Acoma Pueblo Man from Cibola County Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Abuse Charges

ALBUQUERQUE – Anthony P. Castillo, 49, an enrolled member of the Acoma Pueblo who resides in San Fidel, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to abusive sexual contact charges.  Castillo’s plea agreement recommends a prison sentence within the range of 12 to 18 years followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.  Castillo will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Castillo was arrested in April 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with sexually abusing a Navajo child under the age of 12 years between Jan. 1, 2017 and Feb. 28, 2017, on the Acoma Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M. 

During today’s proceedings, Castillo pled guilty to a two-count felony information charging him with abusive sexual contact.  In entering the guilty plea, Castillo admitted that between Jan. 1, 2017 and Feb. 27, 2017, he engaged in sexual contact with two child victims under the age of 12 years at a residence on the Acoma Pueblo.  Castillo remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Laguna/Acoma Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Acoma Pueblo Tribal Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.