Emails Recovered In GOP State Rep’s Child Porn Case

The Associated Press reports:

On Monday, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said about 2,000 state emails of his late predecessor, Wayne Stenehjem, were recovered in a backup from Stenehjem’s personal cellphone. They were found as investigators were preparing for the trial of former state Sen. Ray Holmberg, a Republican.

Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, is charged with traveling to Europe with the intent of paying for sex with a minor and with receiving images depicting child sexual abuse, according to a federal indictment unsealed in October 2023. He has pleaded not guilty. A trial is scheduled to begin in April.

From my June 2022 report: 

Holmberg, who rose to become one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years, said he would resign effective June 1. His term was scheduled to end on Nov. 30 and he already had announced in March that it would be his last. Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier.

Prosecutors allege Morgan-Derosier possessed several thousand images and videos depicting sexually abused children. He also is accused of taking two children under the age of 10 from Minnesota to his Grand Forks home, with the intent of sexually abusing them.

Holmberg was one of North Dakota’s three (legal) electors for Trump in the 2020 election.

Deleted emails of late North Dakota attorney general recovered amid investigation of ex-lawmaker https://t.co/aIJiIg3Xot

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 5, 2024