A Minnesota state senator was accused of soliciting prostitution from a person he believed to be a 17-year-old girl, who turned out to be an undercover police detective. He resigned from his position just before the legislative body was scheduled to vote on expelling him.
Justin Eichorn, a 40-year-old father of four who had been serving as a Republican senator since 2016, appeared in federal court on Thursday and was directed to a halfway house until his next court hearing on March 26. He will stay in custody until a bed becomes available at the halfway house. Eichorn is also under strict conditions that prevent him from having contact with unaccompanied minors and leaving the state.
He made no comment in court except to acknowledge he understood the charges.
The arrest of Eichorn occurred in Bloomington following his communication and meeting arrangements with someone he believed was an underage girl, according to CrimeOnline.
Shortly after the state filed charges against him on Wednesday, federal authorities charged him with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and the state charges were dismissed. The federal complaint said that he showed up for his “appointment” with a condom and $129 in cash he needed to pay for the session, the Star Tribune reported.
Eichorn sent a text message on March 11 to a phone number in an online ad and then arranged to meet. The undercover agent told him she was under 18, but he was not deterred. He was arrested outside his vehicle shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, Eichorn and five of his senate colleagues introduced a bill to make “Trump derangement syndrome” an official mental illness in the state of Minnesota.
