A resident of Chelmsford – also firefighter Lowell – accused of child pornography, sexual trade

Lowell – a man with Chelmsford, who is a fireman of Lowell, was accused of having child pornography and sexual trade after he allegedly paid a minor for clear photos.

35 -year -old David Silva appeared on Tuesday in the Wrentham Regional Court, where he was ordered for a deposit of USD 25,000, in accordance with court documents. Since then, he has published a deposit according to WHDH.

The Police Department of Millis said in the report about the incident that the parents of the minors visited the police station at the end of December, worrying about their daughter’s wrong conversations with a man in the Snapchat social application. The minor told the police that she never met a man personally, but received Snapchat’s contact details from a senior family member.

The minor told the police that she and the man she knew as James – later identified by the police as Silva – mentioned clear photos. She claimed that the man paid her about USD 500 for various photos. The minor also told the police that he was aware that the man was a fireman and thought he was 25, according to the report.

The police also talked to a older family member about a man, whom she said, randomly added her to Snapchat and immediately sent her with a request for “naked photos”. She claimed that she would send her money through Venmo and Apple Pay in exchange for clear photos and videos. She added that she finally blocked him on Snapchat.

According to the police, through the broadly extensive investigation, including the search and calling orders after receiving this information, the authorities discovered detailed evidence that established the probable cause of Silva’s accusation of 23 Monument Hill Road in Chelmsford.

The police said that Snapchat cooperated with the investigation, providing data that revealed hundreds of photos and films that present young women involved in clear activities, some of which took place in school classes and bathrooms.

Snapchat also provided information showing that several users have reported the “Jamessss144” account, allegedly used by Silva, for disturbing and improper behavior. According to the police, one report said that the man sent unmistakable sexual films, and another said that “he asked for photos of feet when I was 16 and he was 20 years old.”

One report said: “I don’t know this man, he is very strange. I feel very uncomfortable. “

The police said that PayPal, the mother company Venmo, also cooperated with the investigation. According to the police, the Venmo account as part of the username “Spacemob” was associated with Silva using its postal address, date of birth, social insurance number and mobile phone.

Documents from December revealed that Silva sent almost USD 7,000 to various Venmo accounts. The Venmo note function, which allows users to provide short payment descriptions, contained one message with information: “Can I pay for feet photos”, according to the police. Investigators also tracked the IP address related to the Lowell Fire Station account on Gorham Street, while another IP address was associated with the Silva House.

Silva was accused of having child pornography, posing or putting a child in the sexual act and trade of a person under 18 in terms of sexual service. Silva did not plead all the allegations that are crimes.

If he publishes the exemption after bail, Silva was ordered by a judge to avoid contact with the victim and witnesses, refrain from without supervision of contact with a minor under 18 years of age and refrain from using social media.

When asked about the status of Silva in Lowell Fire Department on Wednesday evening, the city manager Tom Golden said that this is a personnel matter and refused to comment.

Silva is to return to the Wrentham District Court on April 1. Court documents from his accusation indicate that Silva appointed a lawyer to proceed, but plans to stop a private adviser.

Follow Aaron Curtis on x @aselahcurtis or on [email protected].

Originally published: March 12, 2025 at 20:45 edt