Patrick Wojahn: Charges, Guilty Plea, Sentencing, and Disbarment

Patrick Wojahn is the former mayor of College Park, Maryland, who resigned in March 2023, pleaded guilty to 140 counts of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, and was sentenced in November 2023 to 30 years in prison. He was the first openly gay man elected mayor of the city and a licensed attorney; the Supreme Court of Maryland disbarred him in March 2025.¹

How the Investigation Started

On February 17, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the Prince George’s County Police Department to a Kik social media account operating in the county that had been used to possess and distribute suspected child pornography the month before.² Detectives traced the account, registered under the username “skippy_md,” to Wojahn. Court records indicated the account had uploaded child sexual abuse material on or about January 9, 10, and 11, 2023.³

Police executed a search warrant at Wojahn’s College Park home on February 28, 2023, and seized multiple cell phones, a digital storage device, a tablet, and a computer. He was arrested on March 2, 2023, and initially charged with 40 counts of possession of child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution.² According to court documents, Wojahn admitted to detectives that he operated the Kik account and acknowledged viewing and possessing the files.⁴

Resignation

Wojahn submitted his letter of resignation after business hours on March 1, 2023, the night before his arrest. He wrote that “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.”⁵⁶⁷ Fazlul Kabir won the May 2023 special election and later ran unopposed in the November general election.⁸

Guilty Plea

On August 2, 2023, Wojahn pleaded guilty to 140 counts: 60 counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material, 40 counts of possession, and 40 counts of possession with intent to distribute.⁹ The count had grown from the 56 charges filed at the time of his arrest, when he had faced a potential maximum of 360 years.¹⁰ Under the agreement with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, he received a total sentence of 150 years with 120 years suspended, leaving 30 years of active incarceration.¹¹

The Sentencing Hearing

Wojahn was sentenced on November 20, 2023, in Prince George’s County Circuit Court by Judge Karen Mason. Assistant State’s Attorney Monica Meyers presented statements from more than 40 children identified in the material found on his devices; prosecutors said they had identified 52 of the hundreds of children depicted in the seized files, including infants and toddlers, and told the court at least one identified victim had died by suicide.⁹ Meyers described Wojahn as someone who “did terrible things and went to great lengths to hide them.”¹²

Wojahn took the stand and apologized, saying he was “truly, truly sorry” and telling the court he wanted to dedicate his life to helping others after his release.¹³¹² Judge Mason commended him “for taking ownership of the harm he had caused” and approved his request to serve his sentence at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, a facility that houses offenders with serious mental illness.¹⁴

State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy called the case “horrific” and the outcome a “fair but important sentence,” saying that “as a former elected official, the College Park community put its faith and support in him to serve each resident and their best interests. Instead, he let them down in a most disgraceful way.”⁵

Under the plea terms, Wojahn is eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of the 30 years, roughly seven and a half years. On release he must register as a tier two sex offender, undergo mental health treatment, serve five years of supervised probation, and is permanently barred from holding jobs or volunteering with children.¹²

Disbarment and Civil Lawsuit

On March 21, 2025, the Supreme Court of Maryland granted a joint petition for disbarment by consent, stripping Wojahn of his license to practice law effective immediately. The order, signed by Chief Justice Matthew Fader, cited violations of Rules 8.4(b) and 8.4(d) of the Maryland Attorneys’ Rules of Professional Conduct, which address criminal acts reflecting adversely on an attorney’s fitness and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, as well as D.C. Bar Rule XI, § 10(c), which governs attorneys who plead guilty to serious crimes.¹

That same month, eight people filed a federal civil suit against Wojahn, alleging that their sexual abuse as children is depicted in material seized during the investigation. Each plaintiff is seeking $150,000 in damages under a federal civil remedy statute for personal injuries. As of late March 2025, Wojahn had not filed a response.¹⁵

Career Before the Case

Wojahn graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2002 and built a public interest legal career in the Washington, D.C., area, including work for adults with mental illness, people living with HIV/AIDS, and people with disabilities.¹⁶¹⁷ He later became Director of Government Relations at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.¹⁸

He served four terms as the District 1 councilmember in College Park before winning the mayoral race in November 2015 with 1,267 of 2,222 votes, defeating Denise Mitchell.¹⁹ As mayor he chaired the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board and served on the National League of Cities’ Transportation and Infrastructure Service Policy Committee.¹⁷ He held the office until his resignation on the eve of his arrest.

1
Supreme Court of Maryland. AG No. 44, September Term 2024 – Wojahn Disbarment Order
2
WBAL-TV. College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn Arrested on Child Porn Charges
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WJLA. Patrick Wojahn Child Pornography Sentencing
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Law & Crime. Ex-Maryland Mayor Sentenced in Child Pornography Case
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NBC Washington. Ex-Mayor of College Park Convicted After Pleading Guilty to Child Porn Charges
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City of College Park. City of College Park Statement
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City of College Park. Mayor Patrick L. Wojahn Resignation
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Washington Blade. Fazlul Kabir Mixed Record on LGBTQ Rights
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NBC Washington. Former College Park Mayor Gets 30 Years for 140 Charges
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Fox 5 DC. Former College Park Mayor Receives 30-Year Sentence in Child Porn Case
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Maryland Matters. Former College Park Mayor Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
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The Diamondback. Patrick Wojahn Sentenced
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The Banner. Patrick Wojahn Former College Park Mayor Sentencing
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Washington Post. Maryland Mayor Child Pornography Prison
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The Daily Record. Former College Park Mayor Agrees to Disbarment After Child Pornography Conviction
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U.S. House of Representatives. Biography of Patrick L. Wojahn
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Capital Pride. Patrick Wojahn
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Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Q&A: Patrick Wojahn, College Park Councilmember
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The Diamondback. Patrick Wojahn Elected College Park Mayor