The former Republican lawmaker pleaded guilty to attempted possession of child pornography after his arrest in a 2025 undercover sting.
ST. PAUL, MN — Former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted possession of child pornography in a case stemming from an undercover operation involving someone he believed was a 17-year-old girl.
U.S. District Chief Judge Eric Tostrud imposed the sentence Sept. 23, 2026, following competing requests from prosecutors and Eichorn’s defense. Federal sentencing guidelines called for 15 to 21 months in prison. Prosecutors had sought a five-year term, while defense attorneys argued that Eichorn should receive no additional prison time beyond the time he had already spent in custody. The court also imposed five years of supervised release.
Eichorn, 42, pleaded guilty in May to attempted possession of child pornography. He had originally faced a federal charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, an offense that would have carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years if he had been convicted. The original count was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
The case began with an undercover operation conducted by Bloomington police and other law enforcement agencies in March 2025. According to the federal criminal complaint, officers placed online advertisements as part of an operation aimed at identifying people seeking to purchase sex from minors. Eichorn contacted a telephone number associated with one of the advertisements and communicated with an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old girl.
Court records said Eichorn was repeatedly told during the exchange that the person was 17. He continued communicating, asked for photos and arranged to meet the person in Bloomington for paid sex. Authorities arrested him after he traveled to the planned meeting location. Because the person he communicated with was an undercover officer, no child was involved in the exchange.
The attempted child pornography charge resulted from Eichorn asking the person he believed was a teenager to send him nude images. That conduct became the basis for the lesser offense to which he ultimately pleaded guilty. Eichorn acknowledged his conduct as part of his guilty plea and was taken into federal custody following the May hearing.
At Wednesday’s sentencing, Eichorn apologized to his family and constituents and accepted responsibility for his actions. Prosecutors argued before sentencing that a prison term above the guideline range was warranted because of the seriousness of the conduct and the need to deter crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. His attorneys countered that a five-year sentence would create a significant disparity compared with sentences imposed in other cases, including cases arising from the same law enforcement operation.
Tostrud said Eichorn’s former position as a state senator did not factor into the punishment. The judge described conduct involving adults seeking sexual images from underage girls as serious and said the sentence should also serve as a deterrent to others.
Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2016. He resigned from office days after his March 2025 arrest as lawmakers from both parties called for him to leave the Legislature. His departure triggered a special election for the north-central Minnesota seat, which Republican Keri Heintzeman won in April 2025.
The 16-month prison term falls within the federal guideline range presented in the case and is substantially below the five years requested by prosecutors. After completing the prison term, Eichorn is to serve five years of federal supervised release.
Author note: Last updated September 23, 2026.