Disgraced former mayor and one-time “buddy” of Pete Buttigieg sentenced to 30 years for possession and distribution of child porn – Law Officer

BALTIMORE – Disgraced former Maryland mayor and prominent Democrat Patrick Wojahn was given a 30-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to an enormous number of child porn charges.

Wojahn, who formerly served as the first openly gay mayor of College Park, Maryland received the sentence after he was arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography earlier this year, the Post Millennial reported. 

When the 47-yearf-old Wojahn was arrested in March, he was originally charged with 56 counts related to child pornography, Law Officer reported at the time. However, the investigation apparently snowballed. According to CBS News, the former mayor pleaded guilty in August to more than 100 counts linked to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

The Libs of TikTok said on social media that he actually pleaded guilty to 140 charges, which included more than 500 victims, including infants.

.@PeteButtigieg’s buddy pleaded guilty to 140 charges and was just sentenced to 30 years in prison for child p0rn. There were over 500 victims including infants. Horrific. https://t.co/xTRoZ7otCA

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 21, 2023

Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy’s office said the plea deal called for Wojahn to serve 30 years in prison. He received the sentence on Monday, according to the Baltimore Banner.

Wojahn, who previously referred to Joe Biden as “the most pro-LGBTQ President in US history,” is also the former “buddy” of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The now-condemned man was the mayor of College Park up until he was taken into custody March 2, 2023, when he resigned, according to his letter of resignation posted on the city’s website. He is also proudly gay and once boasted of his mentor/mentee relationship with Buttigieg, who is also gay and is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, the Western Journal reported. 

Wojahn said he attended a White House reception during the Obama era when his partner and Buttigieg’s would meet. While speaking of his relationship with Buttigieg, he noted his status in the conference of mayors was boosted “in part due to his mentorship.”

“I actually met Mayor Pete Buttigieg shortly after I was elected mayor in 2015,” Wojahn said in a 2019 interview with the Washington Blade, an LGBT news outlet. “I went to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in D.C. in January and he was assigned to be my buddy.”

Today, Wojahn reminisces how he was “mentored” over the years by Pete Buttigieg. They met when Wojahn went to the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, where Buttigieg “was assigned to be my buddy.” Their husbands were introduced to each other at a White House reception under Obama. pic.twitter.com/IojSFNUBxN

— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) March 2, 2023

However, Wojahn’s world came crashing down in March when he was arrested and charged with dozens of counts of possession of child exploitative material and more counts of distribution of child exploitative material, Prince George’s County Police Department said in a press release at the time.

Detectives arrested and charged 47-year-old Patrick Wojahn with 56 counts of possession & distribution of child pornography. https://t.co/Dn9H1kzkh9 pic.twitter.com/TlspmoUmyl

— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) March 2, 2023

The police agency provided the following overview in March:

On February 17, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the PGPD that a social media account operating in the county possessed and distributed suspected child pornography. The image and videos had been uploaded to the social media account in January of 2023. Through various investigative techniques, PGPD investigators discovered the social media account belonged to Wojahn.

On February 28, 2023, PGPD detectives served a search warrant at Wojahn’s College Park home. Investigators recovered multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer. Following additional investigation, PGPD obtained criminal charges against Wojahn and investigators took him into custody early this morning.

Wojahn resigned his position as mayor effective immediately. In his letter of resignation he acknowledged the “ongoing police investigation” and said, “it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and not serve as a distraction.”

Moreover, he noted, “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health.”

The city confirmed the resignation in a statement March 2, 2023, and even went to repugnant extreme to thank him “for his many years of dedicated service,” WJLA-TV reported. 

“Last night, after business hours, Mayor Patrick L. Wojahn submitted his letter of resignation as Mayor of the City of College Park, effective immediately on March 2,” the statement said. “Mayor Wojahn has served in this position since 2015 and on Council since 2007. The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service.”

Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said his department wants to “send a clear message to anyone involved in this type of material that units like this are looking, they’re working every day to make sure that we have a safe county and a safe state.”