Former College Park mayor gets 30 years for 140 charges of possessing and distributing child sex abuse material

Editor's note: Some readers may find this article disturbing.

The former mayor of College Park, Maryland, was sentenced Monday to three decades in prison, after pleading guilty to 140 charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.

Patrick Wojahn was sentenced for possessing and distributing images and videos of children, some of them infants and toddlers, being raped and sexually abused.

Prosecutors say this was not a victimless crime. They say they were able to identify 52 of the hundreds of children depicted in the material. They spoke at length about the horrific abuse and how Wojahn's role in viewing and sharing these videos helped to revictimize the children and to create a market for the material.

"This sentence is instructive. It instructs us that child pornography is not simply about images. It's about the pain behind the images," State's Attorney for Prince George's County Aisha Braveboy said.

The victims are real people who experienced the abuse, Assistant State's Attorney for Prince George's County Jess Garth said.

"They have to live what happened to them for rest of their lives," Garth said. "And also live with the knowledge that other people around the world will continue to view that abuse."

At least one of the known abuse victims died by suicide, prosecutors said.

Wojahn did not create any of the material or have contact with any of the victims.

He pleaded guilty in August to 60 counts of distribution, 40 counts of possession and 40 counts of possession of child sex abuse material with intent to distribute, according to the State's Attorney's Office for Prince George's County. His guilty plea was for 150 years, with all but 30 years suspended.

Forty people wrote letters and expressed support for Wojahn, who was mayor of College Park until his arrest. They spoke of his success as an elected leader and community activist. More than a dozen people spoke of his good character, including his husband, mother and sister.

There was testimony about Wojahn being sexually abused when he was younger as well. Some supporters suggested that 30 years was too harsh.

"His plea was fair; it was within guidelines, and it was appropriate given the harm he caused," Braveboy said.

Wojahn's arrest shook the city of College Park back in early March, after Prince George's county police were informed of suspected child sex abuse materials being distributed in the county. After the tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, police opened an investigation and ultimately arrested Wojahn.

Wojahn resigned from his position as mayor the night before his arrest.

In court Monday, the ex-mayor apologized to those he hurt and let down, saying was still trying to understand what led him down a dark, dangerous and destructive path. He said he knew what he did contributed to the victimization of children.

"From the bottom of my heart, I recognize the damage it caused," he said. "I'm truly, truly sorry."

The judge acknowledged that Wojahn was remorseful and took responsibility. She accepted the defense's request for him to be considered for incarceration at the Patuxent Institution, a treatment-oriented facility.

Prosecutors say because these are nonviolent offenses, Wojahn would be eligible or parole after serving 25% of his sentence. That means he could get out in seven and a half years.

Once Wojahn is released, he'll have to register as a sex offender and will not be allowed to be around children unsupervised.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.