A suspended Las Vegas police officer and his wife have been released with electronic monitoring after a judge rejected prosecutors’ request for $100,000 cash bail.
Antonio Chavez, 28, and Claudia Guzman-Marquez, 30, appeared before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe on Thursday following their arrest on charges tied to an alleged cross-state fraud operation. Chief Deputy District Attorney Eckley Keach had sought the steep bail amount plus house arrest for Chavez, along with a hearing to determine the source of any posted funds.
Saxe denied the request, citing Chavez’s lack of criminal history, his community ties, and the nonviolent nature of the charges against him.
Both defendants were ordered released without bail and placed under electronic monitoring. Guzman-Marquez, who is pregnant, received the same conditions as her husband.
Defense attorney Robert Draskovich argued that Chavez has no prior criminal record, cooperated fully with investigators, and maintains strong local connections.
“He’s presumed innocent,” Draskovich said.
After the hearing, Draskovich told the Review-Journal that the defense and prosecutors were working toward an “equitable resolution.”
The couple stands accused of theft exceeding $25,000 but less than $100,000, burglary of a business, conspiracy to commit burglary and theft, and perjury. The alleged scheme spanned from May 25 to August 3, according to a warrant application filed by Detective Theodore Snodgrass.
“Antonio Chavez and Claudia Guzman have intentionally used their credit cards to purchase expensive items and gift cards in the tens of thousands of dollars,” Snodgrass wrote.
“Chavez and Guzman intentionally purchased these items, knowing they would dispute the charges with the credit card companies, claiming that their wallets and purses had been stolen.”
The fraudulent purchases began May 25 at Town Square Concierge on South Las Vegas Boulevard, where the couple allegedly bought more than $13,000 worth of gift cards. They subsequently disputed those charges with Capital One and American Express, according to the arrest report.
Chavez also disputed an Apple Store transaction worth more than $1,200, telling credit card companies his wallet had been stolen. Investigators noted that he did not dispute charges made in the days immediately preceding the alleged fraud and waited to report his American Express card stolen to both the company and police.
That same day, Guzman-Marquez allegedly made several purchases using Citibank and JPMorgan Chase cards, including two Louis Vuitton transactions totaling more than $11,000, before disputing those charges as well.
The operation extended into California, where Guzman-Marquez disputed American Express charges made in June and through online merchants. Among them was a $5,000 gift card purchase at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Those gift cards were later used to make purchases at an automotive shop and an Aritzia store at the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets Mall, according to the report.
Chavez allegedly filed a false police report with the Henderson Police Department to bolster his claim that his card had been stolen. Prosecutors said he later admitted to investigators that he conspired with his wife and “a third party in California” as part of a commercial fraud scheme targeting stores and credit card companies.
“He knew better,” Keach said of Chavez. “He knows what the law is and he knows that he violated the law willfully because he wanted to enrich himself and his family.”
Keach said Guzman-Marquez made similar admissions and was equally responsible for the scheme.
Chavez has worked for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department since 2020 and has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case.