Patrick Silva, who taught at Delhi High, indicted on federal child sexual abuse material charges

A Hilmar man who taught at Delhi High School has been indicted on federal charges of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said Monday.

A federal grand jury returned the two-count indictment against Patrick Silva, 38, on Thursday, Nov. 5. According to court documents, Silva used the internet to distribute the material from November 2024 to September 2025, while he was a teacher at Delhi High, prosecutors said.

Silva was arrested Friday, Nov. 6, and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday. He remains in federal custody. A detention hearing, where a judge will decide whether he stays in custody while the case goes on, is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12.

If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence would be up to the judge.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Merced County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Baty is prosecuting.

An indictment is only an accusation. Silva is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The March arrest

Merced County Sheriff’s detectives and the Fresno Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Silva at his Hilmar home on March 18, the Turlock Journal reported at the time. The Sheriff’s Office said investigators recovered more than 600 images, and Silva was booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, according to that report.

The Sheriff’s Office said then that investigators had found no evidence that the material involved local children.

After that arrest, the Delhi Unified School District said Silva was no longer on campus and had no contact with students or access to district technology, ABC30 reported. The district said there was no indication that any of its students were involved or that anything inappropriate happened on school grounds, and that it would conduct its own investigation.

What’s still unknown

• What happened to the charges from the March arrest, and whether Silva was released after it
• Whether he still works for Delhi Unified
• The results of the district’s internal investigation

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call Sheriff’s Detective Darren Stevens at 209-385-7472. Callers can remain confidential.

Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California, Nov. 9, 2026. Turlock Journal, March 21, 2026. ABC30, March 19, 2026.