Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ARTURO CASTRO, 52, of Wilmette, Illinois, pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to one count of use of an interstate facility to persuade a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in approximately December 2013, CASTRO began communicating with a 15-year-old female in Connecticut through “Chess with Friends," and online app. Using the app’s chat option, CASTRO asked the minor victim to send him naked photographs of herself, and subsequently enticed the minor victim to create videos depicting the minor victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send those videos to CASTRO. In March 2014, CASTRO traveled from Illinois to Connecticut and engaged in illicit sexual activity with the minor victim.
CASTRO has been detained since his arrest on Dec. 13, 2016.
CASTRO is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill on Aug. 28, 2017, at which time he faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
CASTRO is a citizen of Mexico and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.
This investigation has been conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in New Haven and Chicago, and the Clinton (Conn.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
