Maryland Mayor Arrested on 50 Counts of Distributing Revenge Porn on Reddit

A Maryland State Police vehicle in a file photo. Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

A Maryland mayor was arrested and charged with 50 counts of distributing revenge porn, Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced Monday.

Charges were filed against Andrew Bradshaw, the mayor of Cambridge, in the Circuit Court for Dorchester County, according to a statement from Howard’s office.

Bradshaw allegedly created multiple accounts on the public Internet forum Reddit using variations of the name and birthday of a victim with whom he had a previous romantic relationship, according to court documents.

The mayor is accused of having posted nude photographs of the victim to various Reddit and subreddit forums related to sexual activity, humiliation, degradation, race, and other topics, alongside racial slurs and sexually explicit language without her consent or knowledge and with the intent to harm her.

As per court documents, the victim, who is in her 20s, contacted law enforcement on or around May 14, 2020 when she discovered that the nude photographs of her had been posted to Reddit without her consent.

The victim told officers that she had only shared the photographs in question with one person, Bradshaw, when they were in an intimate relationship, but had not given him consent to share them.

His alleged actions are in violation of Maryland’s Revenge Porn Statute, the state prosecutor said.

Under Maryland’s Revenge Porn Statute, an individual may not distribute private images, video footage, or any reproduction of the image of another person that reveals their identity while exposing their intimate body parts or displays them engaged in sexual activity, without their consent and with the intent to harm them.

If convicted, Bradshaw would face a maximum penalty of two years’ in jail and a $5,000 fine for each count.

“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 State Prosecutor Howard. “Our office is committed to protecting victims from those who abuse their positions of power and trust.”

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.”