A former childcare worker at the now-closed Chattanooga migrant facility in Highland Park, who was earlier charged with having sexual relations with a minor, is now facing federal charges.
Florencia Renderos Morales was charged with obstruction of justice.
A criminal information says in June 2021 she "contacted certain individuals affiliated with the La Casa de Sydney facility for unaccompanied children, whose identities are known to the defendant and the United States Attorney, and instructed them to not cooperate with federal law enforcement and to delete certain electronic messages and other evidence known to her to be material to an ongoing investigation into violations of federal criminal law attendant to her conduct at the La Casa de Sydney facility."
The information says she also "did attempt to and did knowingly corruptly persuade another person with the intent to hinder, delay, and prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer of the United States of information relating to the commission and possible commission of a Federal offense."
In the earlier case, a youth testified that she kissed him while he was 17 and she was 21. That charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor and eventually dismissed.