A former North Dakota lawmaker, once a prominent figure in the Legislature, is set to enter a guilty plea in federal court on Thursday. The charges against them involve traveling to Europe with the intention of engaging in illegal activities with a minor.
An 80-year-old man from Grand Forks, Ray Holmberg, was indicted in October 2023 for serious charges related to illicit sexual activity and child sexual abuse material.
In June, he signed a plea agreement in which he agreed to plead guilty to the travel charge. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence at the lower end of the guideline range and will also move to dismiss the other charge. Holmberg would be required to register as a sex offender.
The travel charge can result in severe consequences, including a lengthy prison sentence of up to 30 years, a substantial fine of $250,000, and a lifetime of supervised release.
According to the plea agreement, Holmberg admitted to frequently traveling between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Prague, Czech Republic with the intention of engaging in commercial sex with individuals under the age of 18.
Holmberg has been subject to various conditions of release, such as travel restrictions, location monitoring, and surrendering his passport.
On Friday, a report was filed by the pretrial services officer stating that Holmberg had not fulfilled the required conditions.
Read More: California Native Becomes Youngest Wrestler in US to Bag Gold in Olympics at only 20
According to her account, he received a verbal reprimand and was reminded of his pretrial release conditions for leaving his residence and visiting an adult novelty store without approval. Additionally, he frequently accessed the Internet for unauthorized purposes and neglected to update and maintain the monitoring software on his cellular device, according to her statement.
In May, Holmberg acknowledged consuming alcohol after testing positive. In the following weeks, he received instructions to eliminate an unauthorized iPad from his residence. Additionally, the judge imposed a requirement that limits Holmberg’s usage of electronic devices.
According to the officer, he has been consistently using the Internet for unauthorized purposes.
Holmberg, a Republican, had a long and distinguished career in the state Senate, serving from 1976 until mid-2022. Despite initially stating he would not run for another term, he ultimately stepped down after The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported on his extensive text message exchange with an individual incarcerated for possession of child sexual abuse material.
The trial for Holmberg was set to commence in September in Fargo. He entered a plea of not guilty at first.
Source: The Associated Press