Former city commissioner and Santa volunteer receives 5-year sentence after pleading guilty to child pornography – WGAU

Silverstone served as fire chief in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea for two years and was elected to the city commission in 2006, a position he held until 2010, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

He also volunteered as a Santa Claus in the city, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Silverstone was first arrested by the sheriff's office on July 13, 2023, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. His case was later moved to federal court, WPLG reported.

Federal prosecutors searched Silverstone's home in May 2023 and allegedly found hundreds of files of child pornography, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Prosecutors said some of the images found on electronic devices depicted children — some of whom were infants — engaging in sexual acts, according to the newspaper.

A sheriff's office detective wrote in an arrest affidavit that authorities found 93,921 images and videos on Silverstone's computer, WPLG reported.

Detectives said they were only able to review “a small portion” of the files but still identified more than 1,500 child sexual abuse files, 10 of which contained graphic descriptions of rape and child abuse, according to the television channel.

After the case was taken over by federal prosecutors, Silverstone pleaded guilty in exchange for a more lenient sentence, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Silverstone could have been sentenced to years in prison for each of the 10 criminal charges he faced, according to the television station.

An arrest warrant describes Silverstone, who served as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea fire chief from 2005 to 2007, as a “trusted” and “respected” member of the community, WPLG reported.

A detective wrote in the affidavit that they were “particularly concerned” about Silverstone's role as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's longtime Santa Claus because of his interaction with children, according to the station. television. Silverstone reportedly discussed his role as Santa Claus during an interview with police.

Under the terms of his sentence, Silverstone will spend 20 years on supervised release once he leaves federal prison, WFOR-TV reported. He will begin serving his sentence on June 28, according to the television station.