NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Bronx man was hit with federal charges for allegedly making child porn at his home daycare and possessing thousands of the illicit images, officials said Friday.
According to the investigation, from about July 2015 through at least May 3, 2022, Silfredo Castillo Martinez operated the licensed daycare facility for children at his home.
He induced an 11-year-old minor who attended his facility to engage in sexually explicit behavior while recording it on his cellphone and camera from at least May 2018 to at least July 2018, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on or about May 3, 2022, at his residence and seized several of his electronic devices.
The devices contained several images and a video containing child pornography depicting the 11-year-old, as well as around 9,800 child porn images.
Castillo Martinez faces one count of child sexual exploitation, one count of receiving and distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
Prosecutors said if convicted of child sexual exploitation, he faces a life sentence in prison in addition to the maximum 60 years for the other charges.
"During the time when he was supposed to be protecting children, he also allegedly received, distributed, and possessed tens of thousands of images of child pornography," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. "Castillo Martinez’s alleged conduct was unconscionable, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect the children of our community."
Anyone who believes they may have information relevant to this investigation is asked contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
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