Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that Kunwar Chadha (age 53) of Cumberland was sentenced yesterday to 48 years after being found guilty on two counts of second-degree child molestation. Superior Court Justice Netti C. Vogel sentenced Chadha to a 48-year full sentence, with 22 years to serve at the ACI.
Chadha was given a 30-year sentence with 22 years to serve at the ACI, the balance suspended with probation, on the first count of second-degree child molestation. Chadha was given an 18-year suspended sentence with probation on the second count of second-degree child molestation. The sentence on the second count will run consecutive to the sentence on the first count.
Chadha was found guilty by a Providence Superior Court jury, in March, after a 5-day trial. During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that between October 31, 2011 and July 31, 2012, Chadha molested an 11-year-old boy. The victim reported the molestation in 2016 to the Cumberland Police Department.
Chadha was initially indicted by a Providence County Grand Jury on November 29, 2016 and has been held at the ACI after being found guilty in March. Chadha was convicted in 1987 on one count of second-degree child molestation, and in 1990 of assault with intent to commit child molestation. Both cases predated the enactment of the sex offender notification laws in Rhode Island.
Sergeant Jolene Alves led the investigation for the Cumberland Police Department. Special Assistant Attorney General Katelyn M. Revens prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.
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