A Hennepin County jury convicted a former Oakdale middle school math teacher on all six felony counts he faced for repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl at a St. Anthony home between 2019 and 2022. Ho Tu Duong, 47, of Maple Grove, was found guilty on Aug. 27, 2026, of four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct following a four-day trial in Hennepin County District Court.
Duong was the boyfriend of the girl's mother, and prosecutors say he began assaulting the girl when she was just 6 years old, according to the Pioneer Press. Per the criminal complaint, Duong assaulted the girl while staying overnight to watch her while her mother worked, and he threatened to kill the girl's mother if the girl ever disclosed the abuse.
The case became public after the girl unexpectedly encountered Duong at the Mall of America, an experience that left her scared and reawakened memories of what had happened to her, according to the same account. She disclosed the assaults to her mother in February 2025 following that encounter, and law enforcement formally launched its investigation the following month, according to KARE 11.
Charges Expanded Twice Before Trial
Duong, who also goes by the name Eriq Duong, was initially charged in April 2025 with a single felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Hennepin County prosecutors later amended the criminal complaint twice, in September 2025 and again in August 2026, ultimately expanding the case to the six felony counts a jury would eventually weigh.
Duong had been released on a $100,000 bond under strict no-contact conditions after his initial arrest. That release order was revoked upon his conviction, and he was remanded to the Hennepin County Jail without bail, where he is now being held ahead of a Sept. 30 sentencing hearing.
Jury Findings Could Push Sentence Higher
Beyond the convictions themselves, jurors also returned special sentencing findings determining that Duong held a position of trust or authority over the child across all six counts, and additionally found that he used force on one count. Those aggravating-factor findings, reported by Minneapolis Right Now, give prosecutors grounds to ask a judge to depart upward from Minnesota's presumptive sentencing guidelines at the Sept. 30 hearing.
Under Minnesota Statute § 609.342, a first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction carries a statutory maximum of up to 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine per count, along with mandatory lifetime predatory offender registration, according to Lundgren & Johnson. The second-degree counts Duong was also convicted of carry a maximum of up to 25 years in prison and a $35,000 fine per count under Minnesota Statute § 609.343, per Valentini Law, which notes that degree distinctions in the state's criminal code hinge on whether penetration or non-penetrative contact occurred.
School District Says No Students Were Involved
Duong had worked for nearly 14 years as a math teacher at Skyview Middle School in Oakdale, part of Independent School District No. 622, after being hired in August 2011. The district serves students across seven Twin Cities East Metro communities, including North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Landfall, Pine Springs and Woodbury.
After Duong's initial court appearance in April 2025, the district's superintendent issued a formal letter to parents confirming he had been placed on administrative leave, barred from all district property, and prohibited from contacting students. The letter stated that the alleged abuse had no connection with the school or district, according to Woodbury News Net. Duong has since resigned from the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District.
