Repeat child sex offender heads back to NJ prison

⚖️ A Pleasantville man received an 18-year sentence after admitting to sexually assaulting multiple children.

🚨 Prosecutors say the 60-year-old evaded Megan’s Law registration for decades, after a previous conviction.

🕵️ Investigators uncovered 11 victims, triggering a sweeping SVU investigation.

HAMILTON (Atlantic) — A repeat, convicted offender has been sentenced to prison, after admitting to sexually assaulting multiple children over several years.

Jose Castro-Vega, of Pleasantville, dodged the New Jersey registry system after a previous prison term for sexually assaulting a minor.

He never entered his information as a known sex offender until his most recent arrest in 2023.

In July, he pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, for preying on multiple children, several of them younger than 13.

On Monday, the 60-year-old Castro-Vega received an aggregate term of 18 years and “must serve every day” of that sentence as handed down by Superior Court Judge Donna Taylor.

Castro-Vega was convicted in 1992 of sexually assaulting a minor and was placed on New Jersey’s Megan’s Law list, requiring him to register as a sex offender.

But in 1998, Castro-Vega was released from prison and moved out of state several times without registering as a sex offender.

SVU investigation reveals years of abuse accusations against Castro-Vega

On Oct. 27, 2023, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit was contacted about accusations that Castro-Vega was sexually assaulting one minor victim.

Investigators quickly found Castro-Vega targeted multiple victims as far back as 2021, with accusations that he drugged some children “with pills to perform sexual acts,” prosecutors previously said.

More victims identified as case expands; 11 total known

He was arrested and charged the following day, after which three more juvenile victims were identified, bringing the known total to 11. Additional charges were filed by November 2023.

Castro-Vega remained at the Atlantic County jail for the duration of his case.

During his plea over the summer, he admitted sexually assaulting seven victims, and having “inappropriate sexual contact” with four victims.

Prosecutors said “if released” after his 18-year sentence, the 60-year-old will be subject to Megan’s Law registration and be on parole supervision for life.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom