Jurors have convicted a San Jose man who drove to Dublin believing he was about to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex, only to find an undercover cop waiting instead, according to court records.
A jury found 29-year-old Aldo Castillo guilty after prosecutors laid out how he traveled to a Dublin movie theater for the planned meetup. The Mercury News reports that Castillo was convicted on Feb. 6 of contacting a minor to commit a sex crime and arranging a sexual meeting. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10.
Prosecutors said Castillo was arrested in 2023 after a series of online conversations with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old, according to court filings described at trial.
Undercover Operation In Dublin
At trial, an undercover detective testified that he had posed online as the 13-year-old and arranged to meet Castillo at a Dublin theater. Court records introduced to the jury show that Castillo brought condoms and erectile dysfunction pills to the rendezvous.
Det. Ryan Henrioulle testified that he contacted Castillo’s phone using a burner device police used to impersonate the minor, according to details presented in court. During an earlier preliminary hearing, Alameda County Judge Paul Delucchi told the courtroom the case was not a close call.
What The Conviction Means
Prosecutors charged Castillo under a California statute that makes it a crime to contact or communicate with a minor with the intent to commit certain serious sex offenses. The law prescribes prison terms equivalent to an attempt to commit the underlying offense and can trigger mandatory sex-offender registration, according to the state code.
California Penal Code 288.3 sets out the elements of the crime and the potential punishments.
Next Steps
Castillo is due back in Alameda County Superior Court for sentencing on March 10, 2026. At that hearing, the judge is expected to weigh the prosecution’s recommended prison term along with any victim-impact information.
A conviction under the statute can carry a state prison sentence and requires registration as a sex offender, consequences the court will formally address at the sentencing.
