Former Minnesota State Sen. Justin Eichorn pleads guilty to child pornography charge
Former Minnesota Republican state Senator Justin Eichorn pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain child pornography after his March 2025 arrest in a sting operation
Former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to possess child pornography in a federal court in St. Paul, MN on Thursday.
The former Grand Rapids lawmaker faces between 15-21 months in prison after agreeing to a plea deal with prosecutors. The guilty plea follows a March 2025 sting operation in which Eichorn believed he was communicating with a 17-year-old girl. Charging documents reported by The Guardian say he allegedly sent text messages requesting explicit photos and suggesting a sexual encounter before being met by undercover detectives at a pre-arranged location.
Three days after his arrest, Eichorn submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) after bipartisan calls for his removal and before the Minnesota state legislature voted to expel him from the upper chamber.
The plea deal significantly reduces Eichorn’s potential sentence. He pleaded not guilty to coercion and enticement charges in April 2025, which carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. The trial for the initial charges was scheduled for June 1.
Eichorn, who has been out of custody during the case, will be in jail as he awaits sentencing. There is no date scheduled for his sentencing hearing. Eichorn’s attorneys argued that he should remain free until sentencing because he needs to receive treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, which U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud rejected.
After his resignation, Walz scheduled a special election on April 30, 2025 to fill the vacancy in the state’s Sixth Senate District. Sen. Keri Heintzeman (R-Grand Rapids) won the election.
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