NJ Man Hired Cross-Country Uber For Sex With Minor: Feds

PATERSON, NJ – A New Jersey man hired an Uber driver to bring a young Indiana girl across state lines back to the Garden State for sex, federal authorities said Friday.

Arnold Castillo, 22, of Paterson, was charged with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and coercion and enticement of a minor.

Castillo began using a social media app around February 2022 to communicate with an underage girl from central Indiana, sending her gifts and money while showering her with praise, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern Indiana said in a statement.

“These tactics, also known as ‘grooming,’ are used by sex offenders to gain a minor’s trust and alienate them from family and other support systems,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern Indiana said.

Around May 3, Castillo paid and arranged for an Uber driver to pick up the girl and transport her across state lines to him for sex, authorities said. The girl, who was missing for more than a week in the process, was ultimately found by investigators who used data from the social media application and traced her to an address in Paterson on May 11. The girl was safely retrieved from Castillo’s residence and reunited her with her mother, federal authorities said.

Castillo also faces state charges in New Jersey, federal authorities added.

Castillo appeared before a federal judge in New Jersey on May 12 and was extradited to Indiana to face charges. He made his initial appearance on Friday in Indianapolis and was ordered to remain in custody of the United States Marshal pending trial.

If convicted, Castillo faces up to life in prison on each of the two charges, federal authorities said.