NEW YORK, NY – A New York City day care owner has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing a child in his care and possessing nearly 9,800 images of child sexual abuse material. Silfredo Castillo Martinez, 34, was sentenced on Thursday by a judge in the Southern District of New York.
From July 2015 to May 2022, Castillo Martinez owned and operated Lina’s Garden Day Care out of his home on Decatur Avenue in the Williamsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. Authorities revealed that from May to July 2018, he recorded himself sexually abusing an 11-year-old child attending his daycare.
The abuse came to light when Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 25, 2022, that a user had uploaded child sexual abuse material. A search warrant executed on May 3, 2022, led to the seizure of approximately 30 electronic devices from Castillo Martinez’s residence. Investigators discovered the child sexual abuse material, including a video of the 11-year-old victim.
Post-Miranda, Castillo Martinez admitted to uploading the abusive material to his Google Drive account. He pleaded guilty on March 21 to charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and production of lewd images of children.
The Department of Justice highlighted the severity of the crimes and the substantial prison sentence as a measure of justice for the victims and a deterrent against similar offenses.
