Nevada Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Filming Child Abuse in Utah

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A 32-year-old Nevada woman has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for her role in filming the sexual abuse of a preschooler, a term that will commence only after she completes a substantial indeterminate sentence in state prison. Alexandria Marie Wright, of Moapa, appeared in U.S. District Court in St. George on Wednesday, where U.S. District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen imposed the 300-month sentence followed by a lifetime of post-prison supervision.

According to federal court documents, Wright pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of production of child pornography. The charges stemmed from an investigation initiated after Homeland Security Investigations agents and local police discovered sexually explicit videos on a cell phone belonging to Wright’s co-defendant, Martin Brandon Gillen. The footage, recorded in Washington County, Utah, in October 2021, depicted the sexual abuse of a 4-year-old child.

Authorities reported that the investigation began when Gillen, 26, was arrested in Iola, Kansas, in March 2024 regarding an unrelated kidnapping case. Forensic analysis of his device revealed the media involving Wright and the toddler. Court records state that Wright and Gillen had met months prior to the incident and communicated about abusing a child to whom Wright had access. Gillen subsequently traveled from Mesquite, Nevada, to a remote area near Gunlock, Utah, to facilitate and film the abuse.

Prior to the federal sentencing, Wright faced state prosecution in Utah’s 5th District Court. On June 6, 2025, District Judge Keith C. Barnes sentenced her to 25 years to life for sodomy of a child, alongside concurrent terms for other felonies. During that hearing, Judge Barnes remarked that the defendants had taken the child “to hell and back.” Washington County Attorney Jerry Jaeger confirmed to St. George News that Wright will be transferred to the Utah State Prison to serve her state sentence first. If she is ever granted parole from the state system, she will be transferred to federal custody to begin the 25-year term.

Defense attorney Russell Pietryga argued in a sentencing memorandum that Wright’s participation was influenced by a history of trauma and coercion by Gillen, requesting a sentence at the lower end of the guidelines. However, Judge McIff Allen opted for a sentence at the higher end of the federal matrix. Gillen, described in court as a “violent sexual predator,” is currently serving a life sentence in a high-security federal penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, for the unrelated kidnapping, plus an additional 95 years for charges related to the Washington County abuse.

Judicial Procedural Analysis

The consecutive sentencing structure utilized in this case underscores the operational independence of state and federal judicial systems under the dual sovereignty doctrine. By mandating that the federal sentence of 25 years begin only after the potential release from a state indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life, the courts have effectively imposed a lifetime of custodial supervision. This procedural coordination ensures that despite the resolution of the federal plea, the defendant remains subject to the primary jurisdiction of the state corrections system for the immediate future, maximizing the punitive outcome for crimes involving the exploitation of minors.