42-year-old Thomas Mahony, a former diplomat, an economist with the World Bank, considered the hero of the community, has been charged with sexually abusing three children in his neighborhood in DC. The incidents took place in 2023 and as recently as in July 2025. Mahony, an Australian national, was arrested last month though the first complaint came to the police in 2023 after one of the children reported that when she was on a playdate with Mahony’s children, Mahony offered to help her go to the bathroom and then assaulted her. All Mahony’s victims are below 10 years old. The Washington Post reported that the US attorney’s office in 2023 declined to prosecute Mahony due to “consideration of the government’s burden of beyond a reasonable doubt”. All three minors told investigators that they had been at Mahony’s house playing with his children when the abuse occurred — watching a movie, playing video games or pretending to run a Target store, the report said. “I feel like I failed as a mother by trusting this person,” a mother of one of the children said. Ahead of a hearing Thursday, prosecutors fought to keep Mahony jailed as he awaits trial, calling him a “significant flight risk.” They expressed concern that the Australian national would flee the country if released, pointing to his ties to the Australian Embassy, and noting that even if he surrendered his passport, he may be able to obtain another from the embassy. Prosecutors also told the court that they learned that Mahony’s wife was planning to move to Japan and then Australia and that Mahony’s parents had been packing up the apartment. A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the department is aware of an Australian citizen’s arrest and stands “ready to provide consular assistance to any Australian citizen,” but did not answer questions about Mahony’s relationship with the Australian Embassy.Mahony’s LinkedIn profile shows that he was employed with the World Bank as an economist starting in January 2023. Reports said that his employment was terminated when they were informed of his arrest and charges on July 23.
