NYC daycare owner who abused young children sentenced to 25 years in prison

NEW YORK, NY – The owner of a New York City daycare center has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing a child in his care and possessing nearly 9,800 child sexual abuse images. Silfredo Castillo Martinez, 34, was sentenced Thursday by a judge in the Southern District of New York.

From July 2015 to May 2022, Castillo Martinez owned and operated Lina’s Garden Day Care from his home on Decatur Avenue in the Williamsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. Authorities said that from May to July 2018, he filmed himself sexually abusing an 11-year-old child who attended his daycare.

The abuse came to light when Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 25, 2022, that a user had uploaded child sexual abuse material. A search warrant executed on May 3, 2022, resulted in the seizure of approximately 30 electronic devices from Castillo Martinez’s residence. Investigators discovered the child sexual abuse material, including a video of the 11-year-old victim.

Following the Miranda disclosure, Castillo Martinez admitted to uploading the offensive material to his Google Drive account. On March 21, he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor and production of indecent images of children.

The Ministry of Justice stressed that the crimes were serious and that the long prison sentence was a measure to ensure justice for the victims and a deterrent to similar crimes.