Illegal immigrant charged with kidnapping minor and bringing her to Georgia for sex

ATLANTA - Andres Castaneda-Guzman has been arraigned on charges for taking a 14-year-old girl against her will from Texas to Stockbridge, Georgia, and allegedly engaging in unlawful sexual activity. Castaneda-Guzman, who is in the United States illegally, lived in Jonesboro, Georgia, until August 2017, when he moved to Terrell, Texas.  He was indicted on November 14, 2017.

“This kidnapping and sexual assault of a minor is stunning,” said U. S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Prosecuting violent crime, including child exploitation, is an important priority for the Department of Justice.   We are fully engaged in combatting child exploitation and will prosecute anyone who believes they can pursues this vile practice.” 

“Child exploitation in any form is dreadful, but the kidnapping a child for sexual purposes is an atrocity of the worst kind,” said ICE HSI Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Gregory Wiest. “HSI will continue to prioritize child exploitation investigations and utilize all that we bear to bring those accused to justice”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: On the evening of September 3, 2017, in Terrell, Castaneda-Guzman allegedly persuaded the minor female to get into his vehicle. He then drove her Georgia, where he eventually took her to a hotel in Stockbridge and allegedly forced her to have sexual intercourse with him.  The girl was recovered after Castaneda-Guzman’s former in-laws in Jonesboro notified him that Clayton County law enforcement officers were seeking her return.

The indictment alleges that Andres Castaneda-Guzman, 24, formerly of Jonesboro, Georgia, now of Terrell, Texas, kidnapped a minor and transported a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual activity. 

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Traynor is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.