{"id":81934,"date":"2026-04-22T10:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/dc-police-lieutenant-celebrated-as-first-gay-union-boss-accused-of-soliciting-underage-boy\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:14:15","slug":"dc-police-lieutenant-celebrated-as-first-gay-union-boss-accused-of-soliciting-underage-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/dc-police-lieutenant-celebrated-as-first-gay-union-boss-accused-of-soliciting-underage-boy\/","title":{"rendered":"DC police lieutenant celebrated as first gay union boss accused of soliciting underage boy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A veteran Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and former head of a D.C. police union has been arrested in what authorities described as a &#8220;disturbing&#8221; child exploitation case, MPD told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Lt. Matthew Mahl, 47, who previously made history as the first openly gay chairman of the police union, allegedly exchanged text messages with an undercover Maryland detective posing as a 15-year-old boy, according to charging documents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The allegations mark a stunning fall for the longtime law enforcement officer, a 23-year veteran who had held a prominent leadership role within the department\u2019s labor ranks and oversaw security for major events across D.C., including presidential escort details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,&#8221; the department said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Athena Strand\u2019s Killer Searched \u2018Missing Girl,\u2019 Fedex Truck Cameras After Kidnapping, Expert Testifies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Harford County Sheriff\u2019s Office (HCSO) arrested Mahl last Tuesday in Maryland, MPD said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><u>Read On The Fox News App<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The D.C. police officer has been charged with solicitation of sex from a minor and solicitation of child pornography, according to documents filed under the District Court of Maryland for Harford County.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mahl allegedly connected with a social media user he believed to be a 15-year-old boy in a Reddit community titled &#8220;r\/GayYoungOldDating.&#8221; However, the user was, in fact, an undercover detective with the HCSO, documents said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><u>Florida Teacher Accused Of Sex With Student Whose Parents Tracked His Location<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Police officers Matthew Mahl and Cathy Lanier attending an event.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/EOBkGLl70SdD5jGr22HQwQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/fox_news_text_979\/3a950a7dc3dbb4a5a8dedcddaae17ab8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>Matthew Mahl attends a memorial service on May 9, 2016. Mahl has been charged with solicitation of sex from a minor and solicitation of child pornography.<\/p>\n<p><span>(Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Over the course of several weeks, the veteran officer allegedly exchanged a series of messages that became increasingly intimate and sexually explicit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mahl allegedly sent inappropriate photos of himself in uniform and while inside his police office. He also allegedly requested sexually graphic photos from the purported boy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In addition, Mahl allegedly made multiple statements indicating he was aware of the age difference between himself and the user, acknowledging that the individual was a &#8220;child&#8221; and stating he could not wait until the boy turned 16 years old, the age of consent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The officer was ultimately taken into custody during an arranged after-school meetup with the boy in Harford County last week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">MPD said Mahl has since been placed on administrative leave and his police powers have been revoked as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The department added that it is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the probe that led to Mahl\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the matter during a press conference last Wednesday, saying she was not aware of the allegations but confirmed that he has been placed on administrative leave.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Washington, D.C.&amp;#x002019;s mayor speaks before members of Congress during a formal hearing.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6vVnJ4MYZxfmI3Rxqih7hQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/fox_news_text_979\/26f21df622ec99814fa6dffa76ea4e02\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the oversight of the District of Columbia, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We don&#8217;t have any knowledge of any accusation or any investigation involving the District, his employment or any of our children, and I don&#8217;t really know what else to say,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t want anybody like that on our force if those allegations are true.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><u>Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mahl has reportedly been ordered held without bond pending his next preliminary hearing, scheduled for next month, according to NBC 4.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Original article source:<\/em> DC police lieutenant celebrated as first gay union boss accused of soliciting underage boy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a ><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A veteran Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and former head of a D.C. police union has been arrested in what authorities described as a &#8220;disturbing&#8221; child exploitation case, MPD told Fox News Digital. Lt. Matthew Mahl, 47, who previously made history as the first openly gay chairman of the police union, allegedly exchanged text messages [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3a950a7dc3dbb4a5a8dedcddaae17ab8.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}