Manatee County Charter School Teacher Arrested for Child Molestation

BRADENTON — The Manatee County Sheriff's Office announced this week that a former Manatee County teacher has been charged with molesting and committing battery on multiple elementary-aged students.

On April 4, deputies were contacted after several children reported that 72-year-old Richard Silberman, then a teacher at Team Success, had touched them on a leg or shoulder in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. Deputies learned through a student interview that Silberman, while working with a student at the public charter school, placed his hand on a 10-year-old’s clothing in their genital region.

The student also claimed that Silberman had made similar advances in the past. After learning of these allegations, Team Success relieved Silberman of his duties as a teacher and told him not to return to work.

Over a 2-week investigation, detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Section gathered statements from other students who disclosed similar situations where they felt Silberman had been inappropriate. Based on interviews, five arrest warrants were drafted charging Richard Silberman with three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and two counts of battery.

Silberman was arrested on April 23, 2025, and transported to the Manatee County Jail, where he denied all the accusations. The investigation is ongoing.