Illegal migrant cut loose in plea deal after raping sleeping woman — but then the feds stepped in

According to federal immigration sources, Cardenas arrived in the US from Ecuador on a visitor visa in September 2016, but remained in the country after his legal status expired in July 2021.

The illegal migrant was accused of molesting a woman who passed out at an apartment party in Jamaica on Jan. 29, 2023. The victim told authorities she woke up as Cardenas was raping her, according to the criminal complaint in the case.

Cardenas was arrested and charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sexual assault. He could have faced between five and 25 years behind bars if convicted of the top charge.

But Cardenas was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser third-degree rape charge as part of a deal that required him to complete one year of sex offender counseling — and would serve no jail time if he passed.

The charge was then knocked down to third-degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor, authorities said.

Cardenas was sentenced on January 13 to time already served in jail and released — with the court issuing an order of protection for him to stay away from the victim, records show.

https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/us-news/illegal-migrant-cut-loose-in-plea-deal-after-raping-sleeping-woman-but-gets-picked-up-by-the-feds/