Ex-town commissioner, volunteer Santa gets 5-year sentence after child porn guilty plea

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former town commissioner and fire chief in South Florida, who also was a longtime volunteer Santa Claus in the area, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, prosecutors said.

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James Jude Silverstone, 63, of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, was sentenced on May 29 to possessing child sexual abuse material, WPLG-TV reported. His sentencing came three months after he pleaded guilty to the charge, according to the television station.

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

He also volunteered as a Santa Claus in the town, 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 that some of images found on electronic devices depicted children -- some who were infants -- in sexual acts, according to the newspaper.

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

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

After the case was taken over by federal prosecutors, Silverstone entered a guilty plea 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 counts he faced, according to the television station.

An arrest warrant described Silverstone, who served as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s 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 “especially concern(ed)” about Silverstone’s role as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s longtime town Santa Claus because of his interaction with children, according to the television station. Silverstone allegedly brought up his Santa role during a police interview.

Under the terms of his sentencing, 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.

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