Mayor charged with dealing meth in exchange for sex

A mayor was arrested for arranging meth-for-sex liaisons with men in his city.

The mayor of Fairfax, Virginia was arrested August 4 for drug possession.

Richard ‘Scott’ Silverthorne, 50, was elected mayor for a third term in May, despite suffering a number of health and financial problems.

He filed for federal bankruptcy protection, was laid off his job, was forced to leave his home and then diagnosed with a nonlethal type of cancer.

He called it “a terrible year… There’s no question about it,” and his re-election a “comeback”.

“The city of Fairfax has made me the comeback mayor,” Silverthorne, a Democrat, said.

However, his good fortune was not to last, after police received a tip in July that the mayor was dealing methamphetamine – commonly called meth – in exchange for sex online.

An undercover police officer created an online profile on the website used by the official, which they described as “the type of person the mayor was looking for.”

Silverthorne – who also works as a substitute teacher for a local public school – agreed to meet with the non-existent hook-up, under the impression that he was about to sell meth in exchange for “group sex”.

After revealing the drugs, he was arrested by police. He was charged with distribution of methamphetamine and prostitution.

Police captain Jack Hardin said Silverthorne was “compliant. He provided a full confession.”

The two men who provided Silverthorne with the drugs were also arrested.

• Dec 01 2023

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