LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A Las Vegas police officer and his pregnant wife appeared in court Thursday after their arrests on suspicion of running a credit card fraud scheme.
Antonio Chavez, 28, and Claudia Guzman-Marquez, 30, were each handcuffed as they acknowledged receiving criminal complaints, and Judge Rebecca Saxe heard arguments for bail.
During the hearing, a prosecutor alleged Chavez admitted to conspiring with Guzman-Marquez and another person in California in a commercial fraud scheme worth thousands of dollars.
“He knew better. He knows what the law is, and he knows that he violated the law willfully because he wanted to enrich himself and his family,” the prosecutor said as he asked the judge to impose $100,000 cash bail with a source hearing, and house arrest if posted.
Chavez’s attorney, Robert Draskovich, asked for release on his own recognizance. Draskovich argued that Chavez cooperated with investigators, has no criminal history and does not pose a danger to the community.
“He should really be given special treatment because of his position,” the attorney said.
Saxe said that Chavez meets the standard for a low-risk defendant and faces non-violent charges, and he would not face monetary bail. She added that the ties to California mean he will still have to be released on medium-level electronic monitoring.
Guzman-Marquez informed the court that she’s six months pregnant. Saxe ordered her to be released on pretrial monitoring with a GPS-tracking phone and to remain in Las Vegas or face a warrant for her arrest.
The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for both suspects on Oct. 8.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said Chavez was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of theft between $25,000 and $100,000; four counts of burglary of a business; and perjury.
An arrest warrant alleges the couple used their credit cards to buy gift cards and expensive items worth tens of thousands of dollars, only to dispute the charges with the credit card companies as theft.
LVMPD began investigating the alleged scheme in June this year after receiving a report from Town Square Las Vegas’ security director regarding a large purchase of gift cards.
Investigators subpoenaed his credit card records and found several attempts to make large purchases, some of which were accepted and others denied as out of pattern.
According to the records, Chavez reported his cards as stolen and said he did not make the purchases. Chavez also filed a report with Henderson Police about a bag containing his cards being stolen.
“Chavez claims his credit card was stolen prior to his purchase of the gift card, but stills, photographs, and witnesses have him purchasing the gift cards … at Town Square,” the warrant states.
He has been with LVMPD since 2020 and was assigned to the Community Safety Division in the Northwest Area Command. He is suspended without pay, pending further investigation.