Eugene Man Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Enticing A Minor Online (Photo) - 06/04/26

EUGENE, Ore.—A Eugene, Oregon, man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Wednesday for enticing a minor and the father of another minor to send sexually explicit images, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.

Gino J. Hinojos-Castle, 34, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison and 5 years supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution to the victims depicted in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that agents learned he had exchanged with others online.

“The exploitation of children is among the most reprehensible crimes we prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford. “Today’s 12-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and the lasting harm these offenses inflict on victims. Our office, together with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those who exploit children, and to ensuring that offenders are held fully accountable under federal law.”

According to court documents, on August 12, 2024, and October 14, 2024, Hinojos-Castle used the social media platform Kik to chat with a minor and a father of another minor where he requested sexually explicit images of the minors. From June 2024 through July 2025, Hinojos-Castle sent CSAM to users on Kik and also sent several messages describing past instances in which he said he had sexually abused minors in a Eugene park.

On July 24, 2025, pursuant to a search warrant, agents seized Hinojos-Castle’s cellphone upon his arrival at the Eugene airport from an out of state trip. Agents found CSAM-related chat applications and CSAM, which he had traveled with from the state of Wyoming.

On September 18, 2025, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a six-count indictment charging Castle with attempted enticement of a minor, attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and transportation, distribution, and receipt of child pornography.

On January 28, 2026, Hinojos-Castle pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor.

The FBI investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. McLaren.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.