Former state Sen. Justin Eichorn argues in a new court filing that the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota is singling him out for prosecution for attempted sexual solicitation of a minor.

Investigators allege that in March, Eichorn exchanged explicit messages with an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old girl. The Grand Rapids Republican, 41, pleaded not guilty.

Eichorn was among 14 men arrested in a sting operation in Bloomington. But so far, only he and another defendant have been charged federally. They face 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentences if convicted. By contrast, the equivalent state statute, with which they were charged previously in Hennepin County, carries a five-year maximum term.

SMALL FILE — MAX. WIDTH FOR PRINT: 2.2 INCHES — March 20, 2025 courtesy photo of Justin David Eichorn. Eichorn, a former Minnesota state senator from Grand Rapids, was arrested on suspicion of soliciting a minor for sex in Bloomington on Monday, March 17, 2025. Eichorn and 13 other suspects were arrested this month in an undercover sex sting operation in which the suspects believed they were communicating with a 17-year-old girl. Eichorn resigned under fire Thursday, March 20, stepping down before the Senate could vote on whether to expel him. Eichorn was initially arrested on a state charge, but the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office has taken up the case. Eichorn appeared in federal court in St. Paul Thursday afternoon on a federal charge of coercion and enticement of a minor. (Courtesy of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office)

Hennepin County prosecutors dismissed their complaint against Eichorn on March 19, the same day they filed the charges, when the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed its own complaint.

Defense attorneys Charles Hawkins and Arthur Waldon argue that Eichorn is being targeted because he was a public official, but they’re not accusing federal prosecutors of partisan bias.

“The only difference between the state and federal prosecutions is the potential punishment,” the defense attorneys write.

They add that federal prosecutors are “attempting to regurgitate the same factual allegations alleged in state court in an indictment to vindictively retaliate against Mr. Eichorn simply because he is a public office holder and exercised his first amendment right to political association and hold office.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has yet to submit a response to Eichorn’s motion to dismiss the indictment, which was filed Friday.

Hawkins and Waldon note in their motion that the only other person to face federal charges related to the sting, Marawan Adel Tawleeleh, has a prior sexual assault conviction. Minnesota court records show that Taweeleh, 32, pleaded guilty in 2021 to assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Hawkins and Waldon argue that because Eichorn has no criminal history, he would likely face only probation if convicted in state court.

They point to the case of Forest Leandrew McElroy, who was arrested in the same sting operation. McElroy, 46, pleaded guilty in May to a child solicitation charge and cocaine possession.

When he’s sentenced in July, McElroy, of Burnsville, faces three years of probation and a maximum of 90 days in jail as part of a plea agreement.

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A Blaine man charged with aiding an offender to avoid arrest in Friday’s fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy outside Northtown Mall was allegedly involved in a February shooting death in Columbia Heights, according to court records.

Sudais Abdi Omar, of Brooklyn Park, was shot in the chest Friday in the mall’s Best Buy parking lot and pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.

Ayub Abdullahi Mohamed (Courtesy of the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office)

Ayub Abdullahi Mohamed, 20, was one of three suspects who were seen running from the shooting and into the mall. He was arrested at SkyZone Trampoline Park and had a gun magazine in his sock, the criminal complaint says.

The two other suspects are ages 14 and 15, the complaint says. They have not been arrested, and the investigation remains ongoing, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday afternoon.

Mohamed remained at the Anoka County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of $100,000. A message left for his attorney for comment on the charge has not been returned.

In March, Mohamed was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter for allegedly bringing a rifle into a car on Feb. 28 in Columbia Heights. A 16-year-old boy handled the rifle, not knowing a bullet was in the chamber, when it fired and killed the driver, Ibrahim Faisal Dabarani, 20, of Minneapolis, according to the complaint against Mohamed. The teen also faces the same manslaughter charge, and a hearing to certify him as an adult is set for July 17.

According to Tuesday’s complaint, Blaine officers were called to the Best Buy parking lot about 5:15 p.m. on a report of someone who’d been shot. Once there, they were told that several people involved fled the area.

Omar was found in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the chest. Casings were found nearby.

The 911 caller, a Best Buy employee, said he saw three male suspects run from the shooting scene and into the mall, then out the door toward Sky Zone. Witnesses gave the suspects’ descriptions and officers located Mohamed in a Sky Zone bathroom.

