Willowbrook man gets 10 years after testimony from alleged victim

A Willowbrook man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to register as a sex offender after a 19-year-old man testified he was molested repeatedly by the convicted pedophile.

The 19-year-old said Daniel Rappe, 48, molested him on numerous occasions when he was between the ages of about 6 and 13, said assistant U.S. attorney Christopher McFadden.

Rappe has two previous convictions for sexually assaulting children and one state conviction for failing to register as a sex offender, according to court records.

Rappe was arrested in March of 2007 by U.S. marshalls for failing to register as a sex offender. An accomplice, who prosecutors say he was living with in Willowbrook, allegedly helped him then erase files on his computers because federal investigators were going to look for child pornography on them.

Rappe was also charged with three counts of obstruction. His accomplice, Kim Randall, pleaded guilty to helping him. Rappe was found guilty by a jury in July.

Rappe's attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

Rappe was not charged with molesting the man who testified Tuesday, but the testimony was used to boost the prison sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning. McFadden said any related molestation charges would fall under state jurisdiction.

"This sentence holds him accountable for the unspeakable acts that he committed for such a long period of time," McFadden said.

The conviction is the first in the Midwest to come under the 2006 Adam Walsh Act, which made failing to register as a sex offender a federal crime.