Ray Holmberg, 80, made approximately 14 trips to Prague between 2011 and 2021 to engage in commercial sex with minors, according to a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Holmberg, who served more than 45 years in the state senate, resigned in 2022. According to the DOJ, Holmberg used the alias “Sean Evans” while staying at a brothel where young boys provided sexual services. The DOJ also stated that he solicited young boys for sex in a public park in front of Prague’s main train station. Holmberg was indicted in October 2023 on charges of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity and attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material. In June, he entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the former charge in exchange for the dismissal of the latter and a lighter sentencing recommendation. The charge of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Under his alias, Holmberg communicated with friends about his trips, referring to one of his victims as “his twink,” a slang term within the LGBTQ community referring to a young male with a slim physique and little body hair. In one email to a friend, Holmberg wrote, “[N]o one is ever too young…remember Prague,” and discussed the cost of renting young boys, adding, “It will be decadent but oh so much fun bro. What happens in Prague — stays in Prague.” The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child exploitation and abuse. Holmberg believed that because the sexual activity occurred outside the U.S., he was not breaking any laws. However, U.S. law is unequivocal on this matter, according to Lori Cohen, CEO of Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT). “It is a crime to purchase a child’s body anywhere in the world,” Cohen said. “And U.S. law is very clear about this. There are no exceptions.”A former North Dakota state senator has pleaded guilty to traveling to the Czech Republic to pay for sex with young boys.
