RI man who attempted murder-for-hire plot against minor sexual assault victim sentenced

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A Cranston man has been sentenced to 35 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after being convicted of sexually assaulting a female victim under the age of 14.

Chandler Cardente, 30, pleaded nolo contendere to six counts of first-degree child molestation on Thursday in Providence Superior Court, according to the office of Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Nerohna.

In addition to prison time, Cardente will serve 60 years of probation upon release and must register as a sex offender, attend sex offender counseling and be subjected to community supervision.

Cardente was convicted of assaulting the victim in 2021 in Warwick after interacting with her on social media.

Cardente also admitted to a judge in March that he attempted a murder-for-hire plot to eliminate as a witness a 12-year-old girl he enticed into sexual encounters.

The person Cardente contacted in the murder plot was an undercover officer, who he spoke with and told that the victim needed “to end up dead.”

The investigation of the 2021 Warwick case was conducted by Cranston police with the assistance of Burrillville police.