March 17, 2017 | Other News

Gay ex-mayor pleads guilty in meth-for-sex case

In a tragic downfall, R. Scott Silverthorne, who had recently been re-elected as mayor of the town of Fairfax, Virgina (just west of Washington, DC), pled guilty to a count of distributing meth and is being held in jail while he awaits sentencing.

Police targeted Silverthorne in a sting operation after they were tipped off that he was trading meth for sex via messaging through the hook-up site Bareback RT.  He was arrested after he provided crystal meth to an undercover detective posing as a willing sex partner in exchange for what he thought would be an invitation to an orgy.

Silverthorne resigned as mayor shortly after his arrest. He had been elected to a third term just three months before. He had previously served on Fairfax City Council from 1990 to 2008.

The politician had had a hellish couple of years. In 2015 he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the neck. At the same time he lost his full-time job and fell into debt. The bank foreclosed on his house and he declared personal bankruptcy.

Despite Silversthorne’s personal story, his lack of a criminal record and years of public service, the judge saw fit to send him to jail to await sentencing. He faces up to 40 years in prison, but because he is a first-time offender and has a long record of public service, his sentence could be as little as several months, according to his attorney, Brian Drummond.

Another sad story of crystal meth ruining a gay man's life.

Former Fairfax mayor pleads guilty following drugs-for-orgy sting [Washington Post]