Appeals Court Upholds Conviction of Ex-Police Chief Tim Vasquez

NEW ORLEANS, LA — The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld the conviction of former San Angelo Police Chief Timothy Ray Vasquez this week. Charged with bribery and three counts of honest-services mail fraud, Vasquez is serving a 15.5-year sentence at a federal penitentiary in Jesup, Georgia, following his March 2022 conviction.

Vasquez was found guilty of pushing for the use of Harris brand radios for the City of San Angelo's public safety radio network, influenced by bribes from Harris radio vendor Dailey and Wells. These bribes, totaling $180,000 over ten years, were masked as payments for his band, Funky Munky's performances at company events. Prosecutors demonstrated that the band was paid twice the market rate, indicating a bribe.

The appeal contended that the payments should be seen as gratuities, not bribes, due to the lack of a specified action by Vasquez in return for the payments. This argument paralleled a recent case where a similar conviction was overturned due to the absence of a promised quid pro quo (United States v. Hamilton, 2022). However, the appeals court found Vasquez's case analogous to Whitfield v. United States (2009), where a judge was convicted of bribery without knowing the specifics of the future cases he would be influenced in.

Three judges reviewed Vasquez’s appeal. They were Jacques L. Wiener Jr. who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush; Don Willett appointed to the bench by President Donald J. Trump; and Dana Douglas who recently joined the court when appointed by President Joe Biden.

Vasquez will remain in prison. His next step is the U.S. Supreme Court. Should he not appeal there, his official release date from prison is January 9, 2035. Federal convicts must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence prior to a chance at parole.