Gaius Plautius Silanus was a friend of Lucius Caesar and the lover of his mother, Julia the Elder. He came from a poor noble family, and he became friends with Lucius, meeting Julia at their house in Antium in 3 AD. That same year, Empress Livia employed Plautius as a spy against Julia in exchange for helping his career, and he tricked Lucius into revealing Julia's infidelities. He also caused Lucius' death in a boating accident on Livia's orders.