Former Maryland college town mayor pleads guilty to 140 child pornography charges
By Aya Elamroussi and Zenebou Sylla, CNN
(CNN) — The former mayor of a Maryland college town pleaded guilty Wednesday to 140 charges stemming from child pornography possession and distribution, prosecutors said.
Patrick Wojahn had served as the mayor of College Park for about eight years before his resignation and arrest in March.
Wojahn pleaded guilty to 60 counts of distribution of child pornography, 40 counts of possession of child pornography, and 40 counts of possession of child pornography with the intention to distribute, according to a Wednesday news release from Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Wojahn is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20. CNN has reached out to Wojahn’s attorney, David Moyse, for comment.
“This is a horrific case,” said Aisha N. Braveboy, the state’s attorney for Prince George’s County. “I am truly pleased that Mr. Wojahn has pled guilty to and accepted responsibility for his actions and these horrendous crimes.”
Authorities began investigating Wojahn in February after they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, indicating child pornography was distributed by someone in Prince George’s County, according to the release.
“Our children are both precious and vulnerable, deserving of the utmost protection. The tragedy of them being preyed upon in cases like this cannot be understood,” Braveboy added.
Prior to his arrest, Wojahn had taken the mayoral post in College Park — home to the state’s flagship University of Maryland — in 2015 after having served on the city’s council beginning in 2007.
At the time of this arrest in March, city officials expressed they were shocked and disturbed by the accusations against Wojahn.
“As a former elected official, the College Park Community put its faith and support in him to serve each resident and their best interests,” Braveboy said Wednesday. “Instead, he let them down in a most disgraceful way.”
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CNN’s Michelle Watson and Andrea Cambron contributed to this report.
