EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Federal authorities arrested a man accused of enticing a 15-year-old girl to send him nude photos on Snapchat, documents allege.
Santos Emilio Marcial-Castro, 30, was arrested on charges of persuading/enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, records show.
On April 27, the Homeland Security Investigations led Rio Grande Valley Exploitation Task Force identified a 15-year-old victim, a criminal complaint obtained by ValleyCentral stated.
After searching the victim’s phone, they saw a Snapchat log between the teen and a username “Imjust*******.”
The owner of the account was identified as Marcial-Castro, the complaint stated. The conversations between the suspect and the victim lasted nearly two years and took place between May 7, 2021 and April 25, 2023.
At one point, the victim told Marcial-Castro that she was 13 years old, and he asked how old her boyfriend was.
“Throughout the conversation, Marcial-Castro entices [the victim] to send several nude images…” the complaint states. Agents observed the nude images in the chat log.
On May 8, agents interviewed the victim, who identified the account’s owner as a person named “Emilio.” She told agents that he asked her to take the nude photos on several occasions, and that the pictures saved in Snapchat were of her.
On June 5, agents interviewed Marcial-Castro at his home in Edinburg, where he confirmed his Snapchat username. He then invoked his right to remain silent, the complaint states.
Records show that he was denied a bond after he was deemed a flight risk. He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
