Man linked to former state senator sentenced to 40 years in prison for child pornography | The powerful 790 KFGO

BY: JEFF BEACH

FARGO (North Dakota Monitor) – A man who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and is linked to a former North Dakota state senator has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, 36, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Fargo. Chief Judge Peter Welte went beyond the 30-year sentence prosecutors recommended in the case, citing in part “the need to protect the public.”

Morgan-Derosier, of Grand Forks, pleaded guilty last September to seven criminal charges related to possession and distribution of child pornography.

While Morgan-Derosier was imprisoned on child pornography charges in Grand Forks, he and former Sen. Ray Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages over two days in August 2021, the Fargo-Moorhead Forum first reported in April 2022.

Holmberg, a Grand Forks Republican, told the Forum at the time that the messages were about deck work Morgan-Derosier did for him. Holmberg, who served in the Legislature for 45 years and chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced he would resign on June 1, 2022.

Holmberg was indicted in October 2023 on federal charges of child sex tourism and child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is scheduled to go to trial on September 9.

Holmberg also took Morgan-Derosier to Bismarck in October 2020 when Morgan-Derosier had a meeting with the attorney general's office regarding construction fraud allegations, The Forum reported in September 2023. Holmberg's attorney, Mark Friese, declined to comment at the time.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Morgan-Derosier case differed sharply on the recommended sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl asked for a sentence of 30 years, which is at the low end of the justice system's sentencing guidelines.

She cited the “horrible content” of pornography, Morgan-Derosier's online discussions about sex with children and traveling to have sex with teenagers.

Prosecutors said they identified 11 victims in the case, but were unable to find all of the victims among more than 6,000 pornographic images.

Public Defender Christopher Bellmore asked for a sentence of 12 1/2 years as “just punishment,” saying the guidelines were too harsh and that in similar cases the sentence was often shorter than the guidelines recommended.

Holmberg's name was not mentioned during the sentencing hearing Wednesday and Thursday. The hearing included testimony from two people who said they were mistreated by Morgan-Derosier, even though they were not victims of the accusations that led to the guilty plea.

Morgan-Derosier also made a statement, saying that during his time in the Cass County Jail, while the case was being prosecuted, he realized how “disgusting and reprehensible” his crimes were.

After Wednesday's hearing, Welte chose to delay announcing his sentence until Thursday morning.

Before announcing the sentence, Welte thanked Morgan-Derosier for her statement but felt it did not go far enough.

“I think there’s still some deviation,” Welte said.

He added that he hopes a sex offender treatment program will help Morgan-Derosier.

Welte sentenced Morgan-Derosier to serve his sentence at the federal prison in Englewood, Colorado, which has a sex offender program.

Welte and Puhl said during the hearing that there would likely be an appeal in the case. Bellmore declined to comment after the sentencing.

Welte cited a wide variety of offenses in Morgan-Derosier's criminal history, including serial theft and driving offenses, as well as an apparent disregard for the rules while the defendant was in the County Jail. Cass.

Three of the ten charges against Morgan-Derosier were dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Morgan-Derosier will have to pay $39,000 in restitution. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

There is no possibility of parole in the federal prison system.