The former Democrat Mayor of College Park, Maryland, Patrick Wojahn, has been handed a 30-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Earlier this year, The Gateway Pundit reported that the Prince George’s County police department arrested Wojahn soon after they discovered he was operating a social media account distributing pornography.
“The City of College Park was made aware this morning of former Mayor Patrick Wojahn’s arrest by Prince George’s County Police and the charges that have been filed. We are shocked and disturbed by the news; what has come to light in this investigation is a total surprise to us,” according to the press release.
Before his arrest, Wojahn, who served as mayor from 2015-2023, had friendships with high-profile Democrats such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The Washington Blade in 2019 reported, “Pete Buttigieg has mentored Patrick Wojahn over the years.”
Local College Park news outlet the Diamond Back would go further and reported Patrick Wojahn received important advice from Buttigieg and the two even went out for beers once in Riverdale, Maryland.
Along with Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama, Wojahn also took a picture with Nancy Pelosi:
Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) wrote in a press release, “On February 17, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the PGPD that a social media account operating in the county possessed and distributed suspected child pornography. The image and videos had been uploaded to the social media account in January of 2023. Through various investigative techniques, PGPD investigators discovered the social media account belonged to Wojahn.”
It continued, “On February 28, 2023, PGPD detectives served a search warrant at Wojahn’s College Park home. Investigators recovered multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer. Following additional investigation, PGPD obtained criminal charges against Wojahn and investigators took him into custody early this morning.”
Wojahn filed for his resignation following his arrest, stating, “While this investigation does not involve any official city business of any kind, it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and not serve as a distraction. I have great trust in the ability of Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell, the City Council, and our staff to carry forward what we have accomplished.”
On August 2, Wojahn pleaded guilty to a total of 140 counts, including 60 counts of distribution, 40 counts of possession, and 40 counts of intent to distribute child pornography, WUSA9 reported.
On Monday, a former Maryland mayor, Patrick Wojahn, only received a light sentence of three decades behind bars. The plea deal concluded with Wojahn being sentenced to 150 years, however, the court suspended 120 years, effectively sending Wojahn to prison for only 30 years plus five years’ probation. He must also register as a sex offender for 25 years, according to The Baltimore Banner.
The news outlet reported:
For almost 1½ hours at the sentencing Monday of former College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn in Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Assistant State’s Attorneys Monica Meyers and Jess Garth explained how possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material is not a victimless crime.
Law enforcement, prosecutors said, knew the names of 52 children who appeared in images on Wojahn’s cellphone. They experienced sexual abuse all over the world. The United States. Canada. Mexico. Spain. Germany. The United Kingdom.
But there were hundreds, if not thousands more children that investigators could not identify. The total number was so large, prosecutors said, that it surpassed the enrollment of Wojahn’s local elementary school, Hollywood Elementary.
“Even though the victim is separated from the person who is abusing them by a computer screen, they exist,” said Garth, who is chief of the Special Victims and Family Violence Unit in the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, at a news conference. “They’re real people.”
State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy described the sentence as “fair.”
According to Maryland’s parole laws, he could potentially secure an early release after serving a quarter of his sentence, which would be about seven and a half years, according to WTOP News.
More from the news outlet:
During the hearing, Myers read off dozens of statements from victims and their parents that detailed the abuse seen in the photos and videos, some of which depicted very young children, including infants. In some instances, the victims were bound or injured during the abuse.
“People often refer to this as a victimless crime, or they try to justify the actions of the defendant by saying he didn’t touch anyone,” Myers said. “The purpose of introducing all the statements by the victims today was to really convey behind every image he possessed is a story.”
One victim who spoke on video said she was stalked and harassed online for years after the abuse and even had to move.
Myers said more than 500 victims who live around the world were on Wojahn’s phone.
