Bronx after-school mentor Rene Cardona arrested for child pornography

A Bronx after-school program employee has been indicted on charges for producing and distributing child pornography.  The U.S. Attorney's Office says 22-year-old Rene Cardona worked at the Betances

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2014, 7:25 PM

Updated 3,718 days ago

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A Bronx after-school program employee has been indicted on charges for producing and distributing child pornography. 
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 22-year-old Rene Cardona worked at the Betances Community Center on East 146th Street for the past two years. He was part of the summer camp and after-school programs, and was a mentor for its Young Men's Initiative. 
According to the federal criminal complaint, Cardona admitted to having sexual contact with children that he mentored at the center. It also says he had an online relationship with an 11-year-old boy in Guam, and that the two exchanged pornographic photos of each other. 
Authorities are urging anyone who thinks their child may have had inappropriate contact with Cardona to call the FBI hotline at 212-384-1600 or the Manhattan District Attorney's Office at 212-335-9373.
Cardona faces a minimum 15 years in prison if convicted.


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