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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 “disturbing” 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 with an undercover Maryland detective posing as a 15-year-old boy, according to charging documents.
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’s labor ranks and oversaw security for major events across D.C., including presidential escort details.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the department said.
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Matthew Mahl attends a memorial service near police headquarters on May 9, 2016. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) arrested Mahl last Tuesday in Maryland, MPD said.
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.
Mahl allegedly connected with a social media user he believed to be a 15-year-old boy in a Reddit community titled “r/GayYoungOldDating.” However, the user was, in fact, an undercover detective with the HCSO, documents said.
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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. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Over the course of several weeks, the veteran officer allegedly exchanged a series of messages that became increasingly intimate and sexually explicit.
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.
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 “child” and stating he could not wait until the boy turned 16 years old, the age of consent.
The officer was ultimately taken into custody during an arranged after-school meetup with the boy in Harford County last week.
MPD said Mahl has since been placed on administrative leave and his police powers have been revoked as the investigation continues.
The department added that it is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the probe that led to Mahl’s arrest.
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.
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. (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)
“We don’t have any knowledge of any accusation or any investigation involving the District, his employment or any of our children, and I don’t really know what else to say,” she said. “We don’t want anybody like that on our force if those allegations are true.”
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Mahl has reportedly been ordered held without bond pending his next preliminary hearing, scheduled for next month, according to NBC 4.