Idaho Falls man sentenced to federal prison for enticing a 15-year-old
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POCATELLO — An Idaho Falls man has been sentenced to federal prison after enticing a child.
Brett Victor Castro, 37, was sentenced to over 16 years — specifically, 200 months — for coercion and enticement of a minor, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced Monday.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered Castro to be placed on supervised release for 15 years following his prison sentence, according to the news release. Castro pleaded guilty to the charge in October.
“We will spare no effort in protecting Idaho’s children from sexual predators,” said Hurwit in the release. “This sentence should send a message that severe consequences await anyone who would seek to sexually exploit our children.”
What happened
On June 7 of last year, Castro talked with a 15-year-old girl over the internet using Facebook Messenger. Click here for the story.
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Castro directed the conversation to sexual topics. When the teen told Castro that she was only 15 years old, Castro responded by asking her if she would like to have sex with a 37-year-old, court records show.
He offered marijuana in exchange for sex. Castro drove to her in his vehicle, picked her up, gave her marijuana and took her to a remote location in Idaho Falls, documents said. Castro then engaged in sexual acts with the teen.
She reported that during the sexual encounter, she asked Castro to stop, and he did not stop, telling her he was almost finished, documents said.
After she reported it to deputies from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, Castro was put in handcuffs. He was indicted by a grand jury last year.
“The online threats children face is unlike any seen by prior generations and necessitates diligence by both law enforcement and those closest to those children,” said Special Agent Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations in the Pacific Northwest. “HSI and our partners work tirelessly to protect the community from predators such as these and, in this instance, take them off the streets for years to come.”