November 1, 2023 – A former North Dakota state senator made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota on Monday to face charges for traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography.

According to court documents, from June 2011 through November 2016, Raymon Holmberg, 79, of Grand Forks, is alleged to have repeatedly traveled from North Dakota to Prague, Czech Republic, for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts with a person under the age of 18 years. Holmberg is also charged with receiving material depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  

If convicted, Holmberg faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl for the District of North Dakota, and Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul made the announcement.

HSI, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Puhl are prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with ICAC, marshals federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces focused on investigations of online child sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Anyone with information concerning this investigation is encouraged to contact the HSI Tip Line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-347-2423. Tips can be anonymous. 

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: DOJ Release