We have an update on a story we reported yesterday.
The U.S. Attorney announced that Angel Rafael Cardona a/k/a Angel Rafael Cardona Colon is accused of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted production of child pornography. Cardona made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday and a preliminary hearing will be held on July 31, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. He has been held without bond, the release states.
According to the minutes of yesterday's hearing, Cardona did not object to being held in jail for now, but reserved the right to a detention hearing later. According to the release, the government plans to argue that probable cause exists in support of the criminal complaint and that Cardona be held without bond pending a formal charging decision and possible presentment of the case to a federal grand jury.
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.
On Monday, a letter went out to parents of students at St. Thomas More High School. A spokeswoman for the Diocese provided KATC Investigates with a copy of the letter, and said that was all she was authorized to release. You can read it below.
KATC Investigates found the name of an STM faculty member, Angel Cardona, had been scrubbed from the STM website Tuesday. A search of nearby jails found that Cardona had been booked into the Iberia Parish jail on Monday. Records there show he was booked on a hold for U.S. Marshals.
This morning, KATC Investigates found that the complaint in his federal case file was unsealed. It was filed on July 21 by an FBI agent, and it accuses Cardona of Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity and Attempted Production of Child Pornography. The complaint alleges that the crimes occurred between June 14 and July 16 of this year.
Here's the email sent out Monday afternoon, the day Cardona was arrested:
"This afternoon, the STM administration was notified by federal agents that an individual scheduled to begin teaching at St. Thomas More for the upcoming school year was placed under arrest," the letter states. "While we are not at liberty to discuss the details, please be assured that consistent with its strict hiring protocols, St. Thomas More conducted extensive research into this applicant's background and teaching history during the hiring process. The application passed all required background checks and was given positive reviews by former school administrators and coaches. Since this individual was hired after the last day of school, there was no academic instructional time with students. Furthermore, all assistant coaching responsibilities over the summer were always under the direct observation and supervision of the STM coaching staff, with no complaints, concerns or incidents reported.
"Under the circumstances, this individual is no longer eligible for employment with STM. We are grateful to law enforcement for their service and vigilance. In addition, we remain committed to ensuring the safety of our entire STM community and uncompromising in the standards to which we hold ourselves and anyone involved in the formation of our students."
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. He still appears 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.
According to reporting in 2022 by our media partners at The Advocate/Times Picayune, Cardona was the head football coach at East Jefferson High School until he abruptly resigned in the middle of the season last fall.
The newspapers reported here that Cardona resigned from his position “due to personal circumstances beyond his control” six games into his first season. He will remain at the school as a math teacher, according to a letter sent to East Jefferson football families.
The newspapers also reported that Cardona previously coached at T.H. Harris Middle School in Metairie. His other coaching experience came at Antilles High School, an Army base school in Fort Brandon, Puerto Rico.
Here's the Picayune story about his hiring.
