Sundiata Post – A former North Dakota State senator, Ray Holmberg faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to travelling to Prague, Czech Republic, to have commercial sex with minor boys.
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) disclosed this in a statement shared on its website on Thursday.
According to court documents and facts established in public proceedings, 80-year-old Holmberg of Grand Forks, North Dakota, took approximately 14 trips to Prague between 2011 and 2021 to engage in commercial sex acts with minor boys.
“During some of these trips, Holmberg used the alias ‘Sean Evans’ while staying at a brothel where young boys provided commercial sexual services.
“Holmberg also went to a public park in front of the main train station in Prague to procure sex from minor boys.
“Holmberg also used the ‘Sean Evans’ alias to communicate with friends about the trips. In those communications, Holmberg discussed ‘his twink,’ and commented that ‘no one is ever too young . . . remember Prague’,” the DoJ’s statement reads in part.
It added that Holmberg emailed another friend a link to a known brothel in Prague named the “Villa Mansland,” and wrote “[l]et’s go, this summer . . . The boys rent at around $60 (sex is extra).”
“Later in the communications, Holmberg wrote ‘It will be decadent but oh so much fun bro. What happens in Prague—Stays in Prague.’ In other emails, he requested at least one of the employees at the brothel to find him a ‘kid’,” the statement also reads.
The DoJ said Holmberg pleaded guilty to one count of travelling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
“A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department.
“Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims,” the DoJ said.
