30-year-old Rhode Island registered sex offender sentenced after sexually assaulting minor, launching a murder-for-hire plot to silence her

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter Neronha has announced that a Rhode Island man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a female victim under the age of 14 in 2021.

On Thursday, at a hearing before Superior Court Justice David Cruise, 30-year-old Chandler Cardente of Cranston plead nolo contendere to six counts of first-degree child molestation. Judge Cruise sentenced the defendant to 60 years with 35 to serve and 60 years of probation.  Additionally, Judge Cruise issued a no contact order between the defendant and the victim. Finally, Judge Cruise ordered the defendant register as a sex offender, attend sex offender counseling, and be subject to community supervision. 

“This defendant deserves every bit of the lengthy sentence he received for his terrible crimes,” said Attorney General Neronha. “While nothing can undo the pain caused, the young victim in this case demonstrated incredible courage by telling her story in her exceptional victim impact statement. She is an inspiration for victims everywhere. I am also grateful for the hard work of the Burrillville Police Department and Cranston Police Department on this difficult case.”

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that on December 10, 2021, the defendant assaulted a female victim under the age of 14 in the City of Warwick after connecting with the victim via social media.

According to the Rhode Island Attorney General, court documents reflect that in the summer of 2021, Cardente, while posing as a 17-year-old, began communicating with the minor victim via a messaging app, and told the victim that he was interested in having sexual contact with her. In December 2021, he met the girl a short distance from her middle school, drove her to various locations in Rhode Island, and engaged in sexual contact with her multiple times. Cardente was subsequently arrested and detained in state custody.

While being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions, Cardente communicated by telephone with another person, expressing his intent that the victim be murdered. In a conversation with a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity, Cardente told the officer that the victim needed “to end up dead” because she was “a witness.”  He offered the undercover officer $200 in cash and equipment worth $1,500.

“I am grateful for the tireless work of the Burrillville Police Department and our partnership with Attorney General’s Office,” said Colonel Stephen J. Lynch, Burrillville Police Chief. “Cases like these are devastating for the victim and difficult for the community, and I am grateful that justice will be served.”

Assistant Attorney General Shannon Signore of the Attorney General’s Office, Detective Ryan Hughes of the Burrillville Police Department, and Detective Anthony McHugh of the Cranston Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of this case.