A "change of plea" hearing has been set for a former assistant coach at St. Thomas More High School indicted last year on federal child exploitation crimes.
Angel Cardona was one of two STM coaches fired and indicted on child sex charges in 2023.
Court records show that a "change of plea" hearing was set for next week for Cardona a/k/a Angel Rafael Cardona Colon. In August 2023, he was named in a three-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury.
He's accused of attempting to create child pornography on July 11 and July 13 of last year, and of using a facility between June 6 and June 24 to entice a child to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Cardona was arrested in July 2023 and ordered held over for trial after a federal complaint was filed accusing him of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted production of child pornography.
Cardona has been held in prison since he was arrested last year, without any objections filed on his behalf. He has a trial date set for next month, but the "change of plea" hearing was set for January 26.
The indictment, which you can read by scrolling down, accuses Cardona of trying to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct in order to produce child pornography twice during July. It also alleges he used a "facility and means of interstate commerce" to entice the minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct between June 6 and July 24.
Cardona was arrested on July 23. That same day, STM sent an email to parents telling them about the arrest, and informing them that he had been fired. It also said that he was hired after the last day of school, which was May 25 according to the school's online-calendar, and that he had participated in summertime coaching duties. Summer workouts for the school's football team began June 5, according to the school's website. To read about his arrest, including the school's full email, click here.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact HSI at 337-262-6619.
Cardona is the second STM coach fired last year after being accused of child sex crimes.
Back in April, another STM coach, Jacob Delapaz, was fired after a video was circulated online, apparently showing Delapaz saying sexually explicit things to someone he tutors. As KATC investigates reported, Delapaz had previously been disciplined in Arkansas for inappropriate text messages to a student.
Despite that, he was hired in Vermilion Parish, and later by St. Thomas More High School. He now is being held in jail, awaiting trial on federal child exploitation charges. He's accused of attempted production of child pornography; prosecutors allege he enticed a minor to create child pornography. Until recently, he still appeared on the STM website, in photos of the football team and the school's football coaches.
To read more about the Delapaz case, click here and here. This week, his trial was re-scheduled for February 20. The deadline to file a plea agreement for that first trial date passed this week, and his attorneys have been filing pre-trial documents in the case, records show.
Here's Cardona's indictment:
