CRIME WATCH

East Meadow man arrested for child porn

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An East Meadow resident and retired New York City police officer was arrested last week for possessing child pornography, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Frank Castro, 47, was arraigned on May 4 before District Court Judge Darlene Harris; he was charged with two counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance and two counts of Possessing a Sexual Performance of a Child. Castro was apprehended after representatives from Singas’s office conducted an investigation throughout March and April.

“Innocent children are the victims of horrific sexual exploitation to produce the pornography that this defendant is accused of possessing,” she said. “Anyone trafficking child pornography in Nassau County should expect law enforcement to show up at their door.”

Singas explained that investigators observed an individual possessing multiple images of child pornography over the Internet. Using “sophisticated technology and advanced investigative techniques,” she said, officials tracked the source of the images to Castro’s East Meadow home. They seized evidence last Tuesday.
In his retirement from the NYPD, Castro was working as a security contractor. Harris required him to surrender his pistol license.

After Castro’s arrest, the Theodore Roosevelt Council of Boy Scouts and local leaders reached out to families in the community to inform them of the matter. In a statement, the group said Castro is not registered in scouting and these allegations are not related to their group.

“Upon learning of these reports, the council took immediate action to preclude him from any future participation in our programs,” the statement said. “…The safety of our youth members is of paramount importance.”
If convicted of the top charge, Singas said, Castro faces two and one third to seven years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Scannell of the Rackets and Enterprise Crime Bureau is prosecuting the case. Castro was represented at his arraignment by an attorney from the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which does not comment on cases as a matter of policy.