A disgraced former Virginia mayor has admitted to paying for sex with drugs.

Ex-Fairfax Mayor R. Scott Silverthorne pled guilty Monday in Fairfax County Circuit Court to distributing methamphetamine. According to CBS News, Silverthorne was arrested in August in a sting operation at Tysons Corner Hotel.

Police reportedly launched the investigation last year after they got a tip that Silverthorne was using a dating website to arrange sex meet-ups with men in exchange for drugs. Undercover cops arranged an encounter where Silverthorne gave a detective 2 grams of methamphetamine, leading to his arrest.

According to WGLA, there were “audible gasps in the courtroom” when the judge ordered Silverthorne to go to jail until his sentencing on June 9. Apparently, most everyone in the courtroom was under the impression he would be released pending his sentencing. He was handcuffed and taken into custody at the close of the court proceedings.

Silverthorne’s attorney Brian Drummond reportedly said he hopes the mayor’s decades of public service and clean criminal record will bode well for his client at sentencing and that he will receive a sentence of time served or probation.

A reporter for NBC Washington was present in the courtroom when the sentencing judge asked Silverthorne if he was indeed guilty of the crimes charged.

“I am, your honor,” he replied. 

The former mayor had a challenging year. While he was re-elected for another term as mayor prior to his 2016 arrest, he was forced to give up the office and lost his job as a substitute teacher, according to NBC News. He also reportedly lost his house, and was diagnosed with cancer in a year’s time. 

Fairfax held a special election and selected a new mayor, David Meyer, to replace the disgraced 3-term Silverthorne.