Dimas DeLeon, a 30-year-old man from McAllen, Texas, is headed to federal prison after being caught dead to rights for failing to register as a sex offender. On November 14, 2016, U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange handed down a 23-month sentence, slamming DeLeon for vanishing into Pierre, South Dakota, without a trace—no registration, no warning, no accountability.
DeLeon, also known as Leo Castro, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 19, 2016, and pleaded guilty just over a month later on August 29. His crime? Dropping off the sex offender registry grid for two critical months—from May 1 to July 1, 2016—after relocating across state lines. That move wasn’t just reckless; it was a federal offense, plain and simple.
The roots of this case dig deep into DeLeon’s past. Back in 2009, he was convicted in Texas federal court for Sexual Assault of a Child—a conviction that came with prison time and the lifelong mandate to register as a sex offender. Yet when he uprooted his life and moved in with his brother and girlfriend in Pierre, he skipped every required step: no registration of his new South Dakota address, no reporting of his employment, and no notification to Texas authorities.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation Sex Offender Registry confirmed the breach: DeLeon flat-out ghosted the system. While other offenders checked in as the law demands, DeLeon assumed he could slip through the cracks. He was wrong. The U.S. Marshals Service launched an investigation, tracking his movements and sealing his fate with cold, hard evidence.
Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges, the case moved fast and hit hard. Judge Lange didn’t mince words: DeLeon’s failure to comply wasn’t a clerical error—it was a deliberate dodge of a law designed to protect communities. The sentence includes not only 23 months in federal custody but also five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Immediately after sentencing, DeLeon was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service, vanishing into the federal prison system. His name now stands as a warning: cross state lines, dodge registration, and the feds will come calling. No matter how quiet you think you’ve gone, they’re watching.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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