Honk News (New York City, NY) – A migrant from Ecuador struck an agreement with prosecutors in Queens that enabled him to avoid incarceration for rape, yet he was unable to evade federal authorities.
Kail Cardenas, 27, was apprehended during a raid by the US Department of Homeland Security in Jamaica on Monday morning, just weeks after his release in connection with a disturbing 2023 rape and sex abuse case, sources have revealed.
“DEANewYork continues, along with our @justicedept & other federal law enforcement partners, to assist @dhsgov with their immigration enforcement efforts targeting violent illegal criminals,” the New York division of the federal drug-busting agency said in a post on X.
Federal immigration sources indicate that Cardenas entered the US from Ecuador on a visitor visa in September 2016, but he continued to stay in the country after his legal status lapsed in July 2021.
An individual without legal status faces allegations of assaulting a woman who lost consciousness at an apartment gathering in Jamaica on January 29, 2023. According to the criminal complaint in the case, the victim reported that she became aware of the assault while it was occurring.
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Prosecutors subsequently obtained Instagram messages exchanged between the victim and her assailant, where he mentioned that he “saw [her] sleeping” and “started touching [her] body,” as detailed in the complaint.
Cardenas has been taken into custody and faces charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual assault.
If found guilty of the most serious charge, he was looking at a potential sentence ranging from five to 25 years in prison.
Cardenas entered a plea for a reduced third-degree rape charge under an agreement that mandated one year of sex offender counseling, with no jail time if he successfully completed it.
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Authorities reported that the charge was subsequently reduced to third-degree sexual abuse, classified as a misdemeanor.
On January 13, Cardenas received a sentence of time already served in jail and was subsequently released, with the court mandating an order of protection requiring him to maintain distance from the victim, according to records.
The unexpected journey came to a halt with the operation conducted by a group of federal agencies on Monday, according to sources.