LI woman engaged in sex acts with son, prosecutors say

A Central Islip woman who took cellphone pictures of herself engaging in sexual acts with her 3-year-old son was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison.

The prison term for Ashley Castro, 24, was the minimum required under sentencing guidelines, Judge Sandra Feuerstein said in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.

Defense attorney Terrence Buckley of Commack said in a letter submitted to the judge last month that the minimum sentence was appropriate because Castro “was in an abusive relationship for several years, and also functions emotionally at the approximate equivalent of a 14-year-old female.”

Castro, speaking softly, told the judge Thursday she “wanted to become a better person.”

“I want to work on my career, my future, and I want to go to school,” she said. “I’d like a second chance.”

The judge ordered five years of post-release supervision and barred Castro from being alone with children.

Castro was arrested after sending the pictures to the child’s biological father, who went to authorities, court papers said.