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In an interview with investigators, Mohamed said he was in a car with Omar and a teen identified in the complaint as Suspect #1. Mohamed said they went to Best Buy to pick up Suspect #2, who had been waiting outside the store.

When they arrived, Mohamed said, he went inside Best Buy to use the bathroom. As he was walking back to the car, he saw the teens running into the store and screaming that Omar had been shot.

Mohamed said he went outside and saw Omar lying on the ground. The two teens were pacing around the parking lot before Suspect #2 handed him the gun magazine, Mohamed said, adding he put it into the pocket of his throbe.

Mohamed told investigators that once he got into Sky Zone, he called the teens through Snapchat, but they declined his calls.

By DAVID BAUDER

Correspondent Terry Moran is out at ABC News, two days after the organization suspended its correspondent for a social media post that called Trump administration deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a “world class hater.”

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The network said Tuesday that it was at the end of its contract with Moran “and based on his recent post — which was a clear violation of ABC News policies —we have made the decision not to renew.”

The Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance, quickly condemned Moran for his late-night X post criticizing Miller, which was swiftly deleted.

Moran had interviewed President Donald Trump only a few weeks ago. He said in his X post that the president was also a hater, but that his hatred was in service of his own glorification.

But for Miller, Moran said, “his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”

By ANNIKA HAMMERSCHLAG

NICE, France (AP) — Eighteen countries ratified the High Seas Treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49 — just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support, occurring during the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, France, adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean.

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“The entry into force is within our sight, and I call on all remaining nations to join swiftly,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters Tuesday. “We do not have a moment to lose.”

Here’s what the treaty is, why it matters and what happens next.

What is the High Seas Treaty

Formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, the High Seas Treaty is the first legally binding agreement focused on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. These waters, which are beyond the jurisdiction of any single country, make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean and almost half the surface of the planet.

Until now, there has been no comprehensive legal framework to create marine protected areas or enforce conservation on the high seas.

Why is it needed

Despite their remoteness, the high seas are under growing pressure from overfishing, climate change and the threat of deep-sea mining. Environmental advocates warn that without proper protections, marine ecosystems in international waters face irreversible harm.

Coral is visible in the protected area of France’s Porquerolles National Park ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

“Until now, it has been the wild west on the high seas,” said Megan Randles, global political lead for oceans at Greenpeace. “Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place.”

The treaty is also essential to achieving the global “30×30” target — an international pledge to protect 30% of the planet’s land and sea by 2030.

How the treaty works

The treaty creates a legal process for countries to establish marine protected areas in the high seas, including rules for destructive activities like deep-sea mining and geo-engineering. It also establishes a framework for technology-sharing, funding mechanisms and scientific collaboration among countries.

Crucially, decisions under the treaty will be made multilaterally through conferences of parties (COPs) rather than by individual countries acting alone.

What happens when it reaches 60 ratifications

Once 60 countries ratify the treaty, a 120-day countdown begins before it officially enters into force. That would unlock the ability to begin designating protected areas in the high seas and put oversight mechanisms into motion.

Mountains are reflected in the waters of France’s Port-Cros National Park ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference, Saturday, June 7, 2025, (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

As of Monday evening, 49 countries and the EU had ratified, meaning 11 more are needed to trigger that countdown.

Guterres called the pace of progress “a record,” noting that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea took 12 years to reach entry into force, while the BBNJ treaty appears poised to do so in just over two.

“I see a momentum and an enthusiasm that was difficult to find in the past,” he said.

What comes after ratification

The first Conference of the Parties (COP1) must take place within one year of the treaty’s entry into force. That meeting will lay the groundwork for implementation, including decisions on governance, financing and the creation of key bodies to evaluate marine protection proposals.

Environmental groups are pushing to surpass the required 60 ratifications, and to do so quickly – the more countries that ratify, the stronger and more representative the treaty’s implementation will be. There’s also a deadline: only countries that ratify by COP1 will be eligible to vote on critical decisions that determine how the treaty will operate.

A painted comber swims in the protected area of France’s Port-Cros National Park ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference, Saturday, June 7, 2025, (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

“To reach 60 ratifications would be an absolutely enormous achievement, but for the treaty to be as effective as possible, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. “So the next step will be to go from 60 to global.”

The surge in support on Monday has raised hopes that 2025 could mark a turning point for high seas protection.

“We’re on the brink of making high seas history,” Hubbard said.

Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram @ahammergram

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment