Self-proclaimed Utah millionaire sentenced to jail in assault, kidnapping

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man accused of holding a woman in his house for several weeks, assaulting her on multiple occasions during that time and threatening to kill her family members, has been sentenced to serve 85 days in jail.

Ramone Mauricio Martinez, 39, was sentenced to three terms of zero to five years in prison, but 3rd District Court Judge Dianna Gibson suspended the prison time in favor of a one-year jail sentence with credit for time already served, meaning he has 85 days left. Defense attorney Randall Richards said Martinez reports to jail on Dec. 27 and will be on probation after his release.

“I don’t see him being any problem on probation. He’s done what he’s supposed to do,” Richards said.

During the sentencing, the victim said Martinez, a self-proclaimed millionaire, threatened to hurt her family members and tried to burn her face with acid so that she would be “deformed and ugly.”

“I am so fearful about men now,” she said. “I don’t trust them. I feel like they’re all going to hurt me.”

She said said she fears constantly that someone is watching her, has recurring nightmares and doesn’t trust herself.

“I don’t have peace of mind and it’s so exhausting,” she said.

The victim also said the assaults have caused her financial distress. She was unable to work for a time because Martinez broke her wrist, she said, and she moved in with a relative when she could no longer afford to live on her own.

“I used to be a happy, cheerful, self-reliant person,” the woman said. “(Now) I find myself depressed, dealing with anxiety and fearful for my own safety. … Ramone took and erased parts of my life I will never get back again.”

Richards said the victim’s story has changed multiple times throughout the proceedings and that his team has evidence disproving some of her claims.

“I’m not real happy with the outcome,” Richards said. “(But Martinez) was able to get out and save his company, and he’ll be able to weather this.”

Martinez was arrested in December 2021 after police say the victim texted a friend that she was being held against her will. The friend then called police.

At Martinez’s house, officers discovered that the woman “had heavy bruising around both eyes and she stated her ribs were hurting and that she had difficulty breathing. She stated that over a period of several weeks she was threatened to be killed and was assaulted. During this time she was unable to leave or go anywhere freely,” a police booking affidavit states.

The woman told police she had been assaulted six times the previous day alone. On two occasions she was choked to the point of losing consciousness, the affidavit states, once by Martinez using his hands and the other by his foot.

“At another point in time (he) grabbed the victim and held a knife to her throat. Again at another point in time, (Martinez) grabbed a knife and carved the number ‘6’ into the victim’s left hand stating that she had six months to love him or be killed. And, lastly, at some point during the day, the victim stated (Martinez) grabbed a gun and pointed it at her head,” according to the affidavit.

Police noted at the time that Martinez had access to many firearms and “a large amount of money to gain access to more firearms if he chooses. (He) also threatened to go to Mexico and chop up the victim’s brother” as well as attack the woman’s mother, the affidavit states.

Martinez has businesses in California, Oregon and Arizona, where police say he also has a second house and was planning on taking the woman there the day he was arrested.

“(Martinez) also stated he is a millionaire, giving him access to flights and other means of travel which would enable him to flee,” police wrote.

Martinez was originally charged with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; two counts of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony; four counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; attempted discharge of a firearm and two counts of assault, class A misdemeanors.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony as part of a plea deal. In exchange, all other charges were dismissed.