Carlos Ruiz Castro, 30, received a 10-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault. Superior Court Judge Nesle Rodriguez imposed the sentence on Friday, September 11. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Baginski represented the state; Shore News Network reported the sentencing details.
Additional consequences follow the prison term
The sentence is subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act. NJ.com reported that Castro must serve at least eight years and six months before he becomes eligible for parole. The article also reported that his sentence includes Megan’s Law registration, parole supervision for life, an Avenel evaluation, and a restraining order under Nicole’s Law, citing Shore News Network.
The article described the first-degree aggravated-sexual-assault term as falling within a 10-to-20-year New Jersey State Prison range, with possible fines of up to $200,000, citing BillTrack50. It also cited Keith Oliver Criminal Law for the explanation that NERA generally requires service of 85 percent of a qualifying sentence. Those legal points should be checked against the governing statute and sentencing record.
The case dates to a July 2024 report
The prosecution arose from a report made by a 40-year-old woman after an encounter near Hudson Avenue and 51st Street in West New York at about 1:30 a.m. on July 27, 2024. She told police that an unknown man forced her into an alley and sexually assaulted her. Hudson County View reported that the man grabbed her by the hair, while Shore News Network reported the location, assault, and later guilty plea: Hudson County View and Shore News Network.
Shore News Network reported that investigators used surveillance footage to identify Castro’s movements toward a nearby apartment building and that a court-authorized search of his residence recovered clothing he had worn during the assault. Those details remain based on that outlet’s account rather than separate reporting in this article.
Arrest followed a public appeal
Members of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Castro on Jackson Avenue in Hackensack on August 9, 2024, after he had remained at large for roughly two weeks, according to Hudson County View. He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility. The investigation involved the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the West New York Police Department, with assistance from the federal task force.
The article reported that the post-release requirements include Megan’s Law registration and a risk-based tiering process, citing the Law Offices of J. Fried. It also stated that parole supervision for life begins after release and cited Keith Oliver Criminal Law for related supervision conditions. The supplied materials do not include the judgment needed to confirm each condition in Castro’s case.
