FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – James Silverstone, a former Lauderdale-by-the-Sea town commissioner and “volunteer Santa Claus,” pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to online federal court records.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the 62-year-old in July. His case was later moved to federal court.
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An arrest warrant filed in Broward County court on July 12, prior to Silverstone’s initial arrest, alleged that the ex-official had been sharing child sexual abuse material on peer-to-peer sharing site BitTorrent.
A BSO detective wrote at the time that authorities found 93,921 images and videos on Silverstone’s computer, “only a small portion” of which they were able to review.
Deputies said of that small portion, they identified more than 1,500 files of child sexual abuse material and provided graphic descriptions of child rape and abuse depicted in 10 of the files.
Authorities alleged that during that interview, Silverstone admitted to using BitTorrent to download “movies of all sorts.”
“Silverstone stated he searches for everything the internet has to offer as he is curious about everything/anything and downloads anything/everything for learning purposes,” the warrant states.
The warrant described Silverstone, who served as the seaside town’s fire chief from 2005 to 2007 and a commissioner from 2006 to 2010, as a person considered to be a “trusted” and “respected” member of the community.
The detective was “especially concern(ed)” about Silverstone’s role as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s longtime town Santa Claus, which he said Silverstone brought up during a police interview, given that the volunteer position involved interactions with children.
According to court records, he’s set to be sentenced on April 10. The charge he pleaded guilty to carries a sentence of at least five years in prison.
Local 10 News has contacted Silverstone’s attorney seeking comment.