A veteran Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and former head of the DC Police Union has been arrested in what officials described as a “disturbing” child abuse case, MPD told Fox News Digital.
Lt. Matthew Mahal, 47, who previously made history as the police union’s first openly gay president, exchanged text messages with an undercover Maryland detective posing as a 15-year-old boy, according to charging documents.
The charges are against the longtime law enforcement officer, a 23-year veteran who held key leadership roles 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 are in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the department said.
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The Harford County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) arrested Mahal in Maryland last Tuesday, MPD said.
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According to documents filed under the Maryland District Court for Harford County, the DC police officer has been charged with sexual assault of a minor and solicitation of child pornography.
Mahal was allegedly linked to a social media user who believed he was a 15-year-old boy in a Reddit community titled “r/GayYoungOldDating.” However, the user was, in fact, an undercover detective with HCSO, the documents said.
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Matthew Mahal attends a memorial service on May 9, 2016. Mahal is charged with sexual misconduct of a minor and solicitation of child pornography.
(Getty Images)
Over the course of several weeks, the veteran officer allegedly exchanged a series of messages that became increasingly intimate and sexually explicit.
Mahal allegedly sent inappropriate photos of himself in uniform and inside his police office. He also requested sexually graphic photos of the alleged boy.
In addition, Mahal allegedly made several statements that he was aware of the age difference between himself and the user, admitting that the person was a “kid” and that he could not wait until the boy was 16, the age of consent.
The officer was eventually taken into custody during an after-school encounter with the boy in Harford County last week.
Mahal has been placed on administrative leave and his police privileges have been revoked as the investigation continues, MPD said.
The department added that it was not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation leading to Mahal’s arrest.
Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the matter during a press conference last Wednesday, confirming that she was not aware of the allegations but had been placed on administrative leave.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser testifies during a District of Columbia Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on September 18, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
“We have no knowledge of the district, his employment or any of the allegations or any investigation into any of our children, and I really don’t know what to say,” she said. “If those allegations are true, we don’t want someone like that on our force.”
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Mahal has been ordered held without bond pending another preliminary hearing, scheduled for next month, according to NBC 4.
Original article source: DC police lieutenant hailed as first gay union chief accused of soliciting minor boy
