INDIANAPOLIS — A 22-year-old man from New Jersey is facing federal charges after allegedly ordering an Uber to take an underage girl from central Indiana to his home.
According to court documents, Arnold Castillo, of Paterson, New Jersey, used social media to communicate with the girl in February 2022.
Court documents say Castillo groomed the girl by sending her gifts through an online retailer and paying her money.
In May 2022, court documents allege Castillo convinced the girl to travel from Indiana to New Jersey to meet up with him. Court documents say Castillo paid and arranged for an Uber driver to pick the girl up and take her across state lines to his location.
Investigators were able to trace the girl to an address in Paterson, New Jersey, thanks to data from social media and the online retailer where Castillo purchased gifts.
On May 11, investigators found the girl in Castillo's home and brought the girl back to her mother.
Castillo made his initial court appearance Friday in Indianapolis and was detained pending a trial.
If convicted, Castillo faces up to life in prison on each of the two charges:
- Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
- Coercion and enticement of a minor
The FBI’s Indianapolis Violent Crimes Task Force and Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case, with the assistance of the Lawrence Police Department, the FBI’s Garrett Mountain Resident Agency Violent Crimes Task Force, the United States Marshals Service, the Passaic County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.