Vegas cop and spouse accused of untamed luxurious fraud spree stretching into California — together with $5K Newport Seashore haul

A suspended Las Vegas cop and his spouse allegedly carried out a credit-card fraud spree throughout Nevada and California, racking up tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in purchases earlier than claiming their playing cards had been stolen.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division officer Antonio Chavez, 28, and his spouse, Claudia Guzman-Marquez, 30, are accused of creating dear purchases after which submitting false credit-card disputes between Might 25 and Aug. 3, in line with the Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal.

The couple faces fees of theft of greater than $25,000 however lower than $100,000, housebreaking of a enterprise, conspiracy to commit housebreaking and theft, and perjury.

“Antonio Chavez and Claudia Guzman have deliberately used their bank cards to buy costly gadgets and reward playing cards within the tens of 1000’s of {dollars},” Detective Theodore Snodgrass wrote in a warrant utility obtained by the outlet.

“Chavez and Guzman deliberately bought this stuff, realizing they’d dispute the fees with the bank card firms, claiming that their wallets and purses had been stolen.”

Chavez allegedly filed a false police report with the Henderson Police Division to assist his declare that his card had been stolen, Snodgrass mentioned.

The couple allegedly bought greater than $13,000 value of reward playing cards from City Sq. Concierge on South Las Vegas Boulevard on Might 25 earlier than disputing the fees with Capital One and American Specific, in line with the arrest report cited by the Evaluation-Journal.

Chavez additionally allegedly disputed an Apple Retailer transaction value greater than $1,200 after telling the bank card firms that his pockets had been stolen.

Investigators famous that Chavez didn’t dispute fees made within the days earlier than the alleged fraud and waited to report his American Specific card stolen to each the corporate and police.

That very same day, Guzman-Marquez allegedly made a number of purchases utilizing Citibank and JPMorgan Chase playing cards, together with two Louis Vuitton transactions totaling greater than $11,000, earlier than disputing the fees.

The alleged scheme additionally stretched into California, the place Guzman-Marquez disputed American Specific fees made within the state in June and thru on-line retailers, police mentioned.

Amongst them was a $5,000 reward card buy at Vogue Island in Newport Seashore.

These reward playing cards had been later used to make purchases at an automotive store and an Aritzia retailer on the Las Vegas North Premium Retailers Mall, in line with the report.

Prosecutors mentioned Chavez admitted to investigators that he conspired together with his spouse and “a 3rd celebration in California” as a part of a industrial fraud scheme focusing on shops and bank card firms.

“He knew higher,” Chief Deputy District Lawyer Eckley Keach mentioned of Chavez. “He is aware of what the legislation is and he is aware of that he violated the legislation willfully as a result of he wished to complement himself and his household.”

Keach mentioned Guzman-Marquez, who’s pregnant, made comparable admissions and was equally accountable.

Keach sought $100,000 money bail and home arrest for Chavez, together with a listening to to find out the supply of the cash if bail was posted.

However Las Vegas magistrate Rebecca Saxe rejected the request Thursday, citing Chavez’s lack of prison historical past, neighborhood ties and the nonviolent nature of the fees.

Chavez was as a substitute ordered launched with out bail and positioned underneath digital monitoring. Guzman-Marquez was additionally ordered launched with monitoring.

Protection lawyer Robert Draskovich argued that Chavez has no prison historical past, cooperated totally with investigators and has native ties.

“He’s presumed harmless,” Draskovich mentioned.

After the listening to, Draskovich instructed the Evaluation-Journal that the protection and prosecutors had been working towards an “equitable decision.”

The division mentioned Chavez has labored for the Metropolitan Police Division since 2020 and has been suspended with out pay.

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