Earlier this month, Bloomington Police arrested former Minnesota State Senator Justin Eichorn after he allegedly attempted to solicit sex from a minor. Following his arrest, Eichorn, 40, of Grand Rapids, was formally federally charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Hennepin County initially filed state charges against Eichorn; however, they dropped these charges after the federal charges were brought against him.
Ex-Senator Eichorn’s charges stem from a sting operation that targeted commercial sex involving juveniles conducted by the Bloomington Police detectives. The criminal complaint provides details of the online advertisements published by law enforcement offering commercial sex.
In the advertisement, detectives played the role of a 17-year-old girl. In the messages between Eichorn and the “girl,” the “girl” stated numerous times that she was a minor. Despite this, Eichorn continued the conversation, sending messages such as “[w]hat’s a guy [sic] gotta do to get with the hottest girl online tonight,” and “will ya send me a naught [sic] pic of you to show me your [sic] real?”
Eichorn asked the “girl” about “pricing for various sex acts she might perform.” After numerous days of messaging, Eichorn arranged a meet-up. Eichorn was met with officers who arrested him and found a condom, cash, and two cellphones in his possession.
Eichorn was additionally accused of attempting to obstruct the FBI’s investigation from jail after he allegedly made a phone call to “Individual A,” later identified as Eichorn’s wife, asking her to retrieve a computer and other items from his St. Paul apartment. When Eichorn’s wife arrived at the apartment, FBI agents were already there searching the premises. During the search, agents uncovered $1,000 in case, a handgun and ammunition, a laptop, a computer memory card, and another iPhone.
One week after his arrest, Eichorn’s wife filed for divorce.
After his arrest, Eichorn stepped down from his position as Minnesota Senator following a bipartisan call for his resignation as well as a statement asking for his resignation from the Senate GOP caucus. Minnesota Senate Republicans announced that if Eichorn had not voluntarily stepped down, they would have made a motion to expel Eichorn.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz echoed these views, stating that he should resign due to the high standards elected officials are held to. Walz shared, “[y]ou cannot prey on our children and expect to get away with it.” Additionally, Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick shared, “[t]he U.S. Attorney’s Office has no tolerance for public officials who violate federal law – particularly those laws meant to protect children.”
This is not the first time an American politician or Senator has been accused of sexual misconduct. In recent years, a deeply troubling culture surrounding sexual exploitation in American politics has formed, and we encourage law enforcement to hold individuals in positions of power responsible for their crimes despite the power and influence they enjoy.
The CSE Institute applauds the efforts of the Bloomington Police Department, FBI Minneapolis, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and cooperating agencies for their collaborative efforts to prosecute Eichorn for his crimes against minors in Minnesota. We commend the diligence of law enforcement for taking steps to protect children in their communities by conducting investigations into child sexual abuse and solicitation of minors.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.