A federal jury has found an Imperial Beach man guilty of traveling to Atlanta to have sex with a 9-year-old girl.
The jury on Thursday convicted 39-year-old Craig Alan Castaneda after a three-day trial.
An undercover FBI agent posted an ad on Craigslist in April 2015 posing as a mother seeking a “teacher” for her 9-year-old daughter. Prosecutors say Castaneda responded, describing his prior experience molesting children, including one as young as 4.
Castaneda continued to correspond with the undercover agent for several weeks and made plans to travel to Atlanta. In one of the last messages before boarding a plane, he instructed the “mother” to buy sex toys and lubricant.
FBI agents arrested Castaneda when he arrived at the Atlanta airport on May 2, 2015.