A 46-year-old man will likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison after admitting to sexually abusing two boys and recording the abuse.
Camilo Castillo, who is has been in federal custody since his June 26 arrest, appeared Monday before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Amanda Burch and pleaded guilty to seven counts of production of child pornography.
Each count carries a punishment of 15 to 30 years in prison, which he theoretically could be ordered to serve one after the other.
However, as part of his plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he agreed to enter guilty pleas in exchange for a 30-year sentence on six counts and another 30-year sentence for the remaining count, which will run consecutively for a total of 60 years.
Since federal offenders aren’t entitled to parole, he will have to serve the entirety of his punishment.
However, that agreement hinges on U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix approving the deal.
If he rejects it, Castillo could withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial. Should a jury convict him, Hendrix would have the full range of punishment at his disposal.
Texas DPS investigates reported child abuse
Castillo’s charges stem from a Texas Department of Public Safety investigation that began in February when the subject of an unrelated child pornography case told investigators that he had a casual sexual relationship with Castillo, whom he met through an online chat room.
The subject told investigators he and Castillo chatted on a social media platform where they shared fantasies about sexually abusing children and traded materials depicting child sexual abuse, according to court records.
The subject also told investigators that Castillo told him about two boys he sexually abused when they stayed with him.
Investigators took over the subject’s chat room account and began communicating with Castillo in May. Castillo allegedly said he began working at a middle school, dealing with students who need behavioral and emotional support.
Investigators confirmed Castillo worked at the middle school as a teacher’s aide helping children with behavioral issues.
The investigation also revealed that Castillo’s phone number was associated with at least three instances of child sexual abuse materials flagged by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
One of the transactions involved the phone number under a different name, but an email associated with Castillo’s.
In June, investigators obtained a search warrant for Castillo’s home and he agreed to speak with them.
Castillo admitted to inappropriately touching two boys while wrestling them and recorded one of the boys taking a shower.
A search of his cell phone yielded about 170 images and videos of child sexual abuse materials in a deleted folder.
Seven of those videos showed Castillo sexually abusing two boys who were about 9 and 12 at the time.
The boys later spoke with a forensic interviewer and revealed that Castillo sexually abused them multiple times at his home and when he visited them out of town.
A sentencing hearing before Hendrix will be set at a later date.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Levelland man faces 60-year federal prison sentence in child sex abuse case
Reporting by Gabriel Monte, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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