A former North Dakota lawmaker was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Ray Holmberg, 81, was a Grand Forks state senator for 45 years, and received a sentence that is longer than federal sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland characterized Holmberg's conduct as "egregious and despicable" and said he didn't think the guideline sentence of more than three years was adequate. "From my perspective, this was not an isolated case and this is not a victimless crime," Hovland said. "It displays a pattern of very vile, sickening criminal behavior." Prosecutors allege Holmberg traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic 14 times between 2011 and 2021 to pay for sex with boys.
Holmberg, a Republican who held the powerful positions of Senate Appropriations Committee chair and head of Legislative Management, resigned from the Legislature in 2022.