Albuquerque Man Charged with Violating Federal Firearms Laws

ALBUQUERQUE – Pete Pasqual Chavez, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., entered a not guilty plea today in federal court to a felon in possession of a firearm charge.  Chavez was ordered detained pending trial based on judicial findings that he poses a risk of flight and a danger to the community.

Chavez was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Sept. 14, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M.  The complaint alleges that on Sept. 14, 2015, officers of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) responded to the La Quinta Inn on San Antonio Blvd. in Albuquerque after Chavez allegedly told hotel personnel that he had just shot a person who was breaking into his vehicle.  Upon arrival the APD officers found a firearm under Chavez’s vehicle.  Thereafter the officers executed search warrants for Chavez’s hotel room and vehicle.  In the vehicle, the officers found a single projectile that was removed from the inside of the passenger door and a box of Perfecta .45 caliber ammunition.  In Chavez’s hotel room the officers found four rounds of Perfecta .45 caliber ammunition.  In the bushes outside Chavez’s room, the officers found a firearm loaded with ten rounds of Perfect .45 caliber ammunition.

Chavez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on Sept. 14, 2015, because he previously had been convicted of shooting at or from a motor vehicle, and attempted trafficking of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance in the Second Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico.  Chavez also had previously been convicted for using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

If convicted of the crime charged in the criminal complaint, Chavez faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.  If the court determines that Chavez is an armed career criminal, he faces an enhanced sentence of a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison to a maximum of life imprisonment. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations.  All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and APD.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Cairns is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.  Because New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, under this initiative.