FARGO – Ray Holmberg, once a powerful state legislator, pleaded guilty Thursday to traveling to Europe with the intent to pay for sexual contact with children.
Holmberg, who served in the North Dakota Senate for 45 years, acknowledged in a plea agreement that he repeatedly traveled between June 24, 2011, and Nov. 1, 2016, from Grand Forks to Prague, Czech Republic, for the purposes of engaging in commercial sex with adolescents under age 18.
A sentencing date has not been set. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland ordered a pre-sentence investigation, which is expected to take several months.
Holmberg will remain out of custody on GPS monitoring and other conditions while he awaits sentencing. Holmberg, 80, has several health issues that factored into the decision to allow him to remain out of custody.
Holmberg, a Republican from Grand Forks, resigned from the North Dakota Legislature in 2022 after rising to the powerful position of Senate Appropriations Committee chair.