Former North Dakota Lawmaker Pleads Guilty to Sex Tourism Charge

North Dakota state Sen. Ray Holmberg listens during a joint House and Senate Appropriations Committee meeting at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., on Jan. 7, 2009. (Will Kincaid/AP Photo)

A former North Dakota state senator pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 8 to a charge that he traveled to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with minors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Ray Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The DOJ, citing court documents and facts established in public proceedings, said Holmberg traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic 14 times between 2011 and 2021 to engage in commercial sex acts with minor boys.

During some of these trips, the former lawmaker used the alias “Sean Evans” while staying at a brothel where young boys were used for commercial sexual services, the DOJ said.

Holmberg, a Republican who served in the North Dakota Senate for 45 years, also visited a public park in Prague to procure sex from minor boys, the department said.

In communications with friends about his trips, cited by the DOJ, Holmberg allegedly said “No one is ever too young ... remember Prague.”

He also allegedly shared a link to a known brothel in Prague with a friend via email, writing, “[l]et’s go, this summer. ... The boys rent at around $60 (sex is extra),” according to the DOJ.

In other emails, he requested at least one of the employees at the brothel to find him a “kid,” the DOJ said.

The age of sexual consent in the Czech Republic is 15. However, U.S. law forbids individuals from traveling abroad for sex with adolescents under the age of 18.

Holmberg admitted in court that he had paid young male masseuses, some of whom he had sexual contact with, during multiple visits to the Czech Republic. However, Holmberg said he did not know for certain how old they were.

Holmberg Resigns From State Legislature

Holmberg resigned from the state Legislature in April 2022 after reports emerged that he had exchanged text messages with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier, who was facing life in prison on federal child pornography and sexual abuse charges.

In a statement at the time, he said recent news stories had “become a distraction for the important work of the legislative assembly during its interim meetings.”

“I want to do what I can, within my power, to lessen such distractions,” Holmberg said.

Holmberg was not charged with a crime in relation to his communications with Derosier.

He was indicted on Oct. 26, 2023, on charges of child sex tourism and receipt of child pornography.

Holmberg was first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1976 and served as chairman of the Legislative Management Committee, which decides members’ assignments and studies topics that are often considered for legislation, until his resignation in 2022.

He also served on the interim Budget Section and sat on the state’s Emergency Commission.

Additionally, Holmberg served on or chaired several GOP-led redistricting committees.

In a statement following Holmberg’s guilty plea in federal court, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley called it an “important milestone in North Dakota’s battle against child sex trafficking,” and an “important step toward justice.”

Holmberg committed “heinous crimes” and now stands convicted of “conduct that fuels the domestic and global sexual exploitation of children,” the attorney general said.

Wrigley added that state investigative resources will continue to work on the case against Holmberg and associated matters alongside federal law enforcement partners.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.