Man raped girl he had paid to be sent over from Mexico

A Colorado man paid a 15-year-old girl’s father to have her sent over from Mexico before he raped her and fathered her child. 

Erik Castillo, 44, was sentenced on Wednesday to 17 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to multiple sexual assault charges. 

His charges related to human trafficking for sexual servitude were dropped as part of his plea agreement. 

Castillo, who lives in Thornton and has been in the US for 25 years, had approached the girl on Facebook and arranged for her to come from Mexico.

The teen, who is a US citizen but raised in Mexico, had wanted to come to America to get an education and improve her life, the Adams County district attorney’s office said.

But once she got here, Castillo did not enroll her in school, kept her in isolation and repeatedly raped her. 

Prosecutors say Castillo only let her outside the house to go to the grocery store.

Prosecutors say Castillo would only let the girl outside of his house to go to the grocery store. Castillo did not enroll her in school, kept her in isolation and repeatedly raped her

When she fell pregnant, Castillo took the girl to a doctor and said he was her uncle.

The teenage victim has since given birth to Castillo’s child.  

‘This is a particularly egregious case,’ Adams County District Judge Robert Kiesnowski Jr. said. 

‘The defendant tried to trade money for this young lady. This reflects a belief that people can be bought and sold.

‘They can’t be. That is moral and inhumane – especially a 15-year-old girl.’