Ex-Mayor Charged for Soliciting CSAM Internationally

Joel Biermann, the former mayor of University Park, Maryland, has been charged with 28 counts related to child sex abuse material following an FBI investigation that uncovered 45,000 files on his devices. Serving as mayor from 2022 to 2024, Biermann is accused of producing, distributing, and possessing explicit images and videos of children, as well as soliciting a foreign national to create such material. Authorities found disturbing evidence in his home, including children's undergarments and a child-like blow-up doll. Biermann allegedly exchanged over 4,500 messages with an international contact, paying more than $800 for images of boys as young as two years old. The charges highlight the severity of his actions, with the court ruling he be held without bond as he poses a continued threat to the community.