A Eugene man who sent messages on social media requesting sexually explicit images of minors was sentenced to 12 years in prison Thursday, June 4, Oregon’s U.S. Attorney’s office said in a news release.

Gino J. Hinojos-Castle, 34, “also sent several messages describing past instances in which he said he had sexually abused minors in a Eugene park,” prosecutors said.

Hinojos-Castle pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to attempted enticement of a minor.

In a sentencing memo filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, prosecutors said Hinojos-Castle “sought sexual imagery from a purported 14-year-old, bragged about meeting a separate 14-year-old for sex in a park some years back, and talked about meeting a 13-year-old in the park and having nightly sex with her.”

The court document described Hinojos-Castle as living in the Friendly neighborhood of Eugene, and, in social media messages, “mentioned the Friendly Park in Eugene five separate times.”

FBI investigators used a subpoena and then a search warrant to obtain information from social media platform Kik about Hinojos-Castle while investigating the delivery of child sexual abuse material to someone in Oklahoma City.

Prosecutors stated they could not determine the true identity of the 14-year-old, whom they said was contacted by Hinojos-Castle, but the person told Hinojos-Castle they were 14.

FBI agents “intercepted Mr. Castle on July 24, 2025, at the Eugene airport as he was returning from a trip to Wyoming,” according to court documents. He was not arrested, but agents “seized his phone and interviewed him.”

The phone contained “CSAM (child sexual abuse material), CSAM-related chat applications, and troubling photographs including selfies with young children,” according to court documents. FBI agents arrested Hinojos-Castle Aug. 7, 2025, at the Eugene Airport.

A defense attorney for Hinojos-Castle, in a sentencing memo, agreed with the sentencing recommendation of 12 years.

“A sentence of 144 months’ imprisonment offers significant punishment for serious misconduct, while accounting for Mr. Hinojos-Castle’s long history of grief and loss, as well as his struggle with addiction to alcohol at the time of the offense conduct,” wrote Kimberly-Claire E. Seymour, an assistant federal public defender.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed four separate charges for possession, receipt, transportation and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss a charge of attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct.

“Today’s 12-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and the lasting harm these offenses inflict on victims,” U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford said in a statement.