ST. JOHNS, Fla. – Authorities in St. Johns County arrested and charged a Colombian man, who is accused of sexually exploiting a 14-year-old, according to an arrest report.
Records show Sebastian Castro, 32, was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child, using a computer to misrepresent his age while luring the child for sex, sending a porn video to the child, and arranging to meet the child for sex.
According to the arrest report, it was a 14-year-old who met Castro on an e-commerce website. And, according to investigators, on two occasions, Castro and the teenager met at an undisclosed location in St. Johns County, where investigators say the child was sexually exploited.
Castro’s IP address, statements he made to detectives along with the teen’s statements and a photo line-up led to Castro being arrested, investigators said.
A judge set Castro’s bond at $500,000, but he was held on an immigration hold.
“It appears to me that with the ICE hold, there is a disputed immigration status for this defendant,” explained attorney Randy Reep, who is not affiliated with the case. Reep practices immigration law.
“Perhaps he overstayed a VISA. Perhaps he had some kind of asylum where he was supposed to report activities he didn’t do. It could be a myriad of things, but at least from the ICE officials, there is the belief there is a dispute,” Reep said.
Reep also says given the severity of the charges against Castro, authorities would rather hold him here in the U.S. and not allow him to post bond, catch a flight back home and never come back to face the criminal charges in court.
If convicted, Castro could be sent to prison and then deported back to Columbia after he is released from incarceration. His name would also go into a database that lets U.S. authorities know he is a sex offender should he re-enter the country.