June 26th 2024.
A former lawmaker from North Dakota, Ray Holmberg, has recently made headlines as he prepares to plead guilty to a serious charge. According to reports from the Associated Press, the former Republican state Senator from Grand Forks has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, which was filed on June 24th.
The agreement includes a recommendation for Holmberg to register as a sex offender and also suggests a sentencing guideline range to dismiss another charge that was brought against him for attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material. While the maximum sentence for these charges could be 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release, Holmberg's lawyer, Mark Friese, believes that prosecutors will recommend a shorter sentence of three to four years in prison.
The sentencing is set for the fall and comes after Holmberg was indicted in October 2023. The charges stem from his trips to Prague in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2016, where he allegedly went with the intent to pay for sex with a minor.
Holmberg, who served as a member of the legislature from 1976 until mid-2022, was once a powerful figure in North Dakota's political scene. However, he resigned ahead of turning down re-election after a report from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead revealed that he had been sending text messages to a man named Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, who was in jail for child pornography material.
Records show that Holmberg had taken numerous trips to different states and countries, including Norway and Canada, since 1999. As the chair of the Legislative Management panel, which handles the state legislature's business between biennial sessions, Holmberg had the authority to approve his own travel.
In light of his indictment, the North Dakota School Boards Association has returned approximately $142,000 to the state and has withdrawn from the Global Bridges teacher exchange program. This is due to the revelation that Holmberg had used state funds to travel to Prague and other European cities in 2011, 2018, and 2019.
The case has also brought attention to another disturbing incident in Washington state, where a 42-year-old white man is accused of assaulting an 11-year-old black child. These cases serve as a reminder of the need for justice and accountability when it comes to protecting minors from sexual abuse and exploitation.
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