Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ARTURO CASTRO, 53, of Wilmette, Illinois, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for traveling to Connecticut to engage in sex with a minor.
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. CASTRO also sent sexually explicit pictures and videos to the victim. 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. On June 5, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of use of an interstate facility to persuade a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
CASTRO, a citizen of Mexico and lawful permanent resident of the U.S., faces immigration proceedings when he is released from prison.
This investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in Hartford and Chicago, and the Clinton (Conn.) Police Department. The case was 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
