FARGO — The North Dakota Republican Party is calling for one of its own to be jailed after he
admitted to traveling abroad to sexually abuse a child.
Former state Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, should be taken into custody amid news that he
violated the terms of his pretrial release,
NDGOP Chairwoman Sandra Sanford said Thursday night, Aug. 8, in a statement. Holmberg pleaded guilty Thursday in North Dakota U.S. District Court to traveling to Prague with plans to sexually abuse a child as part of commercial sex.
“The North Dakota Republican Party is committed to upholding high ethical standards,” Sanford said. “Ray Holmberg’s actions are a gross violation of the trust placed in him by his constituents and the principles of our Party. We are dedicated to ensuring that justice is served and that such behavior is never tolerated within our ranks.”
Holmberg represented Grand Forks in the North Dakota Legislature from 1976 to 2022, making him the longest serving state senator in the U.S. He was considered one of the most powerful lawmakers in North Dakota, as he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Rules Committee and Legislative Management, a committee that decides which legislators sit on which Senate and House committees.
Federal prosecutors alleged he traveled to Prague multiple times to sexually abuse adolescent children between June 24, 2011, and Nov. 1, 2016. Receipts indicate that at least one of those trips on June 24, 2011, was
paid with taxpayer dollars.
Holmberg used the alias “Sean Evans” when traveling to Prague, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl said Thursday. He asked at least one employee who worked at Villa Mansland, a gay hotel in Prague, to find Holmberg “a kid” to sexually abuse, Puhl said.
More North Dakota Stories
Holmberg also was accused of leaving his home while awaiting trial without permission from Pretrial Services, including unauthorized visits to Romantix, an adult novelty store, according to a report filed in U.S. District Court. He also accessed unapproved content on a television, the report said.
The NDGOP said it was saddened and disgusted by Holmberg’s behavior, adding his actions are “an affront to our party’s principles.”
“Holmberg’s illegal and morally reprehensible behavior stands in violent opposition to the values we exist to uphold,” the statement said. “Our Party believes in the family as the first and greatest form of government. We believe in the dignity of every human person. We are duty-bound to protect the most vulnerable among us, especially children. We unequivocally condemn Holmberg’s actions and stand for justice as carried out by our court.”
In a Friday statement, North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn called Holmberg’s actions “disgusting and heinous.”
“It’s a betrayal of our nation’s promise to protect its children that Holmberg has been able to gallivant about Grand Forks as if nothing happened,” Goldwyn said in the statement. “That he travelled to Prague to rape children on the tax-payers’ dime is a betrayal to every North Dakotan. We have been patient in letting this case work its way through the justice system, but North Dakotans must be told who knew what Holmberg was doing and when they knew it.”
April Baumgarten has been a journalist in North Dakota since 2011. She joined The Forum in February 2019 as an investigative reporter. Readers can reach her at 701-241-5417 or [email protected].
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66b81c107c9446db8d2c49fe1a42db7c&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inforum.com%2Fnews%2Fnorth-dakota%2Fnorth-dakota-republicans-call-for-ray-holmberg-to-be-jailed&c=9606651461502981461&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-09 11:38:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
