Former Concertmaster to Avoid Life Sentence if He Pleads Guilty to Rape Charges

Odin Rathnam will serve 15 to 30 years in prison if he pleads guilty to 28 charges of child rape 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.

Currently, he could be facing a life sentence plus 70 years in state prison if convicted of charges that he sexually abused a juvenile for 11 years between 2008 and 2019. 

Prosecutors have now offered a plea deal to Rathnam: to plead guilty to all 28 charges and spend 15 to 30 years in prison, plus five years of probation, reported PennLive. 

As explained by Dauphin County prosecutor Katie Adam, this deal will allow the now 23-year-old who alleges that she was sexually abused by Rathnam as a child, to avoid reliving those memories on the witness stand. Adam added that the woman indicated she would like to attend Rathnam’s sentencing hearing if he pleads guilty. 

The abuse was reported by the victim in May 2024, who alleged that she suffered severe trauma and injuries from the sexual assaults, which have resulted in ongoing medical issues. 

PennLive added that Rathnam’s attorney, public defender Paul Kovatch, did not comment on whether his client is considering the plea deal.

Rathnam will have until the end of March to decide if he will accept the negotiated plea deal or fight the charges at trial. 

If he agreed to the plea deal, he would be in his 70s at the earliest time he could be released from prison, and by that time, would remain on the Megan’s Law registry for sex offenders. 

Upon leaving the Harrisburg Symphony after a contract dispute, Rathnam said he intended to spend more time developing his solo career and working on a foundation for arts initiatives. Additionally, as Cleveland State University was made aware of the allegations raised against Rathnam, his part-time contract as a violin instructor was not renewed. 

In 2024, a representative of the Harrisburg Symphony told The Violin Channel: “The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra recently learned about sexual assault charges filed against Odin Rathnam, who worked as concertmaster of the HSO from 1991 through 2012. He has not been affiliated with the HSO since that time. 

“We do not know anything more about the allegations than what we have read in the news media,” they continued. “We will do everything we can to cooperate fully should we be contacted by law enforcement as part of their investigation."