A former mayor of University Park, Maryland, is facing dozens of charges after FBI investigators said they found 45,000 files depicting suspected child sexual abuse on his devices.
Editor’s note: This article discuses details of child sexual abuse that may be disturbing to some readers.
The former mayor of University Park, Maryland, is facing dozens of charges after FBI investigators said they found 45,000 files depicting suspected child sexual abuse on his devices.
Joel Biermann, 46, was charged with 22 counts of possessing child sexual abuse images, along with several other related charges, this week. He served as the Prince George’s County town’s mayor from 2022 through June 2024.
Investigators said he produced, distributed and knowingly possessed images and videos of children being sexually abused. Some of the allegations overlapped with his time as mayor.
When law enforcement searched his home Monday, they located electronic devices with tens of thousands of files containing abusive materials, according to charging documents.
Some of those file names listed children’s race and age, with the youngest listed being 2 years old. Several were explicitly labeled with the terms “rape,” others mentioned torture or bondage.
The content of those files showed naked children who were at times being sexually abused or raped by adults, according to charging documents. Many of the children were prepubescents.
In his office, investigators said they found a pair of boys underwear with a Spiderman print and a blow-up doll with anatomy similar to a child.
Back in 2021, Biermann began messaging an unknown user on Facebook and paying the person to produce sexually explicit images of at least two young boys, who appeared to be around 11 years old, according to FBI investigators.
Those messages continued through December 2023. The person who was messaging Biermann lives outside the U.S.
In the messages, Biermann requested the victim wear a thong and asked for naked images of the children, according to charging documents. He told the user “this is your opportunity to be a real business person” and requested the child “take a shower” before the photos were taken.
A subpoena of his Facebook account showed 4,500 messages between Biermann and an unknown person who lives outside the U.S. from January 2021 through December 2023.
Records from a payment app, from January 2023 to March 2024, showed Biermann paid the unknown suspect more than $800. One wire transfer was listed as being for the “camera and thongs.”
Biermann’s arrest was first reported by WTOP’s partners at 7News.
‘Serious charges’ for former mayor
Biermann served on the town’s council for two years before becoming mayor in June 2022. While running for reelection last May, his campaign website listed his “top priority” as “protecting our children.”
He lost a bid for reelection to Laurie Morrissey, who was sworn in as mayor in June 2024.
A University Park spokesperson said Biermann has no official position with the town.
“These are serious charges, and the Town is ready to assist as requested,” the spokesperson said in an email to WTOP.
Last July, Biermann was appointed by Gov. Wes Moore to serve on the Maryland Veterans Home Commission.
In November 2023, the mayor of College Park, a neighboring jurisdiction, was sentenced to 30 years in a child sexual abuse materials case.
Biermann is expected to appear in court Wednesday.
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