Ray Holmberg, right, and attorney Mark Friese leaving the Quentin N. Burdick U.S. Courthouse after Holmberg pleaded guilty to federal charges. (Joe Leier/KFGO News)
FARGO (KFGO) – The defense attorney for Ray Holmberg, the former North Dakota state senator who pleaded guilty to traveling overseas to have sex with children, is asking the judge to give his client a sentence lower than federal guidelines call for.
Citing U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, Mark Friese says at 81, Holmberg’s age and poor health are among the reasons to give him a lower sentence.
Federal prosecutors say Holmberg made multiple trips to Prague to have commercial sex with adolescent boys as young as 12. Friese says while Holmberg admits he traveled to Prague to have commercial sex with minors, that does not mean that he did.
Holmberg, who was on house arrest until he was ordered jailed, is asking the court to sentence him to time served and home detention. Holmberg is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday morning in Fargo.
Read the full Reply memo below
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