Britt man pleads guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct; sentencing April 14

Matthew Steven Tourigny, 39, of Britt pleaded guilty Feb. 20 in St. Louis County District Court to first‑degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child under 14, and the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office said, “Tourigny now admits to sexually assaulting a boy under the age of 14.” Sentencing is scheduled for April 14, 2026, in the Sixth Judicial District.

During the plea hearing before Sixth District Judge Robert C. Friday, Tourigny admitted aggravating factor(s) that allow a sentence above the presumptive guideline. Prosecutors and local reporting note the presumptive guideline prison term of 144 months, and that admission of aggravating factors permits a judge to impose up to 288 months, or 24 years. Fox21 reported that “Tourigny will likely be sentenced to 288 months in prison,” a characterization attributed to that outlet.

Tourigny has been in custody since his arrest in December 2024. Investigators executed a search warrant at his Britt residence on Dec. 17, 2024, where U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents, a St. Louis County Sheriff’s investigator and other deputies seized a smart watch, multiple cell phones, a laptop computer, a camera, and video gaming consoles, according to the Mesabi Tribune. Mesabi reported the Sheriff’s investigator identified the Snapchat screen name “mtourigny86” as belonging to Tourigny.

The investigation involved federal and local partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Duluth News Tribune reported NCMEC alerted local authorities after a user uploaded a photo of a young, nude boy to Snapchat in April 2024. Charging documents cited by Fox21 allege Tourigny sent pictures of a child and attempted to arrange or coordinate sexual abuse through social media messages.

Court filings and reporting describe extensive allegations about the victim. The Duluth News Tribune reported that the boy told authorities he was routinely abused, “was hit and threatened, led to a ‘secret hideout’ in the woods and also abused by other men invited by the defendant,” and that he was photographed in sexual positions. Multiple outlets state the victim was a male child under the age of 14.

Tourigny is a registered predatory offender and has been required to register since 2003 after juvenile adjudications for first‑ and second‑degree criminal sexual conduct, court records show. Fox21 and the Duluth News Tribune report convictions in 2006 and 2007 for registration violations recorded as “Intentionally provides false info” and “Knowingly Violates Registration Req. or Intentionally Provides False Information.”

Reporting on the timeframe and number of counts varies. The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office and multiple outlets give a range of October 2021 through December 2024 for the alleged conduct; Mesabi Tribune reported a narrower October 2021 to December 2022 range and an earlier Mesabi piece referenced April 8, 2024; Duluth said the abuse “may have spanned as far back as April 2021”; Northern News Now reported specific October date windows without a year. Northern News Now also reported Tourigny was originally charged with seven felonies, while Duluth characterized the plea as to a count of first‑degree criminal sexual conduct. Those discrepancies remain until charging documents and plea minutes are reviewed.

The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office provided phone numbers for people seeking help, according to Mesabi Tribune and Fox21. Tourigny remains in custody pending the April 14 sentencing hearing in Virginia, Minnesota, where the court will determine the final term within the statutory range.