2 sentenced in gang rape, prostitution of girl

Prison cells await two more people who have been sentenced for their roles in the 2005 gang rape and prostitution of a 15-year-old El Mirage girl.
Ryan Lia Rasmussen, 29, also known as "Hawaiian Ryan," and Mark Anthony Grayned, 22, both of Phoenix, will join four other people who have been imprisoned in the case.

Rasmussen was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison, while Grayned received a seven-year stretch. The two men, who are among six defendants in the case, also were placed on lifetime probation.

Rasmussen and Grayned each pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and three counts of attempted sexual assault, prosecutors said.

In announcing the sentencing, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said Friday the case "speaks volumes about the brutal nature of those who prostitute teenagers."

He added, "That's why this office seeks stern punishment for pimps who profit from the lost innocence of their victims."

Authorities said that during a 42-day captivity that began in September 2005, the girl was coerced into prostitution and forced to sleep in a dog kennel and hide inside a bed frame.

She was reunited with her family after a rescue by Phoenix police on Nov. 8, 2005, from an apartment near 27th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.

The ringleader, Matthew Steven Gray, 30, of Phoenix, was sentenced March 9 to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple criminal charges, officials said.

Three others, a man and two women, ages 20 to 23, were sentenced June 9 to prison terms ranging from 6½ to 10½ years, court records show.