SALT LAKE CITY — A man who fled to Spain after being charged with child rape in 2018 was extradited back to Utah this week.
According to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Carlos Espino Farfan, 36, from Spain, was accused of raping the 10-year-old daughter of a woman he was dating from June to November 2017.
“Police believe the defendant fled to Peru immediately following the reporting of the alleged crimes,” the attorney’s office said in a press release. “The defendant then went to Spain, where he was residing until January 2024, when he went to Spanish immigration authorities to request asylum.”
In March 2024, Farfan was taken into custody in Spain and has been in the country since.
On Thursday, the attorney’s office said it requested the international extradition of Farfan from Spain back to Utah. Spain granted the extradition request, and Farfan was given to U.S. authorities to be brought back to a Utah jail within 24 hours.
The attorney’s office said it charged Farfan on March 6, 2018, with four counts of first-degree felony rape of a child and one count of first-degree felony sodomy upon a child.
“Although justice was delayed for this young victim-survivor, it will not be denied. We appreciate the West Valley City Police Department for their diligent pursuit of the defendant over the last seven years,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said.
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Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with Children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child’s mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
CSAM Prevention Resources and Victim Recovery:
- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children provides support to children who are victims of child sexual exploitation through emotional peer support for families, content removal of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and help getting connected to therapists and attorneys. The NCMEC also provides a CyberTipline where CSAM can be reported. Visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources for more information.
- The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force hosts a hub of resources for parents and offers local help to cases involving child sexual exploitation.
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) provides a guide of safety measures to take in order to prevent children from being targeted in CSAM cases.
- Thorn nonprofit organization creates products and programs that combat child sexual abuse at scale. It provides resources for families to help them identify the possible ways children can be exploited online, giving them proper terminology and statistics to keep them educated. For more information, visit https://www.thorn.org/research/child-sexual-abuse-material-csam/
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).