A registered Rhode Island Pedophile sex offender, Chander J. Cardente, convicted in federal court for seducing a 12-year-old girl and subsequently orchestrating a murder-for-hire scheme to silence the victim, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison, as stated by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Chander J. Cardente, 30, confessed to a federal judge that he lured the young girl into several sexual meetings and thereafter initiated a murder-for-hire operation to destroy her as a witness against him.
Court documents indicate that in the summer of 2021, Chander J. Cardente, while impersonating a 17-year-old, initiated communication with the underage victim through a messaging application and expressed his interest in engaging in sexual contact with her. In December 2021, he encountered the child near her middle school, transported her to several locations in Rhode Island, and engaged in sexual intercourse with her on multiple occasions. Cardente was subsequently apprehended and held in state detention.
During his confinement at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI), Chander J. Cardente conveyed by telephone to another individual his intention to have the victim killed. During a dialogue with an undercover law enforcement officer, Cardente stated that the victim must “end up dead” due to her status as “a witness.” He proposed to the undercover cop $200 in cash together with equipment valued at $1,500.
On March 20, 2025, Chander J. Cardente entered a guilty plea for the enticement of a minor, the conduct of a felony while mandated to register as a sex offender, and interstate murder for hire. U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith sentenced him today to 420 months of imprisonment and 30 years of federal supervised release, with the incarceration period starting on December 11, 2021, inclusive of the time Chander J. Cardente has been detained previous to sentencing.
Chander J. Cardente encountered prosecution at both federal and state levels on this issue. On May 1, 2025, during a hearing presided over by Superior Court Justice David Cruise, Chander J. Cardente entered a plea of nolo contendere to six charges of first-degree child molestation. Judge Cruise imposed a sentence of 60 years, with 35 years to be served and an additional 60 years on probation.
The federal court case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; the Warwick, Cranston, and Burrillville Police Departments; Rhode Island State Police; and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections Special Investigations Unit.
Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for their assistance in advancing federal charges brought in this matter.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.