HAMPTON — A local man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of stealing more than a million dollars in four schemes — including one where he allegedly filed fake unemployment claims in two states on behalf of 54 people.
Anthony M. Silva, 39, of Hampton, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft as part of a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors. As part of the deal, Silva will get seven years in prison and forfeit assets totaling over $825,000 to the United States government. Prosecutors also agreed to drop the remaining charges against him.
Silva was indicted on Dec. 20, 2023, by a federal grand jury on 10 counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and eight counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictments superseded previous ones filed against him in 2022.
Silva had initially pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $700,000 for two schemes on Nov. 7, 2022, but withdrew his plea in March, citing “ineffective assistance of counsel.”