San Juan Island man detained by ICE has been charged with sex offenses

Guilherme Silva, a 35-year-old Friday Harbor man detained by ICE on July 11, has been arrested by Homeland Security on charges of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and sexual exploitation of a minor. Both are felonies.

Silva has been charged in Whatcom County in Bellingham, where he is currently being held in jail.

On July 29, Silva had a bail hearing in Immigration Court, where a bail amount of $8,000 was set. His wife, Rachel Leidig, paid that bail amount in full and went to the detention center in Tacoma to pick him up.

Silva, however, had been transferred to the custody of Homeland Security that same day for the other charges.

He had a preliminary appearance, where a judge determines if there is probable cause to proceed with a trial, on July 30 at Whatcom County Superior Court. A no-contact order was also issued at that time, and his bail was set at $250,000. An arraignment, which is when Silva will enter a plea of guilty, not guilty or no contest, is scheduled for Aug. 8.

More updates coming as court documents are available.