Former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva was arrested at the San Francisco International Airport Sunday on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and grand theft. Silva, who was returning from a vacation in Colombia, was taken to the San Joaquin County Jail for booking, with bail set at $1 million.
A warrant for Silva’s arrest was issued Thursday. That same day, investigators from the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office raided Silva’s home and the Stockton Kids Club, which prosecutors say he stole from. According to authorities, Silva’s arrest last week is not related to the 2016 case out of Amador County in which Silva was accused of secretly recording a teen strip poker game at another city youth camp.
Silva’s lawyer says the latest arrest is retaliation because his client beat a felony charge in that case.
“He’s angry, tired of this whole deal, but also ready to go in and fight to clear his name again,” said Allen Sawyer.
Silva has been facing a seemingly endless conveyer belt of legal troubles for the past two years. Largely because of those many controversies, he suffered a landslide defeat in November against 26-year-old challenger Michael Tubbs, now the city’s first African American mayor. Tubbs recently spoke with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd about his election, his childhood, and his political future. You can listen to the podcast here.