PROVIDENCE — A 30-year-old Rhode Island man previously convicted of child molestation has pleaded guilty to enticing a 12-year-old girl into sexual encounters and later attempting to have her killed to prevent her from testifying against him.
Chandler J. Cardente entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court Thursday to charges of enticement of a minor, commission of a felony while being required to register as a sex offender, and interstate murder for hire.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 23, with the final sentence to be determined after consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Cardente posed as a 17-year-old while communicating with the victim through a messaging app in summer 2021, expressing interest in sexual contact with her.
In December 2021, he met the girl near her middle school, drove her to various locations in Rhode Island, and engaged in sexual contact with her multiple times before being arrested and detained.
While held at the Adult Correctional Institutions, Cardente communicated his intent to have the victim murdered, telling an undercover law enforcement officer that she needed “to end up dead” because she was “a witness.”
He offered the undercover officer $200 in cash and equipment worth $1,500 to carry out the murder.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, local police departments, Rhode Island State Police, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections Special Investigations Unit.
Cardente remains held without bail at the ACI while facing both federal and state charges.
