Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of five years in prison for former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn, after he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a child solicitation sting operation.
The sentence prosecutors are seeking goes beyond the sentencing guidelines, which call for him to be imprisoned for 15 to 21 months.
In a court filing this week, prosecutors said Eichorn poses a danger to the public, particularly to children, and that “a significant term of imprisonment is necessary to punish the defendant’s crimes, and to account for the inestimable damage he attempted.”
Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, was indicted on federal charges last year for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He had contacted a phone number in an online prostitution ad. The person who answered said they were a 17-year-old girl, but they were actually an undercover detective. Eichorn asked the person for photos of herself, and made a plan to meet her for sex. He was arrested on his way to the meeting location.
Eichorn resigned from the Legislature shortly after his arrest.
After reaching a deal with prosecutors, Eichorn pleaded guilty in May to lesser charges of attempted possession of child sexual abuse material. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the coercion and enticement charges, which would have carried a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years.
Eichorn’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23.
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