Maryland
‘Horrendous crimes:’ Former College Park mayor pleads guilty to 140 counts of child porn
Deal with prosecutors calls for 30-year jail sentence
Patrick Wojahn, the gay former mayor of College Park, Md., pleaded guilty in Prince George’s County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Aug. 2, to 140 counts of child pornography related charges as part of a plea agreement offered by prosecutors.
The agreement calls for Wojahn, 47, to be sentenced to 150 years in prison, with 120 years to be suspended, requiring that he serve 30 years.
Prince George’s County Assistant State’s Attorney Jessica Garth, the lead prosecutor in the case, announced the terms of the plea agreement during the Circuit Court hearing, which was listed as a plea hearing.
Garth told news reporters after the hearing that under Maryland’s sentencing rules Wojahan will be eligible to apply for release on parole after serving 25 percent of the 30-year sentence, which could result in his release after seven and a half years.
She said that under the plea agreement Wojahn will receive a mental health evaluation and treatment while in jail and upon being released; he must register as a Tier Two sex offender upon his release; and he will be prohibited upon release from holding a job or a volunteer position involving children. Garth said the plea agreement calls for Wojahn’s probation to last for five years.
As part of the plea agreement, Wojahn pleaded guilty to each of the 140 counts against him handed down in the second of two grand jury indictments. The 140 counts include 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 it.
The first indictment against Wojahn came just under four weeks after Prince George’s County police announced on March 2 of this year that they had arrested him on 56 counts of possession and distribution of “child exploitive material.”
Shortly before his arrest and just after police raided his College Park house and confiscated multiple cell phones, a storage device, and a tablet and computer, Wojahn released a statement announcing he had resigned from his position as College Park mayor, for which he had served since 2015.
In his statement Wojahn also said he was cooperating with authorities in their investigation into the charges against him.
“I have cooperated fully, and will continue to cooperate fully,” he wrote. “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health,” he said. “I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.”
The initial police charging documents said Wojahn allegedly had uploaded and/or shared at least 56 videos or still images on the social media app Kik depicting explicit sexual acts between adult men and prepubescent boys, depicting prepubescent boys engaging in sex with each other, or engaging in masturbation.
The police charging documents did not include any evidence or allegations that Wojahn had any direct contact with the juveniles depicted in the pornographic videos or still images he possessed or distributed. And the charging documents also did not include allegations that he was distributing the video or still images of child porn by selling them for profit, only that he was allegedly sharing them with others through the Kik app.
The drama surrounding the Aug. 2 court hearing in which Wojahn pleaded guilty was heightened by an announcement by a court clerk that the hearing, scheduled for 1:30 p.m., would be delayed by at least 45 minutes or more because of a mix-up by jail officials who were supposed to transport Wojahn from the jail where he has been held since his arrest on March 2 to the courthouse, located in Upper Marlboro.
It wasn’t until 3:25 p.m. when a uniformed guard escorted Wojahn into the courtroom while the former mayor was handcuffed and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit.
During the Aug. 2 plea hearing, Judge Karen Mason, who is currently presiding over the case, asked Wojahn to rise from the defense table where he was seated beside his attorney, David Moyse, to answer a series of questions that the judge said must be answered to confirm that he has willingly and knowingly chosen to waive his right to a trial and to plead guilty to all charges.
As part of her questioning, Mason read each of the 140 indictment counts, including their allegations of possession or distribution of child pornography, asking Wojahn if he understands the impact of his guilty plea.
“Yes, your honor,” Wojahn replied repeatedly.
Assistant State’s Attorney Garth told reporters after the hearing that the 30-year sentence called for in the plea agreement is one of the most severe sentences handed down in a Prince George’s County court for a case like the one involving Wojahn.
Judge Mason scheduled a formal sentencing hearing in the Wojahn case for Nov. 20, 2023. Garth said the judge has indicated that she will accept the terms of the plea agreement, including the 30-year sentence with eligibility for parole at 7 and a half years.
Defense attorney Moyse said after the hearing that he prefers not to comment on the plea agreement or the status of the case at this time.
“This is a horrific case,” P.G. County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said in a statement released after the court hearing. “I am truly pleased that Mr. Wojahn has pled guilty and accepted responsibility for his actions and these horrendous crimes,” Braveboy said.
Maryland
Supreme Court ruling against conversion therapy bans could affect Md. law
Then-Gov. Larry Hogan signed statute in 2018
By PAMELA WOOD, JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV, and MADELEINE O’NEILL | The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ kids in Colorado, a ruling that also could apply to Maryland’s ban on the discredited practice.
An 8-1 high court majority sided with a Christian counselor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed that the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide whether it meets a legal standard that few laws pass.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the court’s majority, said the law “censors speech based on viewpoint.” The First Amendment, he wrote, “stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland’s legislative caucuses outlined their legislative priorities heading into the final weeks of the 2026 General Assembly during a joint press conference on March 24.
The press conference was titled “We are Maryland,” where a representative for each of the legislative caucuses outlined priorities.
State Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick County) of the LGBTQ+ Caucus opened the press conference with a statement on the unity of Maryland’s caucus.
“Together we can show our state and our community a different world, one where we mutually support one another and through that support uplift every Marylander,” he said.
In a press conference on March 5, the LGBTQ+ Caucus outlined its top legislative priorities. Fair highlighted two of those bills again during the “We are Maryland” press conference.
The first of the two highlighted pieces of legislation was Senate Bill 626 and House Bill 1589.
The bills would simplify the process of updating an individual’s birth certificate and align the Department of Health and DMV systems to reflect those changes. The bill is being led by state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard Counties) and state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County).
The second piece of legislation is Senate Bill 950 and House Bill 1209, which would update and modernize laws and regulations around so-called conversion therapy. The bills have failed to pass either chamber thus far. They are being led by state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery County) and state Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery County).
(The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a Colorado law that bans so-called conversion therapy for minors. Maryland is among the U.S. jurisdictions that prohibit the widely discredited practice for anyone under 18.)
Martinez and Lam have introduced bills in their respective chambers that would expand PrEP access in Maryland. Martinez did not attend the press conference, and Fair did not mention it when he spoke.
State Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County) represented the Black Caucus during the press conference. State Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel County) spoke on behalf of the Women’s Caucus, State Del. Teresa Woorman (D-Montgomery County) represented the Latino Caucus, and State Del. Lily Qi (D-Montgomery County) represented the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Caucus. State Del. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery County) represented the Jewish Caucus, and state Del. Sean Stinnett (D-Baltimore County) represented the Muslim Caucus during the press conference.
Solomon ended the press conference by explaining the importance of all the caucuses coming out together.
“We are stronger when we’re together, and many of these issues that we have talked about, again, impact all of us,” said Solomon.
Cameroon
Gay Cameroonian immigrant will be freed from ICE detention — for now
Ludovic Mbock’s homeland criminalizes homosexuality
By ANTONIO PLANAS | An immigration judge on Friday issued a $4,000 bond for a Cameroonian immigrant and regional gaming champion held in federal immigration detention for the past three weeks.
The ruling will allow Ludovic Mbock, of Oxon Hill, to return to Maryland from a Georgia facility this weekend, his family and attorney said.
“Realistically, by tomorrow. Hopefully, by today,” said Mbock’s attorney, Edward Neufville. “We are one step closer to getting Ludovic justice.”
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
A Sondheim masterpiece ‘Merrily’ rolls onto Netflix
ROSENSTEIN: Vote McDuffie for mayor of D.C.
New book celebrates 1970s dance music icons
Report: Grenell wants Russian ambassadorship
