67-year-old former Eagle
Pass City Manager , Hector
Chavez, Sr., who was arrested
on April 14,2016 on federal
bribery and obstruction
charges related to his participation
in a “pay-to-play”
scheme involving a Maverick
County landfill contract, is
scheduled to appear in Federal
Court today Thursday
October, 27, 2016 at 2:50 pm
in an Attorney Status Hearing
(pre-trial conference) in
Federal Court in Del Rio,
Texas.
Chavez, along with his representing
attorney Joel Perez
from San Antonio, Texas, are
scheduled to appear in front of
Judge Alia Moses, Assistant
United States Attorney
Katherine Griffin (prosecutor)
to potentially discuss and
review the status of Chavez’s
case during the scheduled pretrial
conference in attempts to
resolve the case without it
having it go to trial.
Usually, Status Hearings
allow defense attorneys and
prosecutors to discuss things
like evidence (Discovery) in a
case, filing of motions, scheduling
of hearings, dates of trial
if needed, and even possible
plea offers. If any agreement
of a plea is made it would then
give the defendant a chance to
come to an agreement and talk
about the matter with his attorney(
s). If a settlement on the
status in the case cannot be
agreed upon and reached, a
trial date is then set. There are
sometimes many status hearings
before a case is pushed
forth to trial.
Chavez was charged back in
April ,2016 on a four-count
federal grand jury indictment,
unsealed today, charges
Chavez with one count each of
paying a bribe to an agent of
an organization receiving federal
funds; falsification of
records in a federal investigation;
obstruction of justice;
and false statement to a federal
agent.
Chavez’s indictment
alleges that from about May
2012 through June 2012, who
Chavez was allegedly doing
business as Chace
Management, paid a total of
approximately $20,000 in
bribes to a Maverick County
Commissioner, intending to
influence and reward that
Commissioner for securing a
contract for the Maverick
County Solid Waste Authority
landfill (MCSWA) project.
The indictment further alleged
that Chavez forged a personal
services contract to conceal
from authorities the kickbacks
he paid to the Maverick
County Commissioner; and,
that he (Chavez) provided this
falsified contract in response
to a federal grand jury subpoena
in an attempt to obstruct
justice. The indictment also
alleges that Chavez then made
false statements to federal law
enforcement agents concerning
the legitimacy of this contract.
Upon conviction,
Hector Chavez Sr. faces up to
20 years in federal prison on
the falsification of records and
obstruction charges; up to ten
years in federal prison for the
bribery charge; and, up to five
years in federal prison for
making a false statement to a
federal agent.
Indictments are merely
charges and should not be
considered as evidence of
guilt. The defendant is presumed
innocent until proven
guilty in a court of law.