A former North Dakota state senator has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for traveling to Prague with the intent of engaging in commercial sex with children. Raymon (Ray) Everett Holmberg, 81, who served as a state legislator for 45 years, was sentenced on March 26, 2025. According to court documents, Holmberg visited Prague approximately 14 times between 2011 and 2021, staying at a brothel catering to those seeking commercial sex with adolescent boys.
During his trips, Holmberg used the alias "Sean Evans" to conceal his identity. Witnesses informed law enforcement that he avoided having his name on the brothel's registry and that he frequented a public park near Prague's main train station to solicit sex from underage boys. In his communications, Holmberg promoted his travels and encouraged friends to join him, even sharing an image of a young boy and referencing the attractions of Prague.
Holmberg's activities extended beyond Prague, as the government's sentencing memorandum revealed. He engaged a 16-year-old Canadian boy online, pretending to be a peer, and manipulated him into sending sexually explicit images. On August 8, 2024, Holmberg pled guilty to charges related to traveling for illicit sexual conduct.
The announcement was made by Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Jennifer Puhl, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota. The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, Grand Forks, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations.
Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, alongside Acting U.S. Attorney Puhl, is prosecuting the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006, the program collaborates with federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children via the internet. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psc.