Double amputee ex-Marine Brandon Rumbaugh accused of raping 13-year-old

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on May 23, 2025

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Motivational speaker and former Marine Brandon Rumbaugh, who lost both of his legs while serving in Afghanistan, has been accused of repeatedly raping a teen at his Pittsburgh-area home.

Authorities launched an investigation into Rumbaugh earlier this month, after a 13-year-old girl came forward with the allegations against him. She described Rumbaugh as a family friend during interviews with law enforcement, telling them she’d known him since she was 10 years old, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WPXI. She added that they started communicating by phone not long after, when she was 11 or 12.

The teen also recalled three separate occasions when she spent the night at Rumbaugh’s home in in Pleasant Hills. On the first night, nothing happened, she said, but she alleged Rumbaugh raped her the next two times, twice each night.

According to the criminal complaint, Rumbaugh bought alcoholic iced tea for the teen, which she said she drank before the assault, adding “she didn’t feel like herself” at the time. The former Marine also allegedly told her to keep the encounters “a secret until she was eighteen years old,” according to the court documents.

In 2009, Rumbaugh lost both legs after he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan while helping another Marine to safety. He’s been heralded as a war hero and recognized by the U.S. Marines with a Commendation Medal for valor.

He is also the CEO of ACT — which stands for Action Conquers Terror — Motivational Speaking, a company through which he shares his story with the likes of sports teams, Fortune 500 companies, and students.

Rumbaugh is facing multiple charges, including rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault. He remained in jail on Friday without bond.