Stockton mayor denies criminal charges

Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva was arrested Thursday at his youth camp at Silver Lake in Amador County on several charges involving at least one minor, records show. He has been charged with recording confidential communications, a felony.

Silva was charged with a felony count of recording confidential communication, and misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and furnishing alcohol to someone under age 21.

He declined comment as he walked through a media scrum and was driven off in a black SUV with tinted windows.

Silva has previously been mired in controversy, including questions over a gun reported stolen from his house that was linked to the murder of a 13-year-old boy. “One of the participants was a 16-year-old male”. “I never, ever endangered a child”. Never. I never provided alcohol to anyone.

“But I would just say certainly for our community, this is a hard thing”.

Investigators said they found an audio recording of the 2015 strip poker game on Silva’s cell phone.

The strip poker incident is said to have happened in the early morning, 7 August 2015 at the Silver Lake Camp. This Stockton, California mayor went out of bounds and is now facing charges for playing part to the delinquency of minors.

Silva’s lawyer, Mark Reichel, told Reuters the mayor had no intention of resigning and would defend himself in court.

In September 2015, agents from the Department of Homeland Security detained Silva at the San Francisco International Airport as he returned from China with a delegation of Northern California mayors. Ever. I never provided alcohol to anyone.

Silva claimed that his computer and phone were illegally seized.

Almost a month later, on March 22, 2015, Silva told the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office that his home had been burglarized and his Beretta handgun was taken.

Before becoming mayor in 2013, Silva served as executive director for the Stockton Boys and Girls Club for eight years. The Record newspaper in Stockton has reported that Silva has not cooperated with investigators working on the case.

In 2014, Silva was briefly handcuffed after a fight broke out in a limousine.

“Every day I pray for (Harris) and his family”, he added.

Silva, who is not married, was released from custody on $20,000 (£15,000) bond on Thursday.

“They have had all of this evidence for over a year”, said Reichel. In 2011, a former female employee of Silva’s alleged that her pressured her to drink alcohol and touched her buttocks. “This will send the wrong message to the community and encourage residents not to report crimes”.

One was a 16-year-old boy.

“For those of you that have been missing your episodes of “House of Cards, ‘ ‘Scandal” or ‘Game of Thrones, ‘ then I’m sure you’ve been following Stockton politics the last week, and it’s also been equally as entertaining”, Silva said at his press conference. He has denied the charges.

In 2012, a 19-year-old woman accused Silva of giving her alcohol and touching her inappropriately. The woman claims that when she refused Silva’s advances, he grabbed her, spanked her and told her she was being a bad girl.

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The summer camp Silva has run since prior to being elected mayor is in neighboring Amador County.