Patrick Wojahn, the former mayor of College Park, Maryland, has been convicted on child pornography charges. According to reports from WJLA, CBS Baltimore, and NBC Washington, the 47-year-old Wojahn pled guilty to 60 counts of distribution and 80 counts of possession of child pornography.
This conviction marks a shocking turn of events for Wojahn, who had been a prominent figure in the Democratic Party. He had served as mayor of College Park, a city known for its youthful energy and progressive ideals, due to its large college student population.
Perhaps even more significant is Wojahn’s relationship with current Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. In the past, Wojahn publicly referred to Buttigieg, the first openly gay person to hold a cabinet position in U.S history, as his “mentor.”
In an interview with the Washington Blade, an LGBT-focused publication, Wojahn stated that he met Buttigieg shortly after he was elected mayor in 2015. Wojahn, who is also openly gay, referred to Buttigieg as his “mentor” and “buddy,” and credited Buttigieg’s mentorship for his rise in leadership among the nation’s mayors.
“I went to the US Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in DC in January [2015] and he was assigned to be my buddy,” said Wojahn in the interview. “I now serve in a leadership role as vice chair of city livability and bicycling in part due to his mentorship.”
A now-hidden post to X, formerly Twitter, apparently showed Wojahn meeting with Buttigeig in 2019. Wojahn reportedly wrote, “Just two mayors, grabbing a beer together. #MayorPete”.
A spokesman for the Department of Transportation told the New York Post that “The Secretary did not know the former mayor well, but did meet him a number of times through participation in US Conference of Mayors programming, conferences and political events,” in a March statement.
Wojahn’s arrest came in early March, but he remained in custody until his recent conviction. The severity of his crimes was highlighted by the plea deal, which dictates a 30-year prison sentence, with eligibility for parole after he has served 25%, or 7.5 years, of his full sentence.
