FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A former Lauderdale-by-the-Sea commissioner, fire chief and “volunteer Santa Claus” bonded out of the Broward County Jail on 10 child pornography charges Friday evening, but didn’t have much to say to Local 10 News as he walked out.
James Silverstone, 62, was arrested by Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday and was released on a $100,000 total bond.
“A lot of people that look up to you, you were a Santa Claus, what do you want to tell those former constituents of yours?” Local 10 News Reporter Christian De La Rosa asked the former official.
“I’m not gonna give a comment, so you’re kind of wasting your time,” Silverstone replied.
Authorities went into details of the case Thursday.
“In late April, BSO detectives began investigating a computer user downloading child pornography,” Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carey Codd said. “More than 210 files contained images and videos of child pornography. Further investigation led to the development of Silverstone as a suspect.”
Codd said detectives seized “a number of electronic devices” in May after executing a search warrant at Silverstone’s home on Miramar Avenue in the beachside Broward town.
“On those devices, detectives located hundreds of additional videos and photos of child pornography with some involving children as young as infants engaged in sexual acts,” Codd said.
The judge in Silverstone’s case ordered him to wear an ankle monitor after granting him bond.