Second lawyer pleads guilty to extortion in Albuquerque police DWI corruption case

A second prominent Albuquerque attorney has pleaded guilty to a federal extortion charge in paying off an Albuquerque policeman in 2023 to help get a client's drunken driving case dismissed.

The attorney, Rudolph "Rudy" Chavez, also pleaded guilty on Thursday to lying to FBI agents investigating the payoff in March 2024, according to federal records.

His is the latest in a series of guilty pleas this year as part of a criminal scheme that has resulted in the dismissal of dozens, if not hundreds, of DWI cases in Albuquerque since the mid-1990s.

Court records show Chavez sometimes teamed up on DWI cases with the creator of the bribery/extortion conspiracy, now-disbarred DWI defense attorney Thomas Clear III. Clear, his former legal assistant Ricardo Mendez, and eight law enforcement officers, all of whom have retired or resigned, have entered guilty pleas. None have been sentenced, as the FBI continues its investigation.

Chavez admitted in his plea agreement he contacted Clear's assistant, Mendez, after he was hired by a client who had been arrested in April 2023 by APD DWI officer Honorio Alba Jr. Through Mendez, Chavez paid an undisclosed amount of money to Alba for intentionally failing to appear in court on the DWI case.

"I admit that when coordinating the scheme, I knew that Alba was a necessary witness and because Alba planned to fail to appear, I knew that the case and proceedings would likely be dismissed," Chavez stated in his plea agreement.

Trial for the defendant was set for Jan. 17, 2024, but Alba had contacted the 2nd Judicial District Attorney's office that day to say he "had worked the night before and was too tired to attend the court setting..." So the DA's office dismissed the case.

Chavez's plea agreement states he agreed to be interviewed by FBI agents on March 26, 2024, and was warned of the potential criminal consequences of lying to federal law enforcement officers. Chavez admitted he had falsely told the agents he had no advance knowledge Alba planned to fail to appear for trial.

No date has been set for Chavez's sentencing.

Chavez accepted an indefinite suspension of his license to practice law by the state Supreme Court in April after previously stating in that court action. Neither he nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment for this story.

Aside from his 40-plus years as an attorney, Chavez is a very well-known fan of University of New Mexico Lobo sports.

A Lobo fan who has also been a financial contributor to Lobo athletics for years, Chavez is also arguably the loudest Lobo fan and referee critic in the Pit, where he has had season tickets for decades. He often travels to games and to the Mountain West basketball tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, each March.

Chavez is also on the Executive Committee of the New Mexico Bowl.

Journal Staff Writer Geoff Grammer contributed to this report.