Cambridge, Maryland mayor Andrew Bradshaw was arrested on Monday and is facing 50 counts of distributing revenge porn.
The 31-year-old Republican is accused of sharing nude photographs on numerous sub-Reddits of a woman believed to be a 26-year-old, CBS News reports. Bradshaw allegedly had a romantic relationship with the currently unidentified woman, and many of his posts were accompanied by “racial slurs and sexually explicit language.” He supposedly created multiple accounts to share the photos, which state prosecutors said were shared on sub-Reddits “related to sexual activity, humiliation, degradation, race, and other topics.”
If convicted on all 50 counts he’s facing, Bradshaw—who was sworn in as mayor in January—could spend a maximum of 100 years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. “The allegations against Mayor Bradshaw involve private matters that are unfortunately playing themselves out in a public forum. Nothing about the allegations in any way affect Mayor Bradshaw’s desire and intent to continue to lead all the citizens of Cambridge,” said Bradshaw’s lawyer Michael Belsky in a statement, per the New York Times.
Bradshaw allegedly shared the photos from accounts that had usernames featuring combinations of the woman’s name and birth date. She first informed the authorities of the revenge porn in May 2021, and said she only shared the intimate photos with Bradshaw. Prosecutors have since indicated the posts were traced to an IP address at Bradshaw’s home.
“Using someone’s private images without their consent is a serious breach of trust and invasion of privacy, and the power and breadth of the internet makes such a violation even more egregious”, said Maryland state prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III in a statement released this week. “Our office is committed to protecting victims from those who abuse their positions of power and trust.”
