Former North Dakota lawmaker convicted of sex crime not filing an appeal
Former state Sen. Ray Holmberg arrives at the Quentin N. Burdick U.S. Courthouse in Fargo for a plea hearing in North Dakota U.S. District Court on Aug. 8, 2024, (Dan Koeck/For the North Dakota Monitor)
Former North Dakota state Sen. Ray Holmberg does not intend to appeal his federal sex crime conviction or 10-year prison sentence.
Holmberg, a Republican who served 45 years in the state Legislature, was sentenced March 26 after he pleaded guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
Prosecutors said Holmberg traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic 14 times between 2011 and 2021 to pay for sex with boys.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland imposed a longer prison sentence than the guideline sentence of between three and four years in prison that was outlined in a plea agreement. That opened up the possibility for Holmberg to appeal.
Holmberg had 14 days to file a notice of appeal. Defense attorney Mark Friese confirmed Thursday he has not been directed by Holmberg to file an appeal.
Holmberg, 81, of Grand Forks, is being held in jail in Elk River, Minnesota, awaiting placement in a federal facility by the Bureau of Prisons.
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