A 39-year-old St. Louis County man who has been a registered predatory offender since he was a juvenile was sentenced to 24 years in prison last week for sexually abusing a boy under 14.
Matthew Steven Tourigny, of Britt, was sentenced last week after pleading guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Judge Robert C. Friday handed down the 288-month sentence, double the 12-year presumptive guideline for the offense. Tourigny must serve at least 16 years before becoming eligible for supervised release.
The case began in December 2024 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged a Snapchat account that had uploaded child sexual abuse material the previous April. An investigator with the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake Superior Forensic Technology and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force identified Tourigny as the account holder.
On Dec. 17, 2024, investigators and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant at Tourigny’s residence in Britt, seizing multiple cell phones, a laptop computer, a camera and other electronics. Tourigny gave a voluntary statement admitting he had photographed the sexual abuse of the boy while the child was asleep and shared the images with others online in exchange for similar material. He told investigators he had a significant relationship with the victim.
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After Tourigny was charged, the victim participated in a forensic interview. The boy described being touched inappropriately on multiple occasions and said Tourigny ignored his requests to stop, according to court documents cited by the Duluth News Tribune. In a follow-up interview last November, the child described being forced to participate in a variety of sexual acts. If he refused, Tourigny would hit him, the court documents say.
Investigators also alleged Tourigny would arrange for other men to abuse the child. The boy told interviewers Tourigny would give him something that made him sleepy and then invite other adults to sexually assault him. Authorities have not said whether any other alleged perpetrators have been identified or may face charges.
On one occasion, according to court documents, Tourigny brought the boy to a lake at night and held his head underwater, threatening to kill him if he told anyone what was happening.
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Tourigny pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, admitting he sexually assaulted the victim between October 2021 and December 2024. He was originally charged with seven felony counts, including use of minors in sexual performance, promoting prostitution of a minor, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and criminal sexual predatory conduct. The remaining six counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Tourigny has been required to register as a predatory offender since 2003 following juvenile adjudications for first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He also has two prior convictions for failing to register.
Tourigny will receive credit for about 1.3 years served since his arrest in December 2024 and will be subject to 10 years of conditional release after completing his prison sentence.
