Arturo Castro of Wilmette, Ill., was also sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 10 years of supervised release after his prison sentence, said U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Deirdre M. Daly.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in December 2013, Castro began communicating with a 15-year-old girl in Connecticut through “Chess With Friends,” an online app.
Using the app’s chat option, Castro asked the minor victim to send him naked photographs of herself, and enticed the minor victim to create videos depicting herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send those videos to Castro.
He 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.
Related story: Feds: Illinois Man Had Sex With CT Girl He Met Through Chess App
Castro has been detained since his arrest 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.
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