Former Maryland mayor gets 30 years in prison in child pornography case after pleading guilty to 140 charges
Published in News & Features
BALTIMORE — Former College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography.
Wojahn, 48, pleaded guilty in August to 140 child pornography charges, according to online court records.
His indictment charged him with possession, possession with intent to distribute and distribution of material that exploits children — a mixture of misdemeanors and felonies with maximum penalties ranging from five to 10 years’ incarceration.
Prince George’s County Circuit Judge Karen H. Mason on Monday sentenced him to 150 years in prison but suspended all but 30 years of it, according to the Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office and online court records. That means that if Wojahn violates the conditions of his eventual release, a judge could send him back to prison for up to 120 years.
Mason tacked on five years of supervised probation upon Wojahn’s release from custody and ordered that he register as a sex offender.
People convicted of nonviolent crimes in Maryland are eligible for parole after serving 25% of their sentence.
Wojahn’s attorney, David H. Moyse, said Wojahn had agreed to the punishment as part of the plea agreement with prosecutors.
“It was a difficult day for him and his family,” Moyse said of the sentencing.
Like many child pornography cases, the investigation into Wojahn stems from a tip to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, a nonprofit.
At a news conference after the sentencing hearing, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy described Wojahn’s punishment as “fair” and “instructive.”
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