A former lawmaker in North Dakota is set to plead guilty to traveling to the Czech Republic to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor.
Former Republican state Sen. Ray Holmberg, of Grand Forks, signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that was filed on Monday, June 24, the Associated Press reports.
As part of the plea deal, Holmberg, 80, would register as a sex offender along with prosecutors recommending a sentencing guideline range to dismiss his other charge of attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material.
While the maximum sentencing for the charges is 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and lifetime supervised release, prosecutors will likely recommend a three to four-year prison sentence, according to Holmberg’s attorney Mark Friese.
Sentencing is scheduled for the fall.
The charges stem from Holmberg’s trips to Prague in the Czech Republic from June 2011 to November 2016 with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. News of the case comes after his indictment was unsealed in October 2023.
Holmberg was one of the most powerful members of the legislature when he served from 1976 until mid-2022. He resigned ahead of turning down re-election after a report from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead found that he sent text messages to Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, who was in jail for child pornography material.
Records show that Holmberg took dozens of trips throughout the U.S. and other countries, including Norway and Canada, since 1999. His chair position with the Legislative Management panel, which handles the state legislature’s business between biennial sessions, allowed Holmberg to approve his own travel.
Earlier this year, the North Dakota School Boards Association returned approximately $142,000 to the state and withdrew from the Global Bridges teacher exchange program due to Holmberg’s indictment, which revealed that he used state funds to travel to Prague and other European cities in 2011, 2018, and 2019.
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