Former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva is expected to formally admit guilt in a COVID-era loan case, with a change-of-plea hearing set for Tuesday in federal court in Sacramento. The hearing will take place before U.S. District Judge John Mendez and follows a deal Silva has reached with federal prosecutors over allegations tied to his former business.
According to The Sacramento Bee, a proceeding that had been listed as a routine status conference was recently converted to a change-of-plea hearing after prosecutors notified the court they had struck an agreement with Silva. Court records did not immediately clarify whether he intends to plead guilty to one or both counts, and the written plea agreement had not been filed as of Monday afternoon.
What prosecutors allege
Federal investigators say Silva used another person's name to secure about $17,000 in Paycheck Protection Program and other COVID-era loans for Indoor Adventures in 2020 and 2021, then moved to have those loans forgiven, according to KCRA. He was charged with bank fraud and identity theft last August after a federal complaint alleged he was ineligible for the loans because of a prior felony conviction, a development reported in detail in coverage of the PPP loan scandal.
Silva's long legal history
Silva, who served as Stockton's mayor from 2013 to 2017, is no stranger to legal trouble. He was arrested in 2016 over allegations that he hosted a strip poker game involving minors at a youth camp and later pleaded no contest to providing alcohol to a minor, reporting by the Los Angeles Times shows. In 2019 he pleaded no contest to a conflict-of-interest charge tied to the Stockton Boys and Girls Club, according to CBS Sacramento.
Legal exposure and next steps
Federal bank-fraud charges can bring serious time, and prosecutors often point out that sentences can reach up to 30 years in prison and fines can run into the millions. Aggravated identity-theft counts add a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively, according to federal statutes on Congress.gov. The plea agreement in Silva's case will not become final unless Judge Mendez signs off, and as of Monday, court records showed the deal had not yet been filed.
Broader enforcement context
Silva's case is unfolding against the backdrop of a nationwide crackdown on pandemic-relief fraud. The Justice Department's COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force says its investigations have led to thousands of charges and more than $1.4 billion recovered, according to the DOJ's 2024 report. Prosecutors around the country have kept PPP and other CARES-era loan cases near the top of their priority list.
Silva's response
Silva has pushed back on the charges, calling the prosecution political payback tied to Stockton's rough-and-tumble local power fights, reporting by Stocktonia notes. His attorney had not yet responded to requests for comment, and Silva had not entered a plea before the judge at the time of publication.
Tuesday's change-of-plea hearing in Sacramento is expected to clarify Silva's stance on the federal charges. If he goes through with a guilty plea, it will resolve the question of guilt on the pandemic-era conduct and move the case into the sentencing phase.
