INDIANAPOLIS — A judge sentenced a man from New Jersey after he ordered an Uber to bring a 15-year-old girl from central Indiana to his home.
U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman sentenced 23-year-old Arnold Castillo, of Paterson, New Jersey, to 15 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and coercion and enticement of a minor.
After his release from prison, Castillo must also serve 20 years on probation and pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim.
According to court documents, Castillo used social media and a false identity to communicate with the girl in February 2022.
Court documents say Castillo groomed the girl by sending her gifts through an online retailer and telling her he could connect her to job opportunities. Castillo also coerced and persuaded the girl into thinking they were in love and that her family was her enemy.
Castillo then arranged for an Uber driver to bring the girl 700 miles from Indiana to New Jersey. He paid the driver $500 through CashApp before the driver left New Jersey, and then Castillo paid the driver another $500 in cash when the driver got to his house with the girl.
Once the girl got to Castillo's home, he sexually abused her multiple times and used Uber again to have other people buy contraceptive pills to prevent her from getting pregnant.
According to court documents, Castillo lied to police officers when he was questioned about the girl's whereabouts on May 5, 2022. Investigators believed the girl was in Paterson, New Jersey, thanks to data from social media and the online retailer where Castillo purchased gifts.
Six days later, FBI agents located the girl as she and Castillo were walking in front of his home. FBI agents then brought the girl back to her mother.
Court documents say Castillo admitted to keeping the girl in his care, custody and control in a small room and controlled her movements in and out of the room.
