A former volunteer Santa Claus who once served as a town commissioner of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was sentenced this week to five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
James Silverstone, 63, served as a fire chief in the seaside town for two years, then was elected to the Town Commission in 2006. He served until 2010.
Silverstone also volunteered as Santa Claus in the town, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. That role was of particular concern to investigators who recognized that it put him in close contact with children.
Investigators searched Silverstone’s Miramar home in May 2023 and found hundreds of files of child pornography, some depicting infants in sexual acts, on electronic devices.
The state case was taken over by federal prosecutors, and Silverstone pleaded guilty in exchange for the lenient sentence. Under the law, he could have been sentence to years in prison for each of 10 criminal counts he faced.
His prison term will be followed by 20 years of supervised release, according to federal court records.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.