Former Republican Sen. Ray Holmberg arrives at Quentin Burdick U.S. District Courthouse for change of plea hearing. (KFGO file photo)
FARGO (KFGO) – Former North Dakota State Senator Ray Holmberg of Grand Forks will not appeal his 10-year federal prison sentence for traveling overseas to have sex with underage boys.
Holmberg’s attorney, Mark Friese of Fargo, says Holmberg did not ask him to file an appeal. Holmberg is in the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minnesota pending his transfer to a federal prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland, went beyond the sentencing recommendation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which suggested a sentence of up to nearly four years on March 26 and sentenced Holmberg to 120 months. Prosecutors and the defense agreed that Holmberg should serve about three years due to his age and poor health.
Holmberg pleaded guilty to the charges in August.
Hovland said during the sentencing hearing that Holmberg is still a threat to underage boys, and a 37-month sentence would not be a deterrent to others. The 81-year-old Holmberg would also have to serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison sentence is up.
Holmberg, shackled at the hands and feet and wearing an orange Cass County Jail jumpsuit, apologized to the victims. He said he’s had time to reflect while in the Sherburne County jail where he said he’s joined therapy groups.
Hovland called Holmberg’s character “egregious and despicable.” Holmberg denied actually having sex with anyone under 18. Hovland said he can “read between the lines.”
The judge went on to say it was not a victimless crime and even though the government doesn’t have identities of victims, the contact will have lifelong impacts.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime.
“This was a crime that was an assault of the dignity of many young boys,” Puhl said. “I think the court considered his long history of manipulating young men in North Dakota. I think the sentence stands for itself.”
Shortly after the sentenced was handed down, majority and minority leaders in the North Dakota Legislature released a statement, saying in part: “The ND Senate and ND House are committed to providing additional resources to law enforcement to help combat increases in criminal sexual assaults and human trafficking…Ray Holmberg’s evil crimes require reflection and careful review of policy to determine how best to combat crimes against children. In the coming months, we intend to do that with sober judgment and a firm resolve.”
Puhl described in a sentencing memorandum Holmberg’s pattern of sexual exploitation that investigators uncovered, including more than 14 trips to Prague for the purpose of having sex with underage boys between 2011 and 2021.
“The boys and young men with whom Holmberg sought to engage in commercial sex were some of the most vulnerable in the world,” the document states. “Especially in Prague, they were homeless boys and men often recruited to work at the Villa by its owner because of their vulnerabilities.”
Court records also say Holmberg leveraged his power and influence to obtain sexual favors from other young men, including students at the University of North Dakota.
Holmberg was a state senator for 45 years. He traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic 14 times between 2011 and 2021 to pay for sex with boys.
In exchange for Holmberg’s guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a charge of receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography.
Holmberg was linked to the investigation of Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, a Grand Forks man who was sentenced in May to 40 years on child pornography charges.
Holmberg, who held the powerful positions of Senate Appropriations Committee chair and head of Legislative Management, resigned in 2022. He was indicted on federal charges in October 2023.
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