On Monday, Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced that the Mayor of Cambridge, Maryland, Andrew Bradshaw, has been charged with 50 counts of distributing revenge porn.
In a charging document, Bradshaw, 32, was charged with 50 counts of distributing intimate sex images, all of which were posted on various Reddit forums.
Bradshaw allegedly created numerous Reddit accounts with the usernames consisting of variations of the victim's legal name and date of birth.
According to the court document, the photos were posted on various Reddit forums with subjects relating to sexual activity, including "HumiliatingComments," "DegradeThisPig," and "DegradedCaptions."
Bradshaw reportedly posted nude photographs of the unnamed victim to these forums, captioned with racial slurs and sexually explicit language.
On May 14, the victim went to Maryland law enforcement once she discovered the photographs, and told them that she had given those photos only to Bradshaw, without the consent to redistribute them.
The two had previously been in a relationship, though were no longer in one at the time when the victim stepped forward.
Investigators tracked the IP address from the Reddit posts, and determined that they were posted from the internet service provided to Bradshaw's home.
According to The Baltimore Sun, a Dorchester County Circuit Court judge ordered Bradshaw to be held without bond Monday afternoon. Bradshaw faces up to a $5,000 fine and two years in prison for each count, for a maximum total of $250,000 and 100 years in prison.
"Maryland's Revenge Porn Statute, Maryland Criminal Law Article § 3-809, prohibits the nonconsensual distribution of a private visual representation of another which exposes their intimate body parts or displays them engaged in sexual activity, with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten or coerce the person depicted. If convicted, Mr. Bradshaw would face a maximum penalty of two years' incarceration and a $5,000 fine for each count," according to the Maryland State Prosecutor's office.
"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."
Reddit's Content Policy states the users should "Never post or threaten to post intimate or sexually-explicit media of someone without their consent." The policy is enforced by administrators, according to the Reddit website.
Cambridge’s acting city manager, David Deutsch, said the city's commissioners will be meeting with the city attorney about Bradshaw "shortly" to look at the city charter and code to see "what options exist and if any action needs to be taken," according to The Baltimore Sun.
Deutsch noted that in the meantime, Bradshaw remains as the city's mayor. That meeting regarding Bradshaw is likely to take place before the commissioners' next meeting on December 13.
"Government operations are still moving forward," Deutsch said. "The legal issues surrounding the mayor is a personal matter and doesn't involve city business."
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