Ex-Minnesota state senator Justin Eichorn sentenced to 16 months in federal child sex trafficking case
Former Republican Minnesota state senator Justin Eichorn was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted possession of child pornography following a 2025 child sex sting arrest.
Eichorn, 42, was also sentenced to a five-year term of supervised release after serving his sentence. Federal prosecutors had sought a lifetime term for the former Grand Rapids politician.
He was arrested in March 2025 in Bloomington after undercover police officers, posing as a 17-year-old girl online, arranged to meet in the city for sex.
According to the federal criminal complaint, Eichorn texted a number found in an online prostitution ad and asked about prices of various sex acts. The ad was placed by the Bloomington Police Department earlier that month amid a targeted operation to combat commercial sex trafficking.
Court documents show when officers told Eichorn the girl's age in a text exchange, he responded by noting the age of consent in Minnesota is 16. During his arrest, officers found $130 cash, a condom and two cellphones in his vehicle.
He was initially charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, but that count was dropped in a May plea deal where he admitted he tried to pay for sex with a minor and pleaded guilty to attempted child porn possession because he asked the girl to text him nude photos.
WCCO reported at the time of that plea that Eichorn faced 15 to 21 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, with at least five years of supervised release — a range Wednesday's sentence fell within, though the lifetime supervision term exceeds it.
"Today [Eichorn] told the judge, 'What I did was both morally wrong and a serious crime, and I have no one to blame but myself.' The judge sentenced him to 16 months. That is within the range both sides agreed to in the plea agreement, and the judge declined the government's request for five years in prison," said Brent Hannafan, one of Eichorn's attorneys.
Ultimately, the judge emphasized Eichorn's intent in responding to the advertisement. The judge said Eichorn texted and called the number nine times before receiving a response, and noted the four-day gap in responding, during which time he could have stopped.
Eichorn asked the judge to let him return to his family so he can return to his role of being a father. He will spend the time behind bars at a facility in Duluth and will receive credit for five months he has already served. When he is released, he'll have to register as a sex offender.
Eichorn was first charged in Hennepin County, but prosecutors dropped their case when federal charges were announced.
Eichorn, a Grand Rapids Republican, was first elected in 2016 to represent Minnesota's Sixth District. He resigned days after his arrest amid bipartisan calls for his ouster.
Senate Republican colleagues had said they would move to expel him from the chamber if he didn't step down, and Democrats were prepared to join them to reach the two-thirds majority needed for expulsion.
If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article indicated that Eichorn received a lifetime term of supervised release. It has been updated to reflect that the judge imposed five years of supervised release.
