she was repeatedly forced to have sex with him.

In January, he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Several family members, including the girl, read victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. The teen said Madrano’s abuse left her broken and damaged, and she wishes for him to “rot in prison.”

The girl’s father previously told The Canadian Press that Madrano manipulated his daughter, isolating her from friends and family.

Madrano is also to pay a $5,000 fine and be under strict supervision upon his release, which could happen when he’s in his 90s.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2025.