A former Maryland mayor and prominent LGBTQ activist who was convicted in a heinous child pornography case earlier this year was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison.
Patrick Wojern, who resigned as mayor of College Park, Maryland, on March 2, prior to his arrest, pleaded guilty to 140 charges related to child pornography as part of an agreement with prosecutors. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison (not including 30 years of probation), but under state law he will be eligible for parole within 7 1/2 years, The Washington Post reported. The conviction came after investigators linked accounts sharing illegal images to government email addresses.
Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Karen Mason said Monday in an emotional hearing in which prosecutors read hours of victim impact statements that Wojern was “regretful.” ” “And I know you’re responsible.”
Authorities say a 48-year-old man uploaded and shared dozens of photos and videos on social media apps in January depicting explicit child sexual abuse, including the rape of a prepubescent boy by an adult. The Post reported. The National Center on Missing and Exploited Children reported the social media activity to Prince George’s County police in mid-February.
Montana man pleads not guilty to child sexual abuse charges in connection with missing Arizona boy
Patrick Wojahn was arrested in March on dozens of child pornography charges. (Prince George’s County Police Department)
After investigating, police determined that a social media account with the screen name “skippy_md” belonged to Wojaan. FOX5DC reported.
Investigators discovered through the subpoena that Wojaan’s College Park government email address was listed as the recovery email address for his Kik account. Authorities say Wojaan’s phone number and his home IP address are linked to the account, and that the former mayor used a virtual private network to hide his location when accessing the account.
More explicit images were also found on the social media app Telegram.
Plaintiff Dave speaks after an American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and Equality Maryland press conference denouncing the Maryland Court of Appeals’ decision upholding a state law banning marriage protections for same-sex couples in Baltimore on September 15. Mr. Kolesar (left) and Mr. Patrick Wojaan. 18, 2007. (Mark Gale/Washington Post via Getty Images)
Oklahoma human trafficker arrested after allegedly using fake identification to avoid deportation for 20 years
Wojern was indicted by a grand jury in March on 80 counts of possession and intent to distribute child pornography, and a superseding indictment expanded the charges to 140 in May, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in August to all 60 counts of distribution of child pornography, 40 counts of possession of child pornography, and 40 counts of possession of child pornography with intent to distribute. Law enforcement, with the help of the Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program and the National Center for Missing and Missing Persons, recovered hundreds of photos and videos that Mr. Wojahn owned and shared. We have identified 52 child victims, some of whom are now adults. exploited children.
Their impact statements in court detailed extreme anxiety, paranoia, lack of sleep, trust issues and struggles with a sense of safety, and after being exposed as victims, they were stalked. Some said they had been forced to relocate their current families and children as a result. Online child exploitation.
College Park residents Dave Kolesar, left, and Patrick Wojahn, who have been together for six years, walk outside the Maryland Court of Appeals after arguments in their same-sex marriage case were held on Dec. 4, 2006. It is photographed in. (Robert A. Reeder/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The judge cited Wojaan’s own past as a victim of sexual abuse and heard statements of support from 16 people who spoke in court about Wojaan’s career in public service, and ordered the former mayor to receive the maximum amount of treatment possible. The decision was made to refer the matter to Patuxent Research Institute. Maryland state security prison.
Wojaan himself apologized in court on Monday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I know I was complicit in that and I am deeply, deeply sorry…I recognize the damage I have caused,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
“I want to be the person they know me to be,” she told the community, before addressing her husband, “I love you so much, too.”
An avid LGBTQ advocate and graduate of Georgetown Law School, Ms. Wojahn joined her now-husband in a 2006 lawsuit seeking marriage rights for same-sex couples in Maryland, and is a member of the College Park City Council. He was in charge of She served on the city council for eight years until November 2015 when she was elected mayor. She held the position for seven years until resigning earlier this year.
