Holmberg sexually exploited others, including people in North Dakota, witnesses say in court

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic material and discusses the sexual exploitation of minors. 

FARGO — Former state Sen. Ray Holmberg seeking out young men for sexual exploitation is “not recent, nor isolated,” someone who said he’d been victimized by the North Dakota legislator told the court at a sentencing hearing Wednesday. 

A lawmaker for 45 years, Holmberg also worked as an educator and student counselor at Grand Forks Central High. He pleaded guilty last year to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and prosecutors say he left the United States to seek sexual contact with minors numerous times.

Witnesses said in court Wednesday that his abuses weren’t relegated to trips overseas. 

They spoke before Holmberg was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

Former ND Sen. Ray Holmberg sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex crime

One person said that he met Holmberg while he was in high school in the 1990s, and Holmberg became a trusted adviser. Holmberg eventually paid him to make sexual videos of himself.

“The impact of Mr. Holmberg’s actions has been life-long,” he said. 

Investigators found three of the videos on tapes belonging to Holmberg. The former student said he needed money to support a drug habit.

“Unless one has personally experienced drug addiction, it is difficult to convey the depth of despair” that would lead to such “extreme acts,” he said. 

There were also sexual encounters with Holmberg, who was “fully aware of my vulnerabilities,” he said. 

Though he’s been clean and sober for more than 13 years, he said he still struggles with the trauma of those experiences. 

He admitted that at one point he attempted to blackmail Holmberg but said he was “deeply misguided.” He said he was advised to go to the FBI with information about the state senator but that it took a few more years to do. 

His report to the FBI in 2016 did not lead to charges against Holmberg, but prosecutors pointed to it as evidence that he had a long history of sexual exploitation.

Defense attorney Mark Friese urged the judge to focus on the conduct alleged in the court indictment for traveling to Prague with the intent to pay for sex with minors and denied many of the prosecution’s allegations. He said Holmberg was not charged with other offenses. 

A former University of North Dakota graduate student who also spoke Wednesday in court became a cooperating witness in the case against Holmberg. 

He echoed the effect that his relationship with Holmberg had on his life, saying he experienced “constant shame and disgust.”  

The student said he became involved with the longtime state senator in 2009. UND is in Grand Forks, Holmberg’s district.

Investigators said the graduate student and Holmberg attended UND hockey games in the university president’s suite, with Holmberg making introductions to influential North Dakotans, but with the understanding that it would lead to sex. 

Dan Casetta, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, called people with access to the UND president’s suite a “who’s who of North Dakota” that would at times include the governor and members of Congress. 

The witness accompanied Holmberg on a trip to Prague in the Czech Republic but said he did not join Holmberg at a brothel known for massages that involved sexual contact. He said he was “terrified” about what might happen there. 

As a result of his relationship with Holmberg, he said he struggles to maintain relationships and has had multiple nervous breakdowns. 

“I don’t trust others anymore,” he said. 

U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland and acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl commended the two men for speaking in court.

“That was remarkable. They exhibited a lot of strength and courage to come forward,” Klemetsrud Puhl said.  

A group advocating for victims of sexual violence said others must have known about Holmberg’s activities. 

“Whether those who knew stayed silent out of fear, negligence, or for their own personal gain, we owe it to victims and survivors to bring those individuals to justice as well,” the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition said in a statement. “Sexual violence thrives in a culture of isolation and silence, and Ray Holmberg used power and control to keep those around him silent.” 

The coalition encouraged people to speak out about other cases of suspected sexual exploitation. 

“If you see warning signs that someone may be abusing or exploiting others, say something,” the statement said. “Depending upon your situation, you can report to your school, workplace, or to law enforcement. Anonymous tips can be reported to law enforcement officials through ND Tip.” 

For victims of sexual and domestic violence, the Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners also released a statement that there are numerous organizations offering support. Contact information is on the group’s website at cdfne.org/contacts.