Decorated marine veteran and double amputee raped 13-year-old girl, PA cops say
A decorated marine veteran known for his motivational speeches after losing his legs in Afghanistan is now accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, Pennsylvania police said.
Brandon Rumbaugh, 36, was charged on May 20 with sexual assault, three counts of indecent assault, two counts of corruption of minors, statutory sexual assault, rape, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, endangering the welfare of children and selling or furnishing alcohol to minors, according to a criminal complaint.
His attorney information was not listed.
The 13-year-old girl said Rumbaugh, a family friend, raped and sexually assaulted her multiple times while she slept over at his Pleasant Hills home in April, according to the criminal complaint.
She had known the man since she was 10 years old, she told police, and the two started to communicate by phone as she got older, the complaint said.
The first time she stayed the night at his home, the two went to the gym and watched military movies, according to court documents. The second time she stayed, police said the girl was forced into sex acts.
The two slept in the same bed during one of the overnight stays, police said, and another person slept on an adjacent bed in the room. The veteran is also accused of buying the teen alcohol.
Rumbaugh told the girl to keep the sex acts a secret until she was 18 years old, the criminal complaint said.
Rumbaugh is a Marine veteran based in the Pittsburgh area. He took up motivational speaking after serving in Afghanistan, according to his social media accounts.
He has been honored as a war hero after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan while carrying another marine, WTAE reported.
Police said he is held in jail without bail, according to WPXI.
Pleasant Hills is about a 9-mile drive southeast from Pittsburgh.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Decorated marine veteran and double amputee raped 13-year-old girl, PA cops say."
