Ex-Sen. Justin Eichorn pleads guilty to lesser child pornography charge

ST. PAUL — Former Republican state Sen. Justin Eichorn pleaded guilty to a lesser felony charge of attempted possession of child pornography in federal court.

Eichorn appeared for a hearing Thursday morning, May 14, at the courthouse in St. Paul. The guilty plea comes more than a year after Eichorn’s arrest as part of an undercover law enforcement sting operation.

The ex-lawmaker from Grand Rapids planned to meet with an officer, who he believed was a 17-year-old girl, for paid sex and was arrested outside a Bloomington hotel during the legislative session. During text conversations, Eichorn asked the officer for photos on multiple occasions after she told him her purported age.

According to his plea agreement, sentencing guidelines would recommend 15-21 months of imprisonment and at least five years of supervised release for Eichorn. The sentencing hearing will occur later, at which time Eichorn’s attorneys could argue for a lighter sentence, or the judge could impose a harsher one.

The pornography charge includes a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. The original charge of soliciting a minor carried a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years.

Eichorn was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service. He will likely be required to register as a sex offender upon release.

The Republican was first elected in 2016 and most recently represented Senate District 6. The married father of four has often described himself as a “Christian family man” and touted views of family values. Eichorn resigned from his Senate post three days after his arrest, triggering a special election for Senate District 6 that resulted in now-Sen. Keri Heintzeman winning the seat.

His trial was originally set to begin June 1.

In February, U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud issued an order and opinion upholding a magistrate judge's previous findings, rejecting motions for case dismissal and evidence suppression. Eichorn's defense argued he was the target of vindictive and selective prosecution because of his status as an elected official, and that he was subject to warrantless search and seizure at the time of his arrest.