MD Man Who Ran For U.S. Senate Has Apologized For Fake Harford Child Sex Trafficking Claim

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A former Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maryland who worked at an Edgewood adult bookstore publicly apologized this month. He was charged last year with making a false report to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

Officials said Ryan Dark White of Baltimore, also known as Dr. Jon McGreevy, conjured up a child sex trafficking story for his political benefit in 2022. On May 11, 2023, White issued a public apology through his attorney.

On April 13, 2022, Harford County Sheriff's Office detectives were told of child sex trafficking at an adult bookstore in the 3000 block of Pulaski Highway in Edgewood. White, who was 54 at the time, told detectives that an older man was in the bookstore with a girl between the age of 10 and 12, forcing her to perform sexual acts on male customers, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives with the Harford County Child Advocacy Center launched an investigation into the complaint. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said that at no time was a formal report filed with his office by anyone who witnessed the incident. Investigators interviewed people, gathered digital evidence and identified the man and young girl mentioned in White's report, according to the sheriff's office.

On July 7, 2022, detectives interviewed White. They determined that at no time were any sex acts performed or offered by any of the people in the bookstore, as White had claimed. On July 15, 2022, detectives arrested White, who was charged with making false statements to a law enforcement officer and false statement of the commission of a crime and existence of a condition imminently dangerous to public health and safety, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

White also shared photos of the girl on social media, labeling her as a sex trafficking victim, the sheriff's office said. When White was charged with filing a false report, he defamed the sergeant who arrested him and posted photos of the officer and his wife on social media. He encouraged his social media followers to harass the couple and falsely claimed the sergeant had ties to a notorious sex trafficker, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

“It is shameful that a candidate for public office would make up such a story and use it to further his own political agenda,” Gahler said at the time of White's arrest.

"I am beyond grateful this young girl is safe, but extremely disappointed someone would attempt to discredit and disparage the work of the dedicated men and women of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Child Advocacy Center. Fearmongering and antagonism caused wasted time and energy by our personnel, whose time would have been better served protecting the citizens of Harford County, instead of investigating lies," Gahler said.

White's public apology can be read below, and Gahler spoke out about the case as it came to a close.

After being charged with making a false report, Ryan Dark White, otherwise known as Dr. Jon McGreevy, issued a full apology and admission to fabricating a child trafficking story for his political benefit. https://t.co/0kb01YKRiG pic.twitter.com/KTmO6P9Ynk
— Harford Sheriff (@Harford_Sheriff) May 18, 2023

"Mr. White admitted publicly in his apology letter than he fabricated the entire story ... we are beyond grateful that the young girl he claimed was sexually abused is safe ... (I'm) extremely disappointed in his actions," Gahler said in a video statement released on the sheriff's office's Facebook page, which can be seen below.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office and State's Attorney's Office has reached a provisional plea agreement with White. Under the agreement, White's case will be put on the court's STET docket, which means charges will not be pursued, but will not be dropped either.