Yet another disturbing scandal has stained the Democratic Party as the former mayor of the D.C. suburb, College Park, was just sentenced to 30 years in prison for child pornography offenses on Monday, November 20. Patrick Wojahn has pleaded guilty to 140 counts total, which included 60 counts of distribution of child porn, 40 counts of possession of child pornography, and 40 counts of possession with intent to distribute.
All but 30 years were suspended from his initial 150-year sentence as stated by WUSA 9. The State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy called the sentence “fair” but expressed the seriousness behind Wojahn’s offense given his prior position as an elected official and disappointing letdown he brought on the community.
State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy shared her thoughts on this horrific case: “Mr. Wojahn has pled guilty and accepted responsibility for his actions and these horrendous crimes… The tragedy of them being preyed upon in cases like this cannot be understated.”
She also noted that the sentence handed down was fair and necessary to send a message about the gravity of Wojahn’s offenses, especially given his role as an elected official.
Wojahn served as mayor from 2015 until he resigned after his arrest earlier this year in March. His resignation came at a time when College Park was just beginning to emerge from its pandemic restrictions, and many members of the community felt betrayed by their former leader’s abhorrent actions.
State’s Attorney Braveboy commented further: “I want families in Prince George’s County to rest assured, that we will continue to exhaust every possible effort to ensure their safety and well-being.” Dr. Fazlul Kabir replaced Wajahn in a special election held in May, but residents have yet to fully recover from this shock and disappointment.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) alerted local authorities about a suspect distributing child pornography back in February 2021, triggering the police department investigation which eventually led them to Mr. Wojahn’s doorsteps.
