T. Denny SanfordSIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A Minnehaha County judge has ruled that there is no basis to keep documents related to the child pornography investigation of banker and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford sealed. Judge James Power said in his opinion filed Thursday that the affidavits which supported the search warrants in the investigation should be made public under South…
Ray HolmbergBISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota’s longest-serving state senator announced Monday that he would resign following a report that he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges. Republican Ray Holmberg, 79, rose to become one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years. Holmberg’s resignation, effective June 1,…
MINNEAPOLIS (KVRR) – A Moorhead man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for distributing child pornography. Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Joey David Gonzales used email and other online media to advertise, solicit, and trade images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children between 2016 and 2020. In August, 2021, Gonzales…
T. Denny SanfordFARGO (KVRR) – Search warrant affidavits indicate that phone, email and computer records were seized as part of a child pornography investigation involving billionaire philanthropist T. Denny Sanford. The investigation into Sanford was reported last year by ProPublica and the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Court documents in the case were initially sealed and referred to Sanford as “an…
MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – A Moorhead man was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days of electronic home monitoring and seven years of supervised release after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Twenty-one-year-old Garrett Grommesh earlier pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography and 3 counts of possessing child pornography. As part of a plea agreement, seven other charges were…
T. Denny SanfordPIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Supreme Court is weighing whether to unseal a search warrant and affidavits in an investigation into billionaire banker-turned-philanthropist T. Denny Sanford for possible possession of child pornography. The court documents are sealed and refer only to “an implicated individual.” Attorneys did not name Sanford as they made their arguments to the court Tuesday….
FARGO (KVRR) – An Idaho man accused of sexually exploiting children and producing child porn in Alaska, could have additional victims in North Dakota or Idaho. That’s according to the FBI. According to federal court documents, 39-year-old Christopher Panagiotou-Scigliano made a minor engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child porn. The man has been indicted in…
MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – A Moorhead man facing child pornography charges has signed a plea agreement. According to court documents, 21-year-old Garrett Grommesh has pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography and 3 counts of possessing child pornography. All other charges will be dropped. The plea agreement calls for Grommesh to serve 90 days of electronic home monitoring…
Garrett GrommeshMOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – Prosecutors and defense attorneys are negotiating a possible plea agreement for Garrett Grommesh, the Moorhead man charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. Grommesh is facing 10 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of disseminating child pornography. Clay County Attorney Brian Melton tells KVRR that Grommesh’s June 29 trial has been canceled…
Garrett GrommeshMOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – A Moorhead man known for appearing on a network TV show as a child has pleaded “not guilty” to charges related to child pornography. Twenty-year-old Garrett Grommesh is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of disseminating child pornography. Grommesh made a court appearance Thursday afternoon during a conference call….
