A Maryland mayor was arrested Monday and charged with 50 counts of distributing revenge porn.
State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III filed the charges against Cambridge Mayor Andrew Bradshaw in the Circuit Court for Dorchester County, according to a statement from Howard’s office.
Bradshaw is accused of creating multiple Reddit accounts using the name and birthday of a victim with whom he had a previous romantic relationship, according to court documents.
Using the accounts, Bradshaw posted nude photos of the victim without her consent and with the intent to harm her, a violation of Maryland’s Revenge Porn Statute, the state prosecutor said.
The mayor also captioned the images with racial slurs and sexually inappropriate language, court documents indicated.
“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,” Howard said in the statement.
“Our office is committed to protecting victims from those who abuse their positions of power and trust,” he added.
In a statement posted to Cambridge’s website, the city said it is “aware of the matter involving the Mayor” but that “the business of the City is unaffected.”
“The City is currently gathering information and will cooperate fully with the Maryland State Police and the Office of the State Prosecutor,” the statement said. “As this is an active legal matter, no further comments will be made at this time.”
If convicted, Bradshaw could face a maximum of two years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each count he faces.