Ex-School Official Accused Of Molestation In YouTube Video Gets 10 Years In Prison
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A former school administrator who molested two Riverside County girls -- one of whom confronted her in a recorded telephone call later posted online -- was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.
Andrea Michelle Cardosa, 41, of Perris, pleaded guilty last month to three counts of lewd acts with a child for molesting two girls at middle and high schools in Perris and Riverside, according to prosecutors.
One of the victims, 28-year-old Jamie C., attended Chemawa Middle School from 1997 to 2001. She posted a video to YouTube in Jan. 2014 of a taped phone confrontation with Cardosa, accusing her of sexual abuse 16 years earlier.
Cardosa admitted three counts of lewd acts on a minor as part of a plea agreement reached with the District Attorney's Office after several weeks of negotiations, according to Supervising Deputy District Attorney John Henry.
A previous proceeding at the Riverside Hall of Justice was a status hearing to confirm a scheduled preliminary hearing, which would have culminated in a judge deciding if there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial in the case.
In exchange for her admissions, the DA.'s office dropped 13 other sex-related charges pending against the defendant, as well as multiple sentence-enhancing allegations of targeting multiple victims in a sex crime.
Henry said the two victims were informed about the agreement beforehand.
"The way we anticipated this going at trial, we felt this was the most appropriate way to resolve this case, taking into account various factors," Henry said.
Cardosa has no prior felony convictions.
