Guilherme Lemes Cardoso E Silva, a 35-year-old Friday Harbor man detained by ICE in early July, 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. 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.
His bail was set at $250,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with minors. A no-contact order was also issued at that time. An arraignment was held on Aug. 8, at which time an omnibus hearing was scheduled for Aug. 27 and a jury trial set for Sept. 22. Silva has pleaded not guilty.
He is accused of possessing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit content and sexual exploitation of a minor between July 2023 and July 2025.
Details of the case
Silva was born in Brazil but travels internationally, working as a muralist. He moved to San Juan Island in February 2024, where he and his ex-wife share custody of their daughter. Silva has since remarried and is in the green card application process with an immigration lawyer. He has no criminal record.
On July 11, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents, with the assistance of the U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, executed an administrative arrest warrant for Silva. He was on his way to pick up his 4-year-old daughter when he was stopped by six to seven vehicles that had been parked waiting for him on the road to his home.
“This feels very targeted,” his wife, Rachel Leidig, told the Journal at the time, explaining that they believe someone reported Silva to ICE.
Agents placed Silva’s iPhone in Airplane mode and put it in an evidence bag. He was transported to the Homeland Security office in Blaine, Washington. He agreed to speak to agents without a lawyer present, and consented to a search of his phone and provided a password. According to the probable cause statement, Silva claimed sole ownership of the phone and stated no one else had the password.
Agents reviewed the forensic extraction of the device and noted a series of images of minors that caused concern. There is a search warrant pending for a full forensic review of the phone. The Homeland Security agent writes he has a “suspicion that there are more videos/images of child sexual abuse material” on the device.
Silva was held for two days in Blaine and then transferred to the Tacoma immigration detention center. On July 29, he had a bail hearing in Immigration Court, where a bail amount of $8,000 was set. Leidig paid the amount in full and went to Tacoma to pick him up. Silva, however, had been transferred to the custody of Homeland Security that same day for the sexual abuse charges.
Statement from Silva’s family
“We’ve been advised by our legal counsel not to discuss details concerning Gui’s ongoing case at this time. What I can say is that I am doing everything in my power to fight for Gui and our family. We believe these are fabricated allegations, as Gui was charged after the immigration judge granted release, and I paid my husband’s $8,000 bond in full, because he had no criminal history on his record,” Leidig wrote to the Journal. “Gui has the full support of our families and our community. We do know who reported Gui to ICE in the first place, and it breaks my heart that someone is trying to keep my husband separated from his daughter, the person he loves more than anything in this world. I just want people to understand the injustices and trauma my husband and I have endured over the past month. Behind this story, there is a family. I am almost 8 months pregnant with my first child. I fear for my husband’s safety constantly. I’m preparing to bring our son into this world without my husband by my side. The pain I’m feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I don’t wish this on anyone. At the center of this is a little girl, my stepdaughter, who doesn’t know where her daddy is and why he’s not with her. My heart and my spirit are broken.”
