10-year term for sexually assaulting 4 women

A Shoreview man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women he picked up at downtown Minneapolis bars and drove to his home in 2008 and 2009.

Maksud Mahbub, 36, was found guilty in March of one charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct -- rape using force or coercion -- and three charges of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was acquitted of one third-degree sexual misconduct charge.

One of the victims cried as she read a letter in court to Ramsey County District Judge Judith Tilsen.

"I wanted to write this letter for all the women Maksud Mahbub victimized," the woman said. "I am disgusted by the fact he haunts my thoughts daily."

She said regardless of culture or citizenship, Mahbub knew the difference between consensual and non-consensual sex.

"I thought 'How could this happen to me?'" she said. "Now I know: I didn't let this happen; Maksud is a predator."

Mahbub, who has lived in the United States for 17 years, had asked Tilsen not to send him to prison because he expects to be deported to Bangladesh after he serves his sentence.

"I'm not going to depart from the guidelines because it's going to be hard on your family," Tilsen said.

In one of the assaults, the victim testified that she had gone to a Minneapolis bar with a friend in September 2009 and had about five beers and six shots of liquor before ending up alone. She testified that the next thing she remembered was being in Mahbub's car. At his townhouse, she said, she fell asleep with her clothes on in his bedroom, but was nude when she woke up and he was on top of her. She said he raped her, even though she pushed him off twice. Mahbub testified that he had never touched the woman. He also said that he had consensual sex with one of the women and kissed another, but denied touching the others.

Ella Friendt, of Maplewood, was a juror in the case and said she attended the sentencing because she wanted to see the end of the process.

"It was a gut-wrenching case," Friendt said. "It was hard being a mother seeing what his mother was going through, but I also have a daughter. ... "