MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Cesar Cardoso stands accused of sexually abusing girls who were his students when he worked as a teacher at Sunset Park Elementary School in Miami-Dade County’s Kendall area.
Cardoso, 53, who was reportedly removed from the classroom in April and lost his job in May, was accused of abusing girls from Aug. 1, 2023, to April 9, records showed.
Cardoso appeared in court on Thursday. He has been behind bars since Sept. 11, when Miami-Dade Schools Police Department officers arrested him.
Court records show Cardoso faced three charges on Sept. 12. Miami-Dade prosecutors have filed 10 more charges since, and said detectives were investigating additional cases.
The alleged abuse included molestation and showing the third-grade students photos and videos of sexual acts, according to prosecutors.
One of the images Cardoso allegedly showed the girls showed him naked, and another showed the sexual abuse of a boy, according to the police arrest report.
On Thursday night, court records showed Cardoso faced 13 charges:
- Five counts of dissemination of obscene material to a minor
- Five counts of offenses against students by authority figures
- Two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation involving a victim under the age of 12 by a defendant who is 18 years of age or older
- One count of lewd or lascivious conduct with a person under 16 years old
Attorney Michael Mirer, the defense attorney who is representing Cardoso, asked Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Zachary James to release him on bond.
“My client is adamant that he is not guilty, the allegations are false, and he will look forward to his day in court,” Mirer said.
James denied Cardoso bail on the two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation involving a victim under the age of 12 by a defendant who is 18 years of age or older.
Miami-Dade corrections held Cardoso at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center near Doral, according to inmate records. A judge ordered him to stay away from five victims.
As the case unfolded, a spokesperson for M-DCPS told Local 10 News that Cardoso was “permanently precluded from seeking or obtaining future employment” with the district.
Court records show Cardoso’s next hearings are at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 12 and 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 30.
Related report: Miami-Dade elementary teacher showed porn to, inappropriately touched students: Police
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