25 years in prison for man convicted of raping girls he met at Minnesota youth camp

A 39-year-old Twin Cities man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for producing child pornography involving girls he met while he was a counselor at a central Minnesota youth camp, where he also attended as a child.

Scott F. Fortier, of Blaine, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Minneapolis, where Judge Patrick Schiltz described Fortier as "a wolf let loose in a field of sheep."

"Scott Fortier is a serial predator and rapist who victimized underage girls whom he met at a summer camp where he frequented," said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. "I am grateful that the court recognized the severity of this type of predatory conduct, and I commend the diligent work of the investigators and prosecutors in bringing this defendant to justice."

Special FBI agent in Charge Jill Sanborn added that Fortier, who began attending the camp at age 9, "used his position in the camp to prey on his victims and then further victimized them by producing child pornography. ... We have no greater duty than to protect the most vulnerable among us."

As revealed during his trial, which ended in January with his conviction, while Fortier worked at the Circle R Ranch coed horseback riding camp in Long Prairie, he met a 17-year-old girl, and invited her and her 15-year-old friend to his Blaine home in September 2016. He gave them alcohol and used his cellphone to make several videos of himself having sex with both girls.

According to earlier charges filed in state court, the 15-year-old said all three of them went into his hot tub nude, and Fortier touched her sexually after the 17-year-old left. He and the 15-year-old then had sex in his house, the younger teen continued.

A law enforcement search found that Fortier had thousands of images of child pornography and pornographic videos of children under the age of 12. They also found graphic videos taken on a smartphone of himself and the 15-year-old. A second video showed him having intercourse with her while she was motionless and quiet. Other videos and photos showed the girl in his garage nude and stumbling about.

At his sentencing, prosecutors introduced statements from the girls and "a number of other victims detailing years of sexual misconduct and rapes committed by Fortier against underage girls at the camp," where he worked as a counselor and program director, read a statement Thursday from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In yet another earlier state court filing, a young adult reported that Fortier sexually assaulted her several times at the ranch in 2014.

After his 25 years in prison are complete, Fortier will be placed on supervised release for 10 years.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482