A former mayor of University Park, Maryland, has been federally indicted for producing and sharing child sexual abuse content.
Content Warning: This article contains disturbing subject matter that may be upsetting to some readers.
Joel Biermann, 46, of University Park, faces multiple federal charges, including two counts of producing child sexual abuse material, one count of distributing it, and one count of possession. Federal prosecutors allege Biermann coerced several victims into engaging in sexually explicit acts, which he recorded.
The abuse is believed to have occurred between October 2012 and October 2024, overlapping with Biermann’s time in office as mayor from 2022 to mid-2024. According to the indictment, he distributed illicit material in March 2016.
Biermann was arrested in the fall of 2024. Court documents allege he paid someone to create explicit images involving two young boys. A search of his electronic devices reportedly uncovered 45,000 files of suspected child sexual abuse material. Some file names referenced the race and age of children—as young as two—and included disturbing terms like “rape,” “torture,” and “bondage.”
If convicted, Biermann faces up to 30 years in prison for producing the material, and up to 20 years each for distribution and possession.
This case follows a similar incident involving the former mayor of neighboring College Park, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2023 for related offenses.
