



"We no longer felt safe in our own home," he said.



"I will probably never know whether it was an obsession or compulsion that blinded you...to destroy two families," Frank said, referring to the Kostolniks and Ardolf's own two daughters and a son.

In separate soliloquies before the judge, Kostolnik and his wife, Bethany, explained - at time through tears - why they thought a lengthy sentence was needed.

Saying she thought Ardolf should be imprisoned "for a very long time," Bethany Kostolnik ended with a plea: "We need this nightmare to be over."

After he finishes his prison sentence, Ardolf will be on supervised release for 20 years. A condition of release: he can't work with computers unless his probation officer approves.



After court adjourned, the Kostolniks shared a long, lingering hug just outside the courtroom door. The sentencing in federal court in St. Paul had been a long time coming for the couple.



Ardolf's sentencing took longer than normal. Sentencings in federal court are generally brisk affairs; the longer ones last perhaps an hour. Including a couple of short breaks, Ardolf's sentencing stretched on for 6-1/2 hours.

It was filled with lawyers' arguments, testimony from an FBI agent, the Kostolniks' statements and some words from Ardolf himself.



"It's been difficult for me to eat. I've felt no enjoyment," Ardolf told Frank of his time awaiting trial in the Sherburne County jail. He described his days alone in 23-hour lockdown, said jail food "is always horrible" and complained that "the beds are like taking a sleeping bag and sleeping on the garage floor."

He reeled off a list of recent prison sentences he'd read about in the paper - including the 10-year sentence meted out to former auto mogul Denny Hecker this year - and said that relatively speaking, his crime wasn't as bad as those of some people sent to prison for terms less than what he was facing.

"I didn't kill anyone," he said.





When it comes to sentencing, federal judges use by guidelines that assess scores for various crimes.

Frank noted that when Ardolf's points were computed, the guidelines called for a maximum of 15 years and eight months. But the judge said a harsher punishment - 216 months, or 18 years - was called for.


The judge also fined Ardolf $10,000 and told him that when his prison time was done, he'd have to register as a sex offender.

When Matt Kostolnik spoke to the judge, he had said that someday, he might be able to forgive Ardolf. But not that Tuesday.

After sentencing, after Ardolf had been led away by deputy U.S. marshals, after he and his wife had embraced each other, Kostolnik was asked outside the courtroom if he believes he'll be able to forgive the man who terrorized him and his family.

"I certainly hope so," he said. "It doesn't do me any good to carry that around."

David Hanners can be reached at 612-338-6516.