Ex-Sen. Justin Eichorn's wife accused of trying to retrieve laptop from his St. Paul apartment
The wife of Justin Eichorn, the former Republican Minnesota state senator federally charged with attempting to solicit sex from a minor, faces allegations from federal prosecutors that she helped try to conceal evidence for him.
Eichorn's wife, who earlier this week filed for divorce, is accused of going to her husband's St. Paul apartment and attempting to take a laptop that was recovered by FBI investigators.
Eichorn resigned last week from the Minnesota Senate after being charged with attempted coercion or enticement of a minor. Prosecutors allege he responded to an online prostitution ad that was part of a sting, arranging to meet and have sex with someone he thought was a 17-year-old girl.
At his first court appearance, Eichorn told a judge he didn't have a firearm at the residence, but newly filed court documents show FBI agents recovered a handgun and ammunition, in addition to a laptop, phone and $1,000 cash, in his St. Paul apartment.
Federal prosecutors also say that, while authorities searched the apartment, a person later identified as Eichorn's wife showed up and asked to retrieve a computer from inside. She was denied and left. Later, she declined to be interviewed by the FBI. Eichorn and his wife had communicated multiple times via jail phone calls, the motion states. During one such call, Eichorn advised her "this is not like uh, a secure line, so just basic stuff," according to prosecutors. The two discussed phones and a computer during those calls, and she told Eichorn during one that she would "grab whatever you need me to grab," transcripts show.
During that search, authorities also found an iPhone that had been reset to factory default settings, "which can cause all content on the phone to [be] erased," prosecutors said. The phone was found inside the same bag as the laptop, which was the only computer found during the search.
In a motion, prosecutors said Eichorn should not be released before the trial and a judge stayed his release until a Wednesday detention hearing. At that hearing, the judge said Eichorn was not a flight risk and ordered his release to a halfway house in Duluth.
Gov. Tim Walz announced the special election to replace Eichorn's seat is set for April 29, with a primary to be held on April 15.
