Ray Holmberg

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Ray Holmberg
A monochrome portrait photo of a white teenager with short dark hair, wearing a suit coat and tie; he is looking and facing to the left of the camera with a neutral expression.
Holmberg in his 1961 high-school yearbook
BornDec. 10, 1944 (1944-12-10) (age 79)
Other names
  • Sean Evan
  • Sean Evans
Occupations
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Kerry Louise Hackett
​
​
(m. 1973)​
Children2
Member of the North Dakota Senate
from the 17th district
In office
December 1, 1976 – June 1, 2022
Preceded byN/A[1]
Succeeded byJonathan Sickler

Raymon Everett Holmberg (born December 10, 1944) is a former educator, school counselor, and Republican North Dakota senator. Once tied for the longest-serving state legislator in the United States, Holmberg resigned from the senate in 2022 (after 45.5 years) upon investigation into his alleged child sex tourism and receipt of child pornography.

Personal life

Raymon Everett Holmberg[2] was born on December 10, 1944.[3] He attended Climax High School in Climax, Minnesota, and was one of 26 senior-class students in the 1960–1961 academic year.[4] He married Kerry Louise Hackett of Grand Forks, North Dakota (born 1950 or 1951) on April 27, 1973,[5] and as of 2013, had two children and five grandchildren.[6] In December 2020, he contracted COVID-19 and was treated with a convalescent plasma injection.[3][1]

Career

Education

From 1967 to 2002, Holmberg worked for Grand Forks Public Schools as a teacher, "child find coordinator", and school counselor. On November 2, 2023, a North Dakota Department of Public Instruction panel voted unanimously to suspend his lifetime teaching license, with a plan "to revoke it immediately if he pleads guilty to or is convicted of any charge" in his 2023 criminal case.[7]

He was also previously a chairman of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.[6]

Politics

The Republican Holmberg was elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1976, and took office that December 1, representing District 17 ("Grand Forks south of 32nd Avenue South, neighborhoods along the Red River, and large areas west and south of the city").[1] He was to have been one of North Dakota's three electors for certifying the 2020 United States presidential election, but was replaced after contracting COVID-19.[3]

After the 2021 retirement of Fred Risser of the Wisconsin Senate, Holmberg was tied with Nikki G. Setzler of the South Carolina Senate for longest-serving state legislator in the United States.[1] In 2021, Holmberg was the Grand Forks Herald's person of the year. In 2022, he was chairman of the Senate's Appropriations, Rules, and Legislative Management committees while also serving on the interim Budget Section; The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead called Holmberg "one of the most powerful and popular lawmakers in the legislature".[8] From 2013 through mid-2022, Holmberg spent more state money on travel than any other legislator (US$125,810).[9]

In June 2021, Holmberg raised about $20,000 (equivalent to about $22,000 in 2023) for his 2022 reelection campaign.

politicos.[10]

Electoral history

2010, primary, North Dakota state senate, 17th District[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ray Holmberg 1,198 99.34
Republican Write-in candidate(s) 8 0.66
2010, general, North Dakota state senate, 17th District[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ray Holmberg 4,088 67.91
Democratic–NPL Thomas Petros 1,915 31.81
Write-in candidate(s) 17 0.28
2014, primary, North Dakota state senate, 17th District[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ray Holmberg 784 99.87
Republican Write-in candidate(s) 1 0.13
2014, general, North Dakota state senate, 17th District[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ray Holmberg 4,869 97.97
Write-in candidate(s) 101 2.03
2018, primary, North Dakota state senate, 17th District[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ray Holmberg 1,519 99.67
Republican Write-in candidate(s) 5 0.33
2018, general, North Dakota state senate, 17th District[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ray Holmberg 5,176 59.03
Democratic–NPL Phyllis E Johnson 3,584 40.87
Write-in candidate(s) 9 0.10

Criminal charges

Background

In 2020, Caton Todd (formerly of North Dakota) alleged he was sexually assaulted by Holmberg in 2010, after having been invited to the senator's Miami-area condominium. Holmberg's attorney later confirmed the two men spent time together and that Holmberg owned the condo.[11]

In March 2021, Nicholas James Morgan-DeRosier (from

possessing child pornography photos and videos.[19] In January 2022, a grand jury in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota further indicted Morgan-DeRosier for "receiving and distributing child porn, transporting child porn, transporting minors with intent for those children to engage in sexual activity, and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity".[20] Court documents listed Morgan-DeRosier having over 6500 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.[8]

On August 23, 2021, while Morgan-DeRosier was incarcerated in the

Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl's evidence at Morgan-DeRosier's detention hearing. When The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead uncovered this connection and asked Holmberg about them, the legislator said the messages were about patio construction, claimed ignorance of the massage-related messages, and both claimed to have read about Morgan-DeRosier's changes while also not knowing about them. He later told The Forum, of his texts with Morgan-DeRosier, "They're just gone."[8]

At 9:30 a.m. on November 17, 2021, Holmberg's

DVD-Rs.[21] Law-enforcement also seized Holmberg's state-issued iPad and laptop computer.[22] The federal investigation also recovered data from devices belonging to former North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem; some of which also proved relevant for the May 2024 jury trial of state representative Jason Dockter on misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charges.[23]

