'No one listened': Lake City man sentenced to 45 years in prison for sexually assaulting girls

Jun. 23—WABASHA — "No one listened to me when I was a child begging for help," a survivor of Matthew Raymond Rahn's abuse said in a Wabasha County District Courtroom Friday, June 23. "He hurt me in ways that have changed me until the day I die."

More than a dozen family members, friends and other survivors of Rahn's sexual abuse gathered in the courtroom to listen to District Court Judge Jeremy Clinefelter sentence him to 540 months, or 45 years, in prison for sexually abusing four girls over the course of several years.

Matthew Raymond Rahn pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct

, all felonies, in two separate cases as part of a plea deal that allowed him to escape federal prosecution. He was initially facing about a dozen other felony charges related to the sexual abuse of children between 2014 and 2022. The four counts he pleaded guilty to represent the four girls he abused.

"This resolution ensures that a truly heinous predator is kept away from children and that his victims can heal in a community free of his shadow," Lake City Police Chief Cory Kubista said in a statement about the case.

Assistant Wabasha County Attorney Matthew Stinson argued in court Friday that Clinefelter should order Rahn to be civilly committed, though the judge ultimately decided that the Minnesota Department of Corrections would be in a better place to make that judgment once Rahn is eligible for release. Rahn will be eligible for release in about 29 years.

Rahn was being investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for possessing and disseminating child sexual abuse material, prior to any of his charges this year, according to Wabasha County Attorney Karrie Kelly.

"Investigator Matt Klees took the initial tip from the BCA and then spent months tirelessly working this case, interviewing victims, obtaining subpoenas and tracking leads. This case is strong because of his determination to find the truth. I am grateful to have him on my team," Kubista said.

Rahn's charges stem from law enforcement's investigation into Rahn, in which police found photographs of a 10-year-old girl on his phone. Messages on his phone show Rahn bragging to another person about sexually abusing her.

Following that investigation,

law enforcement found that he sexually abused a girl when she was between 12 and 14 years old

and

he sexually abused another girl starting when she was in first grade.

He reportedly stopped assaulting the second juvenile when she entered fifth or sixth grade.

Law enforcement also

found that he sexually assaulted another 11-year-old girl between 2014 and 2016,

those charges were later added in a separate case. The girl, now 21, first reported the sexual abuse when she was 14 years old.

"We didn't have enough to go forward then," Kelly told the Post Bulletin earlier this year.

Throughout the abuse, Rahn was using the messaging application WhatsApp to talk to other people about the sexual assaults and exchange explicit images of minors, according to the criminal complaint.

The U.S. Attorney's Office offered Rahn a federal non-prosecution agreement following Rahn's plea deal with the state. The agreement does not apply to any other criminal misconduct Rahn may have engaged in outside of his current charges.

"Should other criminal misconduct come to light, the USAO expressly reserves the right to bring federal charges against you," U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Luger wrote in a letter to Rahn.

"I'm truly sorry about my crimes," Rahn said in court, adding that he regretted his actions.

An ex-wife of Rahn, who submitted a victim impact statement to the court, called into question her time with Rahn and detailed the long road ahead for recovery by the survivors of his abuse.

"How can he say he's a Christian and sit through church and commit the crimes he did," part of her statement read. "45 years doesn't seem like enough for what he's taken from the kids."

Clinefelter called the sentence "fair and just," in his opinion as someone who both prosecuted and defended criminal sexual conduct cases for about 20 years before taking the bench.

"People are fallible, people are redeemable," Clinefelter told Rahn in court. "Good luck to you."

Those experiencing sexual exploitation can call a 24-hour crisis line at 507-289-0636 to speak to someone who can direct you towards help.