During the course of the sentencing hearing Judge Moses initiated a discussion with the defendants legal counsel and the prosecution as she read Chavez his punishment.
Chavez was then sentenced to 42 months with credit of time served from the initial day of incarceration. Chavez will also serve three years supervised release after time served.
Moses asked Chavez if he had anything to say to the court when he asked if he could address the public.
"To the citizens of the community and friends and family want to apologize for my actions and all the grief I have caused them,” said Chavez.
Chavez then apologized to the court and federal government, including the FBI.
“To the FBI, I apologize for everything, including the false statement I gave to them,” said Chavez.
Moses then addressed the corruption that she has seen in her hometown.
"We are trying to protect the people from the very people they hire and elect. The honest people from Maverick County did not stand a chance,” said Moses.
Chavez will begin serving his sentencing immediately. He has been incarcerated for 16 months since being initially detained on April 15, 2016. Chavez will have that time counted into the sentencing handed down by Judge Moses which means that he will only serve another 26 months in federal prison before he is let out under supervised release for three years.
Chavez plead guilty in a federal court on March 30, 2017 before U.S. District Judge Alia Moses. Chavez was facing up to five years in federal prison for making a false statement to an FBI agent in an investigation, and up to $250,000 in fines and three years community supervision. Chavez’s charges and arrest stems from an investigation of public corruption in Maverick County by the FBI which has led to the indictment and arrest of 28 individuals, all of whom plead guilty.
According to court records, on May 4, 2015, a federal grand jury subpoena was issued to Chace Management, a
company owned by the defendant, for all records regarding any subcontracting work done for Hejl, Lee and
Associates. Chavez, admittedly, lied to authorities about creating a fraudulent, hand-written personal services
agreement he provided in response to the subpoena. Chavez also claimed to have received approximately
$24,000 for services rendered to Hejl, Lee and Associates when in fact, the work listed in the agreement never
took place.
Many of those individuals including former County Commissioners are currently imprisoned and serving their sentencing for their participation in the scheme that led the county into a trouble.