Federal indictment and trial

A grand jury in the US District Court for North Dakota returned an indictment against Holmberg on October 26, 2023 (United States of America v. Raymon Everett Holmberg).[9] He was accused of thrice traveling to Prague, Czech Republic—June 24, 2011; September 29, 2018; and late June 2019—to illegally have sex with minors. The trips were state-funded in cooperation with Atlantik-Brücke to "understand and integrate the various facets of international politics, business, academia and culture".[24] Holmberg was also indicted for receiving or attempting to receive child pornography (between November 24, 2012, and March 4, 2013); Jennifer Puhl testified that Holmberg used the aliases Sean Evan and Sean Evans "to convince a child to send him sexually explicit images".[9]

Arrested and arraigned on October 30, Holmberg pled not-guilty at the US District Court in Fargo, North Dakota.[25] Judge Alice Senechal released Holmberg under the conditions: forfeiture of his passport; no contact with minors, victims, and witnesses; no access to the internet, no travel outside Greater Grand Forks[9] or Fargo; and no possession of firearms.[26] Senechal set a trial date of December 5, 2023,[9] to be adjudicated by Judge Daniel L. Hovland. If convicted for child sex tourism, Holmberg could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years imprisonment and $250,000 in fines; if convicted on the child pornography charge, Holmberg will receive a sentence between 5–20 years.[26] On November 14, upon request of Holmberg's defense team, and with no objection from the federal prosecutor, Hovland postponed the Fargo trial to April 29, which was expected to last five days;[27] in March 2024, it was delayed again until September 9.[28]

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2023. Holmberg was informed of his status by the National Conference of State Legislatures, a group dedicated to advancing the effectiveness of those governing bodies and their inter-state cooperation, after the retirement of the longest-serving state politician, a Wisconsin Democratic Assembly member.
  2. Puhl, Jennifer, United States of America v. Raymon Everett Holmberg (PDF), United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, archived (PDF) from the original on October 31, 2023, retrieved November 2, 2023 – via KVRR
  3. ^
    OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, said he almost certainly caught the virus from 'our petri dish called the Legislature' since he hadn't been anywhere else in the last two weeks.
  4. ^ Peterson, Ronald; Evenson, Duane, eds. (1961). The Viking Yearbook. Climax, Minnesota: Climax High School.
  5. ^ "Grand Forks County Equalization", Grand Forks County Marriage Records, Grand Forks, North Dakota, April 27, 1973 – via Ancestry.com
  6. ^ a b "Senator Ray Holmberg". North Dakota Legislative Council. North Dakota Legislative Assembly. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Dura, Jack (November 2, 2023). "State funded some trips for ex-North Dakota senator charged with traveling to pay for sex with minor". Bismarck, North Dakota: Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  8. ^
    OCLC 9563116. Archived
    from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. State Sen. Ray Holmberg of Grand Forks told a reporter he no longer had the text messages. When asked what happened to the texts, Holmberg said, 'They're just gone.'
  9. ^
    OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023. An indictment that was unsealed Monday alleged he traveled to Prague with intentions to have sex with minors, as well as received or attempted to receive child porn.
  10. ^
    OCLC 1566609. Archived
    from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023. Former Sen. Ray Holmberg, who is currently facing federal criminal charges, has kept up correspondence with current state lawmakers
  11. ^
    OCLC 9563116. Archived
    from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. An investigation published by The Forum on April 15 revealed that North Dakota Sen. Ray Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, a Grand Forks County Jail inmate suspected of child porn and sex abuse crimes.
  12. ^ Barrett, Doug (June 1, 2022). "Republicans select Sickler in District 17". KNOX. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "Official 2010 Primary Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. June 8, 2010. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  14. ^ "Official 2010 General Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "Official 2014 Primary Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. June 10, 2014. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "Official 2014 General Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  17. ^ "Official 2018 Primary Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. June 12, 2018. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  18. ^ "Official 2018 General Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  19. OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. Nicholas James Morgan DeRosier, 33, could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted for possessing child porn.
  20. OCLC 9563116. Archived
    from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. Court documents detail the child porn files allegedly found on electronic devices owned by Nicholas Morgan-Derosier.
  21. OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023. Officers who searched Holmberg's condo in Grand Forks also investigated a child porn suspect who exchanged texts with the state senator.
  22. OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023. Federal agents took several electronic items and storage devices from Ray Holmberg's home in November, including some the state of North Dakota gave him to use as a lawmaker, his attorney confirmed.
  23. ^ Jurgens, Paul (April 15, 2024). "Trial for Bismarck lawmaker still scheduled for early May". Bismarck, North Dakota: KFGO-FM. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  24. OCLC 1751382. Archived
    from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023. Receipts showed the former North Dakota senator used the Global Bridges program to travel to Prague at least three times, including once that fell in the timeframe of the federal allegations.
  25. ^ Dura, Jack (October 30, 2023). "Ex-North Dakota lawmaker charged with traveling for sex with minor, receiving child sex abuse images". Bismarck, North Dakota: Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Carvell, Tasha (October 30, 2023). "Former State Sen. Holmberg indicted on child sex tourism & pornography charges; pleads not guilty". Grand Forks, North Dakota: KFGO. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  27. OCLC 9198928. Archived
    from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  28. ^ Schonert, Ty (March 11, 2024). "Trial in former ND Senator's child sex abuse case delayed to September". Fargo, North Dakota: WZFG. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.

Further reading

External links

Media related to Ray Holmberg at Wikimedia Commons

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