Former Concertmaster Sentenced 15 to 30 Years in Prison for Child Rape

Odin Rathnam pleaded guilty to 28 charges in Pennsylvania

Odin Rathnam, 59, was the former concertmaster of Central Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and a former violin tutor at Cleveland State University.

He has recently pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sexually abusing a juvenile for 11 years between 2008 and 2019, and pleaded no contest to five other charges. 

This comes after Rathnam was offered a plea deal from prosecutors to plead guilty to all 28 charges. He could have faced a life sentence if he had been convicted at trial.

Dauphin County Judge Scott Evans has now sentenced him to 15 to 30 years in state prison, with an additional five years of probation. 

The plea deal allows the now 23-year-old victim, who alleged she was sexually abused by Rathnam as a child, to avoid reliving those memories on the witness stand, explained Dauphin County prosecutor Katie Adam. Evans also ordered Rathnam to pay $2,450 in restitution to the victim and her family.

According to his attorney, Paul Kovatch, Rathnam grew up in New York as a Juilliard-trained violinist with an extensive career in music, but also faced extensive abuse during his childhood, PennLive reported. 

Kovatch said Rathnam aimed to resolve the case as quickly as possible — he ended his Europe tour and returned to his current home in Ohio, and waived extradition. 

Rathnam initially denied committing the crimes, claiming he had a drinking problem but “knew this did not absolve me from the darkest mistakes I’ve ever made … cannot put into words the remorse I have … I hope that today can be the beginning of healing,” he told the victim. 

He will stay on the Megan’s Law sex offender registry the rest of his life and will remain in Dauphin County Prison only so far as he undergoes evaluation to be designated as a sexually violent predator.  

In the victim’s own statement, she told Rathnam: “You made me think we had a special relationship. I did not consent to what happened … You have a darkness inside of you. No apology or crying from you will change the way I feel